MailGuard Partners Blog

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.”

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. 

One of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity is keeping up with the new attacks that criminals are creating.

In a year we would all rather forget; an unfortunate side effect has been a rise in ransomware incidents and opportunistic cyber-attacks.

The Zero Trust security model is all the rage these days, with experts calling it “the new cyber game,” one that plays a significant role in securing the new normal.

Earlier this month, we partnered with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to mark Scams Awareness Week, an annual national public campaign dedicated to reducing the impact of scams in Australia. This year’s theme focused on identity theft and protecting valuable data online, with the slogan “Be yourself. Don’t let a scammer be you.”  

If a company has been hit by a ransomware attack, should it pay the ransom?   

Earlier this month, we partnered with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to mark Scams Awareness Week (SAW), an annual national public campaign dedicated to reducing the impact of scams in Australia. This year’s theme focused on identity theft and protecting valuable data online, with the slogan “Be yourself. Don’t let a scammer be you.”  

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

The Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) have released a list of recommendations as the federal government contemplates ‘Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security Strategy’.