Security News
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called a snap press conference to reveal that the nation is under cyber-attack by a state-based actor, but the nation's infosec advice agency says that while the attacker has gained access to some systems it has not conducted "Any disruptive or destructive activities within victim environments." Morrison said the attack has targeted government, key infrastructure and the private sector, and was sufficiently serious that he took the courteous-in-a-crisis, but not-compulsory step, of informing the leader of the opposition about the incident.
Australian beverages company Lion reported this week that its systems have been infected with a piece of ransomware that caused disruptions to manufacturing processes and customer service. The company revealed on June 9 that it had shut down its IT systems as a result of a "Cyber incident," causing disruption to customers and suppliers.
Australian brewery Lion has suspended production, threatening the flow of beer across the continent-country, after a now confirmed* cyber attack struck down its IT systems. Lion brews southern hemisphere brands including Speights, Steinlager, Lion Red and Brown as well as international brands comprising Guinness, Becks, Corona and Budweiser.
Australian steel producer BlueScope was recently hit by a cyberattack that caused disruptions to some of the company's operations. While BlueScope did not share any information about the type of attack, iTnews reported that the company was hit by ransomware and that it was working to restore systems from backups.
Australian shipping giant Toll informed customers on Tuesday that it has shut down some IT systems after discovering a piece of ransomware. Toll said it discovered the ransomware after seeing unusual activity on some servers.
The design of Australia's COVIDSafe contact-tracing app creates some unintended surveillance opportunities, according to a group of four security pros who unpacked its. The first-addressed is the decision to change UniqueIDs - the identifier the app shares with other users - once every two hours and for devices to only accept a new UniqueID if the app is running.
Rabobank's Australian outpost has messed up its Android app, leaving an unknown number of users unable to access their bank accounts on mobile devices. Customers brought The Register's attention to the pile of woeful reviews for the bank's app, many featuring a complaint that it produces the error "Unable to connect please check your internet connection".
The State of Western Australia has given itself the power to install surveillance devices in homes, or compel people to wear them, to ensure that those required to isolate during the coronavirus crisis don't interact with the community. It outlines the monitoring regime, and the fact that the State Emergency Coordinator has the power to require use of surveillance hardware.
WhiteHat Security, an independent subsidiary of NTT and a leading application security provider, announced that it is expanding its presence and product offerings into the Australian market, after already securing substantial business in the region, including a top-four Australian financial services company. An international, award-winning pioneer in application security testing, WhiteHat Security provides industry-leading accuracy and speed to automate security across the entire software development life cycle.
Australian transportation and logistics firm Toll Group has confirmed that it sustained a ransomware attack earlier this month that forced to company to shut down several systems and led to delays in deliveries across the country. While Toll Group continues to recover from the ransomware attack that started Jan. 31, the firm has now deliberately shut down several systems, including customer-facing applications, as a precautionary measure to ensure that the malware does not spread, according to a statement released Tuesday.