MailGuard Blog

“In a year already marred by natural and biological crises, cybersecurity failures remain a critical threat. 

Tax refunds supposedly from national taxation bodies. Requests to verify accounts from well-known banks via a link. Attachments containing delayed invoices from suppliers. 

The End of Financial Year (EOFY) is approaching – a period that notoriously witnesses a spike in finance and tax-related scams affecting business worldwide. Just this past month, we’ve intercepted several such email scams, including those brandjacking banks like ANZ & other financial institutions, and those containing statements of accounts. 

This week marks Privacy Awareness Week 2020, an initiative by The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). It aims to highlight the importance of protecting personal information and to help organisations and employees across Australia navigate the privacy landscape.

“I am a hacker who has access to your operating system. I also have full access to your account. I’ve been watching you for a few months now. The fact is that you were impacted with malware through an adult site that you visited.”

In its report to Parliament in March, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) stated that “Commonwealth entities continue to improve their cyber security; however, ongoing effort is required to maintain the currency and effectiveness of cyber security measures.

About a month ago, we reported a rise in COVID-19 themed email scams that were infiltrating inboxes worldwide. These included emails impersonating the World Health Organization, through to those selling face masks at unbelievable prices.

In recent days, new reports have emerged about hackers attempting to sell zero-day exploits targeting Mac OS X and Windows users, with price tags for the vulnerabilities as high as $500,000. 

It’s been several weeks since many companies (mine included) implemented a remote working policy to keep our employees safe in light of the evolving COVID-19 situation.

In every company, the HR function plays a critical strategic role in coping with disruption – but what happens when disruption suddenly becomes the norm?  

It’s happened to the best of us. Trying to log onto a conference call and forgetting the meeting ID and password. Talking with the mute button on or even experiencing ‘frozen faces’ during a video call. Be it due to technological fails or human error, the world of virtual conferencing is full of embarrassing (and sometimes hilarious) mishaps.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, new reports showcasing the good, bad and ugly side of tech continue to emerge every day. The world applauded when mobile device monitoring was enlisted to enforce self-isolation, but it was also horrifying to see cybercriminals setting up fake websites offering fraudulent Coronavirus vaccines.  

Recently, we have seen a surge in cyber-attacks that are capitalising on fears around COVID-19, like this scam intercepted by my team at the end of February, and wider media reports like this one with cybercriminals creating thousands of illegitimate Coronavirus-related websites on a daily basis. 

Q&A with Craig McDonald, CEO & Founder, MailGuard

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Two weeks on, and we are seeing technology at its best and worst. Technology is all around us, and as business leaders and tech partners, we understand its power – for good and evil. Here’s a quick look at just a few of the ways that tech is being enlisted during the current crisis.