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By : admin
January 23, 2025
January: A Time to Get Cyber Wise
January is a busy month. Everyone is returning from leave, grappling with the realities of work, and promising that this year will be different—better! However, before we know it, life gets busy, and we fall back into old routines. This is normal, and it’s precisely the kind of behavior that cyber attackers exploit. Each year, […]
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November 24, 2024
The Truth About Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
Whenever I’m tasked with an open-source intelligence (OSINT) engagement, I feel a mix of excitement and anxiety. I’m excited because no two engagements are the same—whether it’s an employee background check, a contract breach, or a theft investigation. But I also feel anxious because, what if I can’t find anything? This fear initially led me […]
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November 05, 2024
Australian Ransomware Update – 5th November 2024
This week we witnessed three identified attacks, from three different groups, with one attack being attributed to each ThreeAM, Sarcoma and Abyss, who attacked a not for profit organisation with significant data set to be exposed. Other evidence proofs on other attacks include MYOB financial records and a fringe benefits tax return. There are still […]
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October 22, 2024
Australian Ransomware Update – 22nd October 2024
Regrettably, this week, we have seen two more attacks on Australian businesses. The first was against an entertainment and recreational experience company, with over 1,000 employees. The attacking group was Lynx, who are relatively small in their volume of attacks, and this representing only the second Australian business attacked, of their 31 in total known […]
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October 15, 2024
Australian Ransomware Update – 15th October 2024
This week we witnessed three ransomware incidents, all on the 9th of October, and all by the same group. Allow us to introduce you to Sarcoma, who this past week initiated three ransomware attacks against a manufacturing business, a transportation and logistic business and a fruit and vegetable provider. We have reviewed the data leaks, […]
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October 08, 2024
Australian Ransowmare Update – 8th October 2024
Welcome to the October 8th edition of the Australian Ransomware update, brought to you by Cyberwise. This week we saw a reduction in activity, but still two attacks, both against aged care providers, one being a not for profit organisation. These attacks were conducted by ThreeAM and also, of course, Lockbit, with the latter evidencing […]
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September 11, 2024
Australian Ransomware Upate – 11th September 2024
We are back! We have been busy the past two weeks dealing with some investigations, however, during that time, ransomware attacks didn’t stop. We probably should not be surprised, with ransomware surging in July by 58% breaking records. Since we last caught up, we have seen 6 more ransomware attacks, on Australian enterprises. This time […]
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August 19, 2024
Australian Ransomware Upate – 19th August 2024
Welcome to the first Cyberwise Australian Ransomware Update. As these weekly episodes increase we will start to share insights, as well as data that has been published. The purpose of these videos is not to ‘name and shame’ the victims, but more to provide information and awareness of a cyber threat that has a significant […]
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August 01, 2024
Employee Privacy Violations
There was a recent case that illustrates the power and discipline that the OAIC can exert over those that run afoul of the Privacy Act. To provide a spoiler, the Commissioner found in favour of the complainant in this instance. The facts of the case essentially boil down to: Full details of the case can […]
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February 27, 2024
Notifiable Data Breaches | July to December 2023
The latest Notifiable Data Breach report, has been released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), and we recommend you download and familiarise yourself with the report in it’s entirety here. We have provided a summary video to help understand the current threat landscape and have noted the following report ‘highlights’: There is […]
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January 21, 2024
The Playful Art of Steganography
Steganography is nothing new, but in terms of digital evidence it is something that has intrigued me, and can be a true challenge to uncover. Steganography is the process of effectively hiding one message inside of another. Often the most common means of doing this is to embed a file, such as a zip or […]
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November 30, 2023
Cyberwise Snapforms Security Review
Surveys, forms and questionnaires may not be at the top of your radar when it comes to data protection and cybersecurity. However, that does not mean we should not be considerig it when we are looking to collect data from our clients or those that are engaging with us. We have taken the time to […]
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November 21, 2023
Improving cybersecurity with an environmental scan
Cybersecurity. It is a topic many people, dread, but also one they know the importance of. The hard part is people generally don’t know where to start, just know they need to improve. As a result of this, arguably the most common question I get is: what is my biggest threat? I get this question […]
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May 03, 2023
Data Privacy Obligations
Do you know who is responsible for your data? Hint, the answer is in the question. It is a common misconception amongst my clients (at least initially) and many of my enquiries that it is the responsibility of who is provifing them the storage, such as Microsoft, Dropbox, Google. With the proliferation of cloud storage […]
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May 02, 2023
Mobile Phone Privacy ROMs
I will openly admit that I sit on the extreme side of the privacy discussion, and whilst my approach rarely fits most people, I want to take this opportunity to share one my more favoured privacy attacks. That is effectively disabling the tracking devices we carry around in our pockets, our mobile phones. They are […]
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May 01, 2023
Increasing privacy through a VPN
One of the easiest privacy solutions to introduce to your everyday digital life is that of a VPN. VPN’s still have an unfair reputation of being used to circumvent piracy, or are only needed in larger organisations as a direct tunnel to access work data. While both are true there exists a much wider benefit […]
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April 19, 2023
The Evolution of Ransomware
Ransomware was one of the most profitable cybercrime activities in Australia in 2022 accounting for 447 reported attacks in the 2022 financial year, is one of the cybercrime areas that take a significant amount of our internal resources, and are an equally common contact point. However, there has been a slight downturn in the amount […]
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April 05, 2023
EP005 | Notifable Data Breach Report
The latest Notifiable Data Breach report is out from the OAIC, and it shares some interesting statistics and overview of the current cybersecurity landscape. You can get the whole report here: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches/notifiable-data-breaches-publications or enjoy our high view summary of the report.
