Cyberattacks increase four-fold in Australia; Government report reveals!

According to a government assessment, the number of cyberattacks on Australia increased four-fold from the prior year, with more than half of the assaults focusing on individuals for fraud and theft. In the most recent financial year, 76,000 complaints about cybercrime were filed with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), of which 95 reports were with assaults on vital infrastructure.

A additional observation made by the government body was that complaints about cybercrime increased by 13% over the previous year. According to the report, criminals and state-sponsored organisations, namely those funded by the governments of Iran, Russia, and China, have been primarily responsible for the assaults.

According to the Reuters news agency, Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neil said in response to the report on Friday on state-owned Australian Broadcasting Company, ‘It’s not just about the frauds or the texts that you or I might receive, but real issues around the security of our country going forward’.  It is a government priority for national security.

The research was released against a backdrop of significant data breaches at the insurance business Medibank and the telecoms company Optus, both of which exposed the private information of millions of Australians. Optus and Medibank, according to government statistics, were to blame for poor software upgrades that made it easier to attack systems. Recently, the Australian government made the decision to propose new laws that would enhance the maximum punishment for persistent ‘privacy breach’ offences.

The penalty amount will rise from the current $1.4 million to $32 million, which is equal to 30% of the relevant period’s revenue or three times the value of any benefits acquired from the abuse of information, whichever is greater. ‘ Recent large-scale privacy violations have demonstrated how insufficient the current measures are. The expense of doing business cannot be solely justified by a fine for a significant data breach ‘,said Mark Dreyfus, the attorney general. ‘We need stronger rules to control how businesses manage the enormous amounts of data they acquire, and larger sanctions to encourage better behaviour,’ he continued.