MailGuard Blog

The verdict is in, most industry experts and business leaders agree that Government contractors should be legally accountable for not meeting cybersecurity standards. A somewhat harsh stance perhaps, or simply being cruel to be kind?

We would like to thank the ACCC for providing us with this valuable interview with ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard, discussing tips on how to have a conversation about scams with our networks. While her comments are primarily geared towards consumers and individuals, it’s important to note that businesses and their employees can be vulnerable too.

The facts and figures are quite clear. We only need to look at the latest news headlines to witness the upwards trend of cyber threats that are facing individuals and organisations worldwide. From local councils to major corporations and government departments, no one is immune. We see evidence of this every day – from the recent cyber-attack in Melbourne, Australia, at the City of Stonnington Council, to Accenture’s $50 million dollar ransomware threat – cybersecurity is the number one threat facing businesses today. President Biden, in his address to the CEO’s of some of the largest corporations in the world, such as Google, Apple and JP Morgan Chase, urged leaders to up their commitment to cybersecurity, “The reality is that most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the federal government can’t meet this challenge alone…You have the power, capacity and responsibility, I believe, to raise the bar on cybersecurity. Ultimately we’ve got a lot of work to do”. It’s becoming more apparent that a cyber resilient culture within businesses is imperative.

We would like to thank the National Cyber Security Alliance for providing the following valuable information to help protect from phishing threats. 

“Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation. And it will require a new operating model, spanning people, places and processes” 

Compromise can happen to anyone. It’s no longer a case of ‘If a cyberattack hits my business’ but ‘A cyberattack will hit my business’. We have come a long way from the thinking that only certain types of businesses (or business functions) could be the recipient of a cyberattack. Most security professionals now assume that a breach is inevitable and prepare accordingly.

For the first time ever, Microsoft Inspire 2020, was an all-virtual conference this year.

Office 365 users are prime targets of criminal-intent email threats, and this continues to be reinforced by recent reports of massive phishing campaigns threatening to cause catastrophic damage to businesses.

Defending against Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks has long been a key component of many businesses’ cybersecurity strategies.

As many of you know by now, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in a press conference last month that Australian private & public sector companies are being targeted in a massive cyber-attack by a "sophisticated state-based cyber actor". 

Why are some business owners still not paying attention and underestimating a real business risk? A staggering 80% of Australian companies believe their cybersecurity investments are ‘failing’.

“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.