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January 22, 2023
EP003 | LastPass, Starlink, Hardware Keys and TOR
Welcome back to episode 3, and the first of 2023! Thank for joining us as we discuss: NewsWhat can we learn from the LastPass attack, and why we need to take ‘local’ responsibility for our password management. PrivacyHow a new ISP is providing non-localised IP address for users, almost by accident. A happy by product […]
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January 21, 2023
Importance of Incident Response Reports
One of the most common initiatives we provide to clients, regardless of their business size is the development of an incident response report. We specialise in helping small businesses (and individuals) navigate their cyber security requirements and set up. However, we do this with the overarching requirement of not negatively impacting their operational efficiencies. Businesses […]
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December 20, 2022
EP002 | More Medibank, Encrypted Notes, Password Hygiene, Email Masking
This episode we discuss: NewsMedibank leaks, what we are seeing, and what you may need to consider. PrivacyUsing Standard Notes (https://standardnotes.com/) as an alternative to your digital / cloud note taking and storing option to improve the overall security of your important information. SecurityUsing password managers (free options: Bitwarden – https://bitwarden.com/, and KeePassXC – https://keepassxc.org/) […]
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November 21, 2022
Making Android Private
For some time I have been a significant privacy enthusiast, which may come a small surprise to some, or not at all to most. One of my significant security and privacy bug-bears is the personal tracking devices we all have attached to us. Of course, they are not officially attached to us, but may as […]
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November 10, 2022
EP001 | Introduction, ID Cards, Encryption Containers, Anonymous Payment Methods
Welcome to the first Cyberwise podcast! This episode we will introduce ourselves, discuss the format, and share our tips and tools for: Privacy – the use of photo / ID / age cards as an alternative identification method to protect your addresses. Security – the deployment of encryption containers to help protect your data, and […]
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November 02, 2022
Digital Asset Protection
One of the most common issues we encounter is that clients are not sure where to start in their cybersecurity journey. We understand, it can seem insurmountable, especially when combined with the pace at which technology develops, and the proliferation of attacks occurring. The inertia is palpable and as a result a common action is […]
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June 09, 2022
Using Automatic Updates to Protect Your Systems
Automatic updates are one of the most important means to protect your system from cyber attacks. Software vendors and manufacturers release security patches and software updates to close vulnerabilities, fix bugs and make new features available. For cloud solutions these will flow downstream automatically to your live system. But, what do you do about your […]
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April 08, 2022
Why Multi Factor Authentication is Important
What Is Multi-Factor Authentication? Multi-factor authentication is a security feature that many services offer to enhance the security of user accounts. It will typically use two or more forms of identification to make it more difficult for someone else to access your account. If a password is something you know, then a multi-factor authentication method […]
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July 25, 2021
OnlyKey is not the Only Key
Using a hardware key is a great additional security feature, and it is a case of the more the merrier. When I purchased my OnlyKey I had anticipated it replacing my Yubikey, not being used in addition to it! An OnlyKey and a Yubikey are both multi factor hardware authentication devices that serve as an […]
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April 07, 2021
Data Protection
Do you know where your data is stored, or what servers is passes through? You should, but unfortunately it is not an easy process. That notwithstanding, it is an exercise we should all undertake.Locating the Country of your Cloud Data Knowing where your data is stored is arguably one of the more difficult aspects of […]
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March 20, 2021
Accounting and Technology – 5 tips to get you going!
