The ACSC (Australian Cyber Security Centre) is urging organizations to make efforts to protect themselves from cybercriminals, especially after the publication of a report with breach , which showed an increase in malicious and criminal activity on the internet.
According to the specific report published by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), malicious activity was found to be the leading cause of data breaches in the quarter in 64% of notifications, an increase from the previous quarter of 57%.
According to the ACSC director, the report is a further reminder that Australia’s trade secrets are an attractive target for cybercriminals and credentials are an easy way to access data. He said there have been several cybersecurity incidents over the past quarter that appear to have exploited vulnerabilities that involve a human factor, such as clicking on a phishing email and revealing passwords. The ACSC has worked with the OAIC to provide organisations and agencies with strategies to protect against such incidents.
According to the ACSC, there is no “room” for complacency, as it was already confirmed by the Australian government in December that there had been a global hack of Manager Service Providers, which also included organizations in the country. In response, the ACSC announced the launch of a program to improve defenses around the country. More specifically, Manager Service Providers were asked to register with its program and show their commitment to protecting themselves and their customers. The importance of the program was greatly emphasized, as in the last quarter, malicious and criminal attacks were recorded for more than 168 data breaches, while human error was estimated for 85 data breaches and system error for 9. More information about the December report can be found here.
