A lot of Australians think they can spot a scam and believe they would know what to do if they were targeted. However, the truth is scammers are getting more creative as days go by. They mimic contact details, branding and logos, and language to seem legitimate people or organisations and to trick even the smartest. Unfortunately, the community lost more than $25 million to email scams last year.
A lot of companies identify as ‘offline’ and assume they don’t need cyber protection. However, virtually all businesses in Australia rely on some form of digital communication or services, such as staff email addresses, websites, social media for marketing, online banking, and e-commerce or an online store. It’s almost impossible to find a business that doesn’t use email or some form of digitized communication. What’s worrisome is that most businesses who identified a cyber-attack did so via a fraudulent email.
Australian businesses with a turnover worth at least AUD 3 million per year must comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act. The federal government implemented the regulation on 22 February 2018, to ensure that public and private sector groups continue to invest in information security. Failure to do so can be costly for your business.
Cybersecurity is an integral part of running a business, particularly for Aussies, to prevent unwarranted access to your network. Smart devices and Internet access have become necessities, making information security indispensable against viruses. When hit by a cyberattack, it may take years to bounce back, not to mention retrieving the lost or stolen data. With a regular IT audit and other cybersecurity practices, cyber threats will be minimized.
Australian business owners without clear IT security policies will become more vulnerable to attacks in 2019 than in previous years. Malicious software, or malware, continues to evolve with the discovery of new threats that no longer require the use of executable files. As early as July 2018, IT experts have included TrickBot malware in types of cyber-attacks. It emerged as one of the latest threats that year when even large companies, which have robust IT support systems, had trouble reducing their risk exposure.
When did your IT guy last pay you for downtime?
Work with a Managed IT company who can help you streamline your systems and operations management. Implementing high‐tech solutions to ensure the integrity, uptime and accountability of all internal system processes gives you the assurance that you have continuity.