By
Imran Hanif, CMgr, FCMI, FIML, MIPSA
Cybercrime is a serious and growing threat in Australia. Cybercrime covers a wide range of offences that use computers or online services to commit fraud, steal personal information, disrupt critical infrastructure, or harm individuals or organisations. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), cybercrime incidents have increased by 13 per cent in the year up to 1 July 2021, with one report made every eight minutes.
The most common types of cybercrime reported to the ACSC were online fraud (27%), online shopping scams (14%), and online banking scams (13%). These three forms of attack accounted for 54 per cent of all recorded cases of cybercrime in Australia from July 2021 to June 2022. Online fraud involves deceiving people into giving money or personal details through fake websites, emails, phone calls, or text messages. Online shopping scams involve selling fake or non-existent goods or services through online platforms or websites. Online banking scams involve stealing bank account details or money through phishing emails, fake websites, or malware.
Cybercrime can have significant impacts on individuals, businesses, and national security. Cybercrime can cause financial losses, identity theft, emotional distress, reputational damage, and legal consequences for victims. Cybercrime can also affect the availability and integrity of essential services and infrastructure, such as health, education, transport, energy, and communications. Cybercrime can also undermine public trust and confidence in online systems and platforms.
The ACSC provides advice and assistance to Australians who are affected by cybercrime or who want to improve their cyber security. The ACSC also works with other government agencies, law enforcement, industry partners, and international counterparts to prevent and respond to cyber threats. The ACSC encourages Australians to report cybercrime incidents through its Report Cyber website or call its cyber security advice line on 1300 CYBER1. The ACSC also publishes regular updates and alerts on its website and social media channels.
What are the latest techniques used by cyber criminals?
Cyber criminals are constantly evolving their methods and techniques to exploit vulnerabilities and evade detection. Some of the latest techniques used by cyber criminals include:
Ransomware: This is a type of malware that encrypts the victim’s data and demands a ransom for its decryption. Ransomware attacks can cause significant damage and disruption to individuals, businesses and organizations. Some examples of recent ransomware attacks are WannaCry, NotPetya and REvil.
Phishing: This is a type of social engineering that involves sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as banks, government agencies or online services. The goal of phishing is to trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link, opening an attachment or providing personal or financial information. Phishing can lead to identity theft, account compromise or malware infection.
Crypto jacking: This is a type of attack that involves secretly using the victim’s computing resources to mine cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Monero. Crypto jacking can affect the performance, security and privacy of the victim’s device or network. Crypto jacking can be done by infecting the victim’s device with malware or by embedding malicious code in websites or online ads.
Supply chain attacks: This is a type of attack that targets the software or hardware suppliers of the intended victim. By compromising the supplier’s network or product, the attacker can gain access to the victim’s data or systems. Supply chain attacks can be hard to detect and prevent, as they exploit the trust between the supplier and the customer. Some examples of recent supply chain attacks are Solar Winds, Kaseya and Microsoft Exchange.
Most Common Precautions to Use
Cybercrimes are illegal activities that involve the use of computers, networks, or the internet. Cybercrimes can range from hacking, identity theft, phishing, ransomware, cyberbullying, to cyberterrorism. Cybercrimes can cause serious harm to individuals, organizations, and even nations. Therefore, it is important to take some precautions to prevent or reduce the risk of cybercrimes. Some of the most common precautions are:
Use strong and unique passwords for different accounts and devices. Change them regularly and do not share them with anyone.
Install antivirus software and firewall on your devices and keep them updated. Scan your devices regularly for malware and viruses.
Avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments in emails or messages. Verify the sender and the source before opening them.
Be careful about what you share online. Do not post personal or sensitive information that can be used to identify or locate you. Use privacy settings to control who can see your online activities.
Educate yourself and others about cybercrimes and how to avoid them. Report any suspicious or illegal activities to the authorities or relevant organizations.
