Too much data collection means we're more at risk of having personal details stolen, expert says
2 years, 3 months ago

Too much data collection means we're more at risk of having personal details stolen, expert says

ABC  

We're more at risk than ever of having our personal data stolen, with so many businesses collecting and storing unnecessary amounts of personal information on their customers, a security expert has warned. Key points: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia needs better laws for data protection Professor Asha Rao says we need "severe penalties" for companies that fail to protect their customers' personal data She says companies should also be prevented from collecting so much data Professor Asha Rao, Associate Dean of Mathematical Sciences at RMIT University, says Australia needs new laws to prohibit companies from engaging in unnecessary data harvesting. She says we also need "severe penalties" for companies that fail to protect customer data, similar to penalties for violations of money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. Professor Asha Rao says Australia needs to treat breaches of personal data far more seriously "It's what we call data retention, and function creep. "We need to have severe penalties for data breaches involving personal information," she said.

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History of this topic

The Worst Hacks of 2024
2 weeks ago

The Worst Hacks of 2024

Wired  

Every year has its own mix of digital security debacles, from the absurd to the sinister, but 2024 was particularly marked by hacking sprees in which cybercriminals and state-backed espionage groups repeatedly exploited the same weakness or type of target to fuel their frenzy. Microsoft said in January that it had been breached by Russia's “Midnight Blizzard” hackers in an …

The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach
55 years ago

The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach

Wired  

Data breaches are a seemingly endless scourge with no simple answer, but the breach in recent months of the background-check service National Public Data illustrates just how dangerous and intractable they have become. “There appears to have been a data security incident that may have involved some of your personal information,” National Public Data wrote on Monday. “The incident is …

Data theft a clear and present danger
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Data theft a clear and present danger

China Daily  

A day after a threat actor called "Fenice" claimed to have hacked 1.4 billion user accounts on Tencent, the Chinese internet giant told Southern Metropolis Daily on Wednesday that the claim was untrue and the information was rigged up and exaggerated with historical materials, misleading the public. According to a news release issued by Schubert Jonckheer& Kolbe LLP, the company …

Data theft a clear and present danger
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Data theft a clear and present danger

China Daily  

A day after a threat actor called "Fenice" claimed to have hacked 1.4 billion user accounts on Tencent, the Chinese internet giant told Southern Metropolis Daily on Wednesday that the claim was untrue and the information was rigged up and exaggerated with historical materials, misleading the public. According to a news release issued by Schubert Jonckheer& Kolbe LLP, the company …

Cybercrime expert 'very confident' the MediSecure data of almost 13 million Australians has already been sold
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Cybercrime expert 'very confident' the MediSecure data of almost 13 million Australians has already been sold

ABC  

Cybersecurity experts say the highly sensitive data of 12.9 million Australians, stolen from eScripts provider MediSecure, has already been sold on the dark web and is up for sale again. "Basically what they're saying is, 'We have sold this to one person, so we're going to lower the price from the original $50,000 to $25,000'," Jamie O'Reilly, founder of Australian …

Guardians Of Virtual Realm: Navigating Cyber Laws And Safeguarding Data Privacy For Silenced Voices
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Guardians Of Virtual Realm: Navigating Cyber Laws And Safeguarding Data Privacy For Silenced Voices

Live Law  

When we speak of cyber frauds, the first thing which strikes our mind is cyber laws, throughout the time these laws have protected us from various cyber frauds but on many instances, we have seen that some people have suffered the wrath of cybercrimes. This act was originally introduced in Parliament as the Personal Data Protection Bill in 2019, it …

Dutch underestimate cyber threats, privacy watchdog says; 25,000 data leaks reported
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Dutch underestimate cyber threats, privacy watchdog says; 25,000 data leaks reported

NL Times  

The Dutch Data Protection Authority received 25,694 reports of data leaks last year, 21 percent more than the year before and amounting to about 70 leaks per day. Organizations underestimated the consequences of a cyber attack in seven out of ten cases last year, the AP said in its annual report. About 20 million people’s data leaked in the Netherlands …

Australia goes on cyber offensive with sweeping resilience plan
1 year, 1 month ago

Australia goes on cyber offensive with sweeping resilience plan

The Hindu  

Australia will give cyber health checks for small businesses, increase cyber law enforcement funding and introduce mandatory reporting of ransomware attacks under a security overhaul announced on Wednesday after a spate of attacks. The federal government said it will also subject telecommunications firms to tougher cyber reporting rules which apply to critical infrastructure, seek migrants to build up the cyber …

Cyber Threat: 'Notorious Threat Actor' Puts Indian Forces' Classified, Confidential Data on Sale
1 year, 4 months ago

Cyber Threat: 'Notorious Threat Actor' Puts Indian Forces' Classified, Confidential Data on Sale

News 18  

A ‘notorious threat actor’ has claimed to have hyper-sensitive and classified data of various Indian forces, including the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Border Security Force, and put it on sale in cyberspace. “This threat actor is notorious for releasing Indian defence data on various platforms,” a top-level government official said while quoting an official communication. News18 has sent …

