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Written by Tanya Brink, Business Development Manager
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Recently, Optus suffered a significant data breach. This breach was severe and immeasurably dangerous from the onset. A
public announcement detailing the breach was issued and effectively highlighted the vulnerability of our data: personal and professional.
Why did this happen?
Doesn't Optus, being the tech giant they are, employ intrinsic barriers to prevent hackers from breaching their walls? You would think that
if we can rely on our data being secure, it's with the people who educate us on staying safe from these hooded characters. However, even the
common notion of a hacker is being challenged in this day and age.
Hackers don't wear hoods, are not loners living in a basement, and are not hiding under the shade of a tall building with a coat full of
stolen watches. Instead, they are intelligent, calculated, and intuitive. They receive the same kind of financial emails we do, eat at the
same restaurants and frequent the same gyms.
They know we are creatures of habit, and the password we use to order Uber eats is the same password we use to log into our banking. So they
generate sophisticated emails and text messages containing malicious attachments and links, which, when clicked on, are the source of the
initial infection on your system. As a result, a cyber breach is reported every 8 minutes.
Most consumers are unaware that 95% of cybercrimes are successful purely due to human error. Cybercriminals' secular responsibilities are
hacking other people's data; they meet their KPIs and receive bonuses for hard work. They climb the hacker corporate ladder, and they report
to their superiors.
So the question needs to be asked, what can be done to protect ourselves and our data from threat?
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Practice good password etiquette – do not use the same password for multiple platforms. Utilising a password keeper
can be helpful. Ensure your password contains a combination of upper case and lower case numbers and symbols, and do not provide your
password to anyone you don't trust.
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Secure your social media and email accounts – implement multi-factor authentication. It takes mere minutes comparable
to a lifetime of compromise if you're data is breached.
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Be constantly on guard for phishing emails and text messages – check the email address, browser address, and wording
of your correspondence. If something looks wrong, don't click on it!
"Most consumers are unaware that 95% of cybercrimes are successful purely due to human error."
What do I do if my data is breached?
First, understand what's been exposed, which platform was breached and what data was compromised. If driver's license details were
compromised, alert the authorities and have your license replaced. Change passwords. Turn on multi-factor authentication if you haven't
already done so. Be alert for suspicious calls or messages and consider a creditor monitoring service. Report the breach!
For further information on protection and actions after a breach and how to prevent a breach: visit the following trusted websites.
IDCARE Official Website | Identity Theft & Cyber Support
ACSC Homepage | Cyber.gov.au
Home | Scamwatch
Still concerned about a potential breach?
Ashfords Digital are strong advocators of preventing cyber security threats and believes prevention is the best practice. Let Ashfords
Digital help you understand your business' vulnerabilities and improve your confidence in managing the inevitable with minimal impact. I
invite you to start the conversation. Call Tanya Brink, Ashfords Digital Business Development Manager, on 0460842996 or email tanya.brink@ashfords.com.au