Accountants consider technology a challenge, but also know it has the ability to provide increased efficiencies. We help you get the balancing act just right by sharing 5 critical concepts you should be using in your practice now! I understand technology moves fast, really fast, and as a result business in general moves faster too. […]
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March 10, 2021
Stopping Email Tracking Pixels
Don’t let the convenience of a visually pleasing email be the reason your inbox habits become public knowledge of those clever enough to embed a tracking pixel in your emails. This is not a post to hate on email again, but simply a public service announcement why you need to enable a particular setting. You […]
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March 07, 2021
OPSA Podcast Episode 2
This week the team at OPSA, discuss top level domain acquisitions, why you should consider a hardware VPN, and some search engine alternatives. Welcome to Episode 2 of the OPSA podcast, where we discuss tools, tips and techniques to improve your online privacy security and anonymity. This week we are specifically discussing: Search Engine Corrections […]
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February 27, 2021
Increasing Phishing Awareness
Don’t let yourself become a statistic, improve your skills to identify a phishing attempt and attack. There are numerous services to help you on your way. Do you know what a phishing attack looks like, and do you not what to do in case you have been successfully phished? The best security is education! Phishing […]
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February 26, 2021
Password Stealing with a Bad USB
You must not rely on your browsers for your password security. Convenience is the trade off for security, and it is a trade you should not make. We are constantly stressing to our clients the need to protect their data, and the use of unique, complex and long passwords. However, we also look to compound […]
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February 21, 2021
Simple Steps To Improve Security
Four quick and easy steps you can introduce in to your digital life to increase your security and risk your exposure of being breached, or having sensitive data stolen. With the increasing volume of cybersecurity attacks there are certain steps we all can take to minimise our exposure and attack vector surface area and improve […]
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February 17, 2021
Beating Email Spammers
Email is the number one cause of cybersecurity breaches, it causes most people I know a level of anxiety and it is a zero privacy medium. There are means to defeat this though! It is no secret my personal disdain for email – the broken channel of communication that causes more problems than it solves. […]
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February 14, 2021
OPSA Podcast Episode 1
In episode one the team at the OPSA Podcast share some privacy and anonymity tips, starting with understanding Private Mail Boxes. Welcome to episode one of the Online Privacy, Security and Anonymity podcast. This episode, we work through some online privacy challenges. We look to discuss the security around private mail boxes – largely that […]
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February 08, 2021
Simple Email Encryption
Email is a pain, and not just because of the volume that is received, but because of the security flaws that exist within this medium. I am a firm believer that if we were to ‘re-write’ the internet today, email would not be a part of it. Think about the security risks that we all […]
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February 05, 2021
Practising Password Management
We all like to think that we will not be breached (even though the chances we already have are high). It is only afterwards that we look to see what has happened and the changes that can be made. We get caught up with the emotions of the invasion, and then invest in cyber defence […]
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September 04, 2020
Apxium Automating Debtors
How Wise Accounting Pty Ltd automated their debt collection process to not only improve their debtor day efficiency, but also kick start their automation process journey. It is ok stand on the shoulders of giants in order to facilitate innovation. The fact of the matter is that existing developers are going to generate efficiency and […]
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September 03, 2020
Syncthing is a good thing
Why Syncthing is for you! One of the most common solution we provide to clients is cloud storage. I personally am amazed at how few businesses are fully integrated in to the cloud way of thinking, using a mix of semi online, semi physical, and semi redundant storage solutions. Times move fast and this is […]
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September 02, 2020
Distro Hopping (no more)
This is the third article I have written about Qubes (but first for Cyberwise), largely my fascination with it. It was this ‘distro’ that ignited my journey on the security and privacy rabbit hole, and now Qubes is safely entrenched as my operating system of choice. It is not for the fainthearted, but is achievable […]
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July 25, 2020
Picking your cloud
Time to pick your cloud storage provider. Choosing a good cloud storage solution is one that should not be entered in to lightly, especially when you are relying upon this for business purposes. As I always remind clients, “the cloud is just someone else’s computer” [I hate the term ¨the cloud¨, but it seems to […]
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July 13, 2020
ReMarkable is the Best Digital Note Taking Tool
My reMarkable Tablet has become an integral business tool. Ever since 2011 I have been searching for a way to effectively and efficiently digitally store my meeting, phone call and other notes. Being a technology junkie, this needed to be so much more than simply scanning my notes from a notepad, or taking a photo […]
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July 03, 2020
Notifiable Data Breach
NFB is a thing, and you need to be compliant. New rules are generally not brought to our attention until we break them. The Notifiable Data Breach system could very well be something similar. In the age of cloud technology and information transference it is easy for a document to be leaked out of a […]
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June 25, 2020
Installing Jitsi as your video meeting platform
With dangers of video web hosting platforms being under constant attack, you can avoid some of the concerns by spinning up your own Jitsi server on some old hardware you might have laying around! If you think Zoom is convenient, you are right, but that convenience comes at a cost… It is no secret the […]
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May 08, 2020
Keep your Wi-Fi Password Secure
You shouldn’t share your wi-fi password…it’s the gaewya to your network A critical piece of property in any business is your Wi-Fi password, but how many businesses protect this with the level of security it deserves. Not many, and even I’ve been guilty of poor Wi-Fi password security in the past – handing it out […]
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