Cyber security is a concern for all technology users, and hackers and scammers are finding new ways to scam and hack consumers and businesses. Sometimes the terminology can be hard to understand, so this blog is designed to give you the plain English definition of current hacking and scamming terms.
  Baiting - A type of social engineering attack where a scammer uses a false promise to lure a victim into a trap which may steal personal and financial information or inflict the system wi...

  2022 was a bad year for hacks and scams, especially those targeting businesses. The third Annual Cyber Threat Report by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to June 2022 reported these scary statistics: An increase in financial losses due to business email compromise of over $98 million Over 76,0000 cybercrime reports (one every 7 minutes) A rise in the average cost per cybercrime report to over $39,000 for small business, $88,000 for medium business, a...

Recent attacks on major companies resulting in massive loss of personal information has enforced stricter regulations for company security. Insurance companies are requesting information from their policy holders on the insured company's cyber security before policies are granted and there is talk of updating The Privacy Act to hold more accountability for organisations in relation to personal security of their clients and staff (see here for The Attorney General's Priv...

Computers are not just for business anymore. With most people having access to a computer at home, there are many fun things you can do on your computer. Here's a list of the Top 5 Fun things to do on your computer Personalise your computer You can change your background on your computer to make it something really unique. First step is to go to your desktop (with no applications showing), then with your mouse right click. One of the options is "Personalise" - click ...

What is social engineering?   Social engineering, in the context of cyber security, is the psychological manipulation by a hacker, in hopes of people divulging private or secure information to them.   How do hackers use social engineering?   Hackers use social engineering to perform their hacks and scams utilising the key principles listed below. Authority – the hacker will pretend to be a person of authority. This is prevalent in tax office scams, Microsoft h...

Before you go on vacation you generally check that the power points are turned off, someone is going to collect the mail and that all the doors are securely locked. But what about your I.T. security? Cyber criminals do not take holidays - in fact cyber-attacks and hacks increase during the holiday and sale season.
  This blog is a reminder of a to-do list of actions to ensure you have done, I.T. wise, before going on vacation.
  Enable multi-factor authenticati...