Latest Cybersecurity News and Articles

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I am a Medibank customer. Am I affected by the cyber-attack? What can I do to protect myself?

Experts suggest using multifactor authentication and telling your bank to put extra security checks in placeFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastMillions of Medibank’s current and former customers have had their personal information, including health claims, exposed in a hack of the company’s customer database.Here’s what we know so far, and what you can do.NameAddressDate of birthGenderEmail addressMedicare card number (in some cases)Health claims made with Medibank (in some cases)Financial support for customers who “are in a uniquely vulnerable position” as a result of the hack, who will be supported on an individual basis.Access to Medibank’s health and wellbeing support line.Specialist ID protection services from IDCARE.Identity monitoring services for customers who have had their primary ID compromised.Reimbursement of fees for reissue of ID documents that were “fully compromised” in the hack. Continue reading...

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Medibank hacker says ransom demand was US$10m as purported abortion health records posted

Post on blog linked to Russian ransomware group says it offered ‘discount’ ransom to health insurer of US$9.7m, or $1 for each customer’s dataFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe hacker behind the cyber-attack on Medibank set a US$10m price on not releasing the data, they claimed, alongside a new leak of apparently hacked records that purports to contain abortion health information.In the early hours of Thursday on a dark web blog linked to the REvil Russian ransomware group, the attacker posted that they initially sought US$10m from Medibank, then reduced the price.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Cyberspace ‘a battleground’ as reports of cybercrime in Australia jump 13%

Fraud, online shopping and banking among most commonly reported crimes, but ransomware ‘most destructive’, ASD saysFollow out Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe number of reports of cybercrime in Australia had shot up by 13% to 76,000 in a year, or one every seven minutes, even before a series of high-profile privacy breaches hit the headlines.These threats are imposing an increasingly heavy cost on businesses, with the average loss per cybercrime rising by 14% to $39,000 for a small business and $62,000 for a large business.Sign up for our free morning and afternoon email newsletters from Guardian Australia for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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TikTok tells European users its staff in China get access to their data

Privacy policy update confirms data of continent’s users available to range of TikTok bases including in Brazil, Israel and USTikTok is spelling out to its European users that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China, amid political and regulatory concerns about Chinese access to user information on the platform.The Chinese-owned social video app is updating its privacy policy to confirm that staff in countries, including China, are allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform is “consistent, enjoyable and safe”. Continue reading...

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Online age-verification system could create ‘honeypot’ of personal data and pornography-viewing habits, privacy groups warn

As the government develops online safety guidelines, digital rights groups says any approach requiring the use of ID is ‘invasive and risky’Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastIn the wake of the Optus and Medibank data breaches, digital rights groups are urging the federal government to rule out requiring identification documents as part of any online age-verification system, warning it could create a honeypot of people’s personal information and pornography-viewing habits.The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, is developing an online safety “roadmap”, outlining a way to prevent minors from accessing adult content online by ensuring host sites have verified the ages of users.Sign up for our free morning and afternoon email newsletters from Guardian Australia for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Can a new form of cryptography solve the internet’s privacy problem?

Techniques which allow the sharing of data whilst keeping it secure may revolutionise fields from healthcare to law enforcementRachel is a student at a US university who was sexually assaulted on campus. She decided against reporting it (fewer than 10% of survivors do). What she did, however, was register the assault on a website that is using novel ideas from cryptography to help catch serial sexual predators.The organisation Callisto lets a survivor enter their name in a database, together with identifying details of their assailant, such as social media handle or phone number. These details are encrypted, meaning that the identities of the survivor and the perpetrator are anonymous. If you hacked into the database, there is no way to identify either party. Continue reading...

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Outsourcer Interserve fined £4.4m for failing to stop cyber-attack

Watchdog says phishing email enabled hackers to steal personal information of 113,000 employeesBritain’s data watchdog has fined the construction group Interserve £4.4m after a cyber-attack that enabled hackers to steal the personal and financial information of up to 113,000 employees.The attack occurred when Interserve ran an outsourcing business and was designated a “strategic supplier to the government with clients including the Ministry of Defence”. Bank account details, national insurance numbers, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and religion were among the personal information compromised. Continue reading...

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Hacked! My Twitter user data is out on the dark web -- now what?

Your Twitter user data may now be out there too, including your phone number. Here's how to check and what you can do about it.

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Windows: Still insecure after all these years

OPINION: With every Windows release, Microsoft promises better security. And, sometimes, it makes improvements. But then, well then, we see truly ancient security holes show up yet again.

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Stop using Twitter to log in to other websites

With Twitter's growing technical problems, you can't rely on it as your single sign-on for other sites.

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How to keep your home secure when you travel

With travel stressful enough, you don't need the anxiety of wondering if your home is protected.

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OpenSSL dodges a security bullet

The critical security vulnerability turned out to be two serious vulnerabilities. Still, they need patching ASAP.

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How to find out if you are involved in a data breach -- and what to do next

Here's a guide highlighting the tools you can use to determine if your account is at risk.

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Here are the top phone security threats in 2022 and how to avoid them

Your handset is always at risk of being exploited. Here's what to look out for.

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How to find and remove spyware from your phone

Surveillance apps are becoming more advanced. Here's what to do if you think you're being tracked.

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Google to wipe user location history for visits to healthcare clinics, domestic violence shelters

Even if location history is enabled, visits to locations considered sensitive will be removed from logs.

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This WhatsApp scam promises big, but just sends you into a spiral

Worker shortages are the hook for the phoney government's 'offer.'

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Ukrainian police takes down phishing gang behind payments scam

Gang may have defrauded 5,000 people with promises of EU support.

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Virtual-world tech company owner arrested over alleged $45m investment fraud scheme

Investment fraud scheme defrauded more than 10,000 victims, says Department of Justice.

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The British Army is investigating after its Twitter and YouTube accounts were hijacked

The hijackers used the accounts to promote cryptocurrency and NFTs.