MailGuard Partners Blog

As the end of 2021 approaches, MailGuard would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to you, our partner community, for your continued invaluable support throughout what has been another tumultuous year.  

As we near the end of 2021, a year that has been difficult once again for so many around the world, I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you, our partners, some fantastic progress from my team as we strive to make our industry-leading email security services even better.

The spectre of cybercrime continues to loom large over businesses globally. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) released its Annual Cyber Threat Report in September, offering comprehensive, yet alarming, insights into the threat landscape facing Australian businesses. As a trusted advisor to your customers, it’s a must read for MailGuard partners. We share some highlights below, and a link to the full report.

The move to remote and hybrid working environments, although unprecedented in its timing, has been inevitable. A global pandemic, characterised by social restrictions, has forced businesses across the world to make a rapid digital transformation to support remote working. In parallel, we have witnessed a sharp escalation of cybercrime, highlighting the importance of boosting cyber resilience for our customers.

As we pulled the curtain on 2020, counting our losses from events that none had foreseen, with global geopolitical tensions rising, and in the wake of a global health emergency the likes of which we had never experienced, in COVID-19. It forced workforces across the globe to shift to hybrid or remote working and reflected in the IC3 2020 report summarizing the impact on U.S. citizens from cybercrime, citing “a record number of complaints from the American public in 2020: 791,790, with reported losses exceeding $4.1 billion.” Saying “This represents a 69% increase in total complaints from 2019. Business E-mail Compromise (BEC) schemes continued to be the costliest: 19,369 complaints with an adjusted loss of approximately $1.8 billion. Phishing scams were also prominent: 241,342 complaints, with adjusted losses of over $54 million. The number of ransomware incidents also continues to rise, with 2,474 incidents reported in 2020.”

To pay or not to pay? On the surface it may appear to be a relatively straightforward question, however, in reality, the answer is not so simple (particularly if we dig a little deeper). Amidst the plethora of information and advice offered by Governments, cybersecurity professionals and industry experts around the world, there is one thing that we seem to all agree upon: the answer to this critical question is not one-dimensional, whatever your viewpoint may be. Every incident is different because every company has its own unique set of challenges and priorities to consider.

A phishing email purporting to be from Australia Post, claiming your parcel is about to be returned. A DHL-themed email scam informing users of a ‘failed delivery attempt’. A simple HTML email leading to phishing pages employing FedEx TNT’s branding, citing issues with your delivery address. 

In 2020, Australians lost over $850 million to scams. A new report by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission found phishing was the most reported type of scam across the country, rising to “unprecedented levels” in comparison to 2019. “Phishing activity thrived during the pandemic. Over 44,000 reports were received, representing a 75% increase,” the report stated.