Assume your data has or will be leaked, privacy watchdog says
1 year, 7 months ago

Assume your data has or will be leaked, privacy watchdog says

Dutch News  

Everyone should assume their personal details have already been leaked at least once or that it will happen in the future, and that means protecting your data as much as possible, the Dutch privacy watchdog Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens said on Tuesday. Last year the agency received 21,151 reports of data leaks, of which more than 1,800 were the results of a …

What can cyber hackers do with your data — and how to stop it
1 year, 8 months ago

What can cyber hackers do with your data — and how to stop it

ABC  

When Beth* was caught up in the Optus data hack, she had to get a new drivers licence. University of Tasmania senior business and economic lecturer Joel Scanlan said they helped to form a "picture" of someone's identity, which could be used to commit crime. Dr Scanlan said hackers often send out millions of emails based on one hack, in …

52% of organisations have suffered a data breach worldwide in the last 2 years
1 year, 9 months ago

52% of organisations have suffered a data breach worldwide in the last 2 years

India TV News  

Over half of the organisations have reportedly suffered a data breach in the past two years across the world. According to the State of Security, 2023 report by software firm Splunk, around 62 per cent of respondents have said that their business-critical applications have suffered from unplanned downtime due to a cybersecurity incident on at least a monthly basis, an …

Data hack by Cl0p ransomware group still being assessed, Tasmania's technology minister says
1 year, 9 months ago

Data hack by Cl0p ransomware group still being assessed, Tasmania's technology minister says

ABC  

Tasmania's technology minister says there is "no indication" government-held data has been compromised as part of a hack of a third-party file transfer site by a cybercrime enterprise but added the investigations were "ongoing". Key points: Last Friday, the Tasmanian government announced it was caught up in a data theft incident which has also affected Crown Resorts and Rio Tinto, …

Healthcare industry continues to be main target of data breaches, with 79 reported in six months
2 years, 1 month ago

Healthcare industry continues to be main target of data breaches, with 79 reported in six months

ABC  

The healthcare industry has again reported the most data breaches to the privacy regulator in the first half of 2022, continuing a trend since Australia's reporting scheme began in 2018. Key points: Health services reported 79 data breaches from January to June 2022 Overall, 396 data breaches were reported to the privacy regulator The notifiable data breach scheme has been …

NT Police issue cybercrime warning after two businesses handover more than $1 million to scammers
2 years, 2 months ago

NT Police issue cybercrime warning after two businesses handover more than $1 million to scammers

ABC  

Northern Territory Police say they're investigating "numerous" incidents of cybercrime targeting building and real estate companies, after two businesses handed over more than half a million dollars each to scammers in recent months. Key points: Northern Territory Police say the scams are targeting building and real estate companies Two businesses collectively lost more than a million dollars to separate business …

Australia sees spike in cyber attacks from criminals and states
2 years, 2 months ago

Australia sees spike in cyber attacks from criminals and states

The Hindu  

Cyber attacks against Australia from criminals and state- The Australian Cyber Security Centre received 76,000 cybercrime reports last financial year, up 13% from the previous period, according to its latest annual cyber threat report. While just over half of attacks targeted individuals for fraud and theft, the report warned that state- Multiple attacks against Australian essential services were thwarted over …

Australian health insurer says data of all customers hacked
2 years, 2 months ago

Australian health insurer says data of all customers hacked

The Hindu  

Australia’s largest health insurer said on Wednesday a cybercriminal had hacked the personal data of all its 4 million customers, as the government introduced legislation that would increase penalties for companies that fail to protect clients’ private information. Medibank said “significant amounts of health claims data” had also been accessed in the breach, which was reported to police a week …

Australia To Impose Hefty Penalties For Data Breaches Following Major Cyberattacks
2 years, 2 months ago

Australia To Impose Hefty Penalties For Data Breaches Following Major Cyberattacks

News 18  

– Australia will introduce laws to parliament to increase penalties for companies subject to major data breaches, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said, after high-profile cyberattacks hit millions of Australians in recent weeks. Dreyfus, in an official statement issued on Saturday, said the government would next week move to "significantly increase penalties for repeated or serious privacy breaches" with amendments to privacy …

Hacker holds Australian health insurer’s data for ransom
2 years, 2 months ago

Hacker holds Australian health insurer’s data for ransom

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — A cybercriminal was holding for ransom an Australian health insurer’s customer data including diagnoses and treatments, in the nation’s second major privacy breach in a month, officials said on Thursday. Trade in Medibank shares has been halted on the Australian Securities Exchange since Wednesday when police were alerted that the company had been contacted by what it …

Most Australian executives wary of announcing cyber attacks and online strategies amid increased demand for transparency
2 years, 2 months ago

Most Australian executives wary of announcing cyber attacks and online strategies amid increased demand for transparency

