The cyber attacks on New Zealand’s stock market are part of global malicious activity. The government’s immediate goal is not to catch the perpetrators but to share information to stop the attacks.
Beyond the obvious risk of financial loss, cyberattacks can weaken our trust in digital infrastructure – and by extension, our trust in public institutions, too.
Legislation expected to be put to Parliament later this year may very well fall short due to COVID-19’s budget impacts. But until we strengthen our cyber defences, we’re all at risk.
Australia is coming under sustained cyber attack by a ‘state-based’ actor, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as hackers try to exploit vulnerabilities in business and government software systems.
‘Zoombombing’ trolls have started to infiltrate virtual meetings - bombarding unsuspecting victims with racist and sexist speech and in some cases, pornographic imagery.
The wool industry was paralysed for several days after hackers held to ransom the IT system that governs almost all wool sales in Australia and New Zealand. More attacks are a case of if, not when.
Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were indicted for attempting to take over a New York dam’s control system.
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The Iranian military operates cyber espionage and sabotage through a network of dozens of contractors, allowing the state to attack foes while denying involvement.
In the wake of U.S. killings, Iran’s supreme leader vowed ‘harsh revenge’ – which could come in the form of cyber attacks.
Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP
Less overt than conventional military actions, cyber attacks can have dangerous consequences – especially when they target critical infrastructure systems controlled by the private sector.
It can be hard to tell who is behind a cyber-attack.
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After the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, further esclation in the conflict between Iran and the US could come in the form of a cyber-attack.
Ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly complex, as hackers find creative ways to beat ordinary systems of defence.
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A recent leakware attack targeting Johannesburg was the second of its kind ever recorded. Hackers demanded A$52,663 worth of bitcoins, in return for not releasing senstivie civilian information.
As our worlds are become increasingly digitised, we’re starting to rely more on machines and devices for everyday tasks. But in an age when even pacemakers can be hacked, how do we know when and who to trust?
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Research shows we’re pretty gullible as it is. And our increasing reliance on machines for completing everyday tasks makes us all-the-more vulnerable to being exploited.
Treating non-violent cyber attacks as warfare could lead to unnecessary escalation.
Unlike purpose-built data storage systems, a data lake can be used to dump data in its original form. This data usually remains unsupervised.
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A major cyber attack on a data lake could have immense consequences for any of us. And the damage could be felt anywhere from banking to the healthcare sector.
Digital attacks can cause havoc in different places all at the same time.
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Nuclear threats are serious – but officials, the media and the public keep a close eye on them. There’s less attention to the dangers of cyberattacks, which could cripple key utilities.
Power grids are high priority targets during conflict.
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US and Russian tension over power grid cyber attacks is a concern for global stability, but it also highlights our own critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
It’s been reported that names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, personal email addresses and emergency contact details, tax file numbers, payroll information, bank account details, passport details and student academic records were accessed.
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