ABC  

Australian executives remain wary about publicly disclosing cyber attacks and cyber strategies, despite growing demands for transparency. Key points: PwC survey finds 90 per cent of Australian respondents worry cyber transparency is a risk to competitive advantage Australian organisations are more reactive than their global counterparts to cyber incidents The Australian Cyber Security Centre warns attacks are increasing in frequency, …

Cyberattack on Australian telco Optus affects 1.2 million customers
2 years, 3 months ago

Cyberattack on Australian telco Optus affects 1.2 million customers

The Hindu  

Australian telecoms giant Optus on Monday said personal information and at least one valid form of identification of about 1.2 million customers was compromised in one of the biggest cyber breaches the country has faced. The breach last month by an anonymous online account, which affected 10 million customers, equivalent to around 40% of Australia's population, attracted harsh criticism from …

Cybercrime is evolving — here's how a cybersecurity expert recommends you keep safe
2 years, 5 months ago

Cybercrime is evolving — here's how a cybersecurity expert recommends you keep safe

ABC  

Paul Haskell-Dowland has been in the cybersecurity education and research domain for two decades — and he is on a mission to teach the rest of us how to stay safe online. Criminals increasingly sophisticated Professor Haskell-Dowland said this portrayal was not entirely accurate and, in reality, cyber threats come from far more organised operations, which are "incredibly well-resourced". "It's …

Air India suffers massive cyber attack: Credit card info, personal details of passengers stolen
3 years, 7 months ago

Air India suffers massive cyber attack: Credit card info, personal details of passengers stolen

India TV News  

Air India Data Breach: Air India has been hit by a massive cyber attack in which personal details, including credit card information of lakhs of passengers have been compromised. In a communication to affected users, the national carrier said that data breach involved personal data registered between August 26, 2011 and February 20, 2021. "Massive Air India data breach, involved …

Over 59% of Indian adults fell victim to cyber crime over past 12 months: report
3 years, 8 months ago

Over 59% of Indian adults fell victim to cyber crime over past 12 months: report

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI: Over 59% of Indian adults fell victim to the growing number of cyber crimes in the past year, said a report by cybersecurity software company, Norton Lifelock. According to the report, a whopping 27 million Indian adults were victims of identity theft in the past 12 months, and 52% of adults in the country do not know how …

Cyber attacks on Australian businesses on the rise but experts not blaming state actors
4 years, 7 months ago

Cyber attacks on Australian businesses on the rise but experts not blaming state actors

ABC  

It used to be a business needed a lock on its door and a CCTV camera to protect against criminals, now experts say they need to invest in security they cannot see. Key points: A number of Australian businesses have been the target of attacks in recent weeks Cyber experts think it is "unlikely" attacks are connected Increase globally of …

Cyber security agencies suspect massive data breach in the last few days
4 years, 8 months ago

Cyber security agencies suspect massive data breach in the last few days

The Hindu  

Cyber security agencies suspect a massive data breach has occurred over the last few days, enabling cyber criminals to obtain proof against citizens visiting pornographic websites and blackmailing them. Such emails have become rampant over the last few days and this may be due to a data breach event,” Balsing Rajput, Maharashtra Cyber SP, said. Once the trackers have access …

4 in 10 Indian adults victim of online identity theft, men more prone
4 years, 9 months ago

4 in 10 Indian adults victim of online identity theft, men more prone

The Hindu  

Nearly four in 10 Indian adults have experienced some sort of identity theft in their lifetime, with 10% in 2019 alone, a new report said on Monday, adding that identity theft and cybercrime appear to be more common among men than women in the country. “Headlines of identity theft, data breaches and online fraud are on the rise and it …

India’s cybercrime experts give tips on privacy, financial security online and how to spot malicious sites
5 years ago

India’s cybercrime experts give tips on privacy, financial security online and how to spot malicious sites

The Hindu  

Online shopping, holiday-themed social media posts, last-minute getaway bookings, backing up data to the cloud — at this time of the year, online activity reaches a peak, and with this surge in activity come massive exchanges of personal and financial data over countless networks. Here are what some of the country’s cybercrime experts recommend: Have a merry vacation Shashank Sai, …

Cost of data breaches will grow to $5 trillion in 2024, claims report
5 years, 3 months ago

Cost of data breaches will grow to $5 trillion in 2024, claims report

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Cyberattacks and data breaches have cost trillions of dollars so far. It seems there is no breather in sight for enterprises as the cost of data breaches is expected to grow annually at 11%, from $3 trillion per year to over $5 trillion in 2024, claims Juniper Research’s new report titled, “The Future of Cybercrime & Security: Threat …

Cyber crimes in India extremely organised, collaborative in nature: IBM
5 years, 5 months ago

Cyber crimes in India extremely organised, collaborative in nature: IBM

The Hindu  

Data breaches have cost Indian enterprises ₹12.8 crore on an average during the first half of calendar 2019, a 7.29% increase compared with a year ago. Each employee incurred a loss of ₹5,019 on account of lost data or stolen record, an increase of 9.76% from the prior year, said a study conducted by IBM Security in association with Ponemon …

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