This October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, an initiative launched by the Australian Signals Directorate’s ACSC, aimed at empowering everyone with essential knowledge on cyber security. This year’s theme is ‘Be Cyber Wise – Don’t Compromise’. 

The rise in cyber threats 

The Annual Cyber Threat Report 2021-22 found a 13% increase in cybercrime reports – averaging one report every seven minutes in Australia. Fraud, online shopping and online banking were the top reported cybercrime types, accounting for 54% of all reports. 

Four Steps to Cyber Wisdom 

This month-long campaign advocates for a proactive approach to cyber security and encourages you to take four easy steps to become more cyber wise: 

✓ Regularly update devices. Turning on automatic updates for your devices and software ensures that you have the latest security in place. 

✓ Employ multi-factor authentication ‘MFA’. This adds another layer of protection to your accounts. 

✓ Back up essential files to safeguard your data from threats and avoid costly data recovery. 

✓ Utilise passphrases and password managers. Also, don’t compromise your accounts by re-using passwords or passphrases! 

Engagement and Empowerment 

There are great resources available to help improve your cyber security knowledge and skills, including: 

• A quiz that allows you to test your knowledge of cyber security 

• Guidance materials (from cyber.gov.au) that are downloadable, to boost your cyber security expertise. 

Cyber Security Events and Activities in October: A Snapshot 

Image credit: AISA

Australian Cyber Conference Melbourne 2023 - Tuesday 17 Oct to Thursday 19 October 

Presented by Australian Information Security Association and sponsored by the Victorian Government, CyberCon 2023 will provide business leaders with insights and best practices taught by the cyber industry’s top experts through keynotes, panel discussions, breakout sessions and live demonstrations. 

Hosting over 4,000 attendees, the conference has an interactive format of presentations, workshops, plenary sessions. There are also a range of opportunities to network with cyber security experts. 

Cyber Security - Online Training - available online throughout October 

Business Victoria, in partnership with Monarch Institute, is offering an online course tailored for individuals who are either launching or enhancing a small business. 

This course is designed to help small business owners understand the significance of cyber security and provide you with practical knowledge on how to defend your business from potential cyber attacks. The course offers key strategies to keep pace with this fast-evolving field. 

Let's get you cyber fit! – DIF Live On-Demand 

Susie Jones is Co-founder & CEO of Cynch, a Victorian startup focused on supporting small businesses in large, critical supply chains to meet and exceed their cyber security obligations. In this session, you'll hear the latest trends in cyberattacks and the measures you can take to mitigate them, as well as learning several free and easy actions that you can implement right away to improve your cybersecurity. This DIF2023 Festival session is available to stream anytime, on demand. 

Cybersecurity: Protecting Ourselves & Our Data - Wednesday 4 Oct 

NORTHLink and Pitcher Partners are hosting an event to discuss cyber security and how it affects the success of a business. It will also focus on how cyber security impacts our personal lives including identity protection, financial situations, and the entities/services we all use daily, such as banks. 

Hamilton Library - Cyber Safety Talk - Friday 6 Oct 

Held at the Greater Hamilton Library, Gerard Kelly from Victoria Police will talk about cyber- crime and will provides tips on how to protect against identity theft and fraud. 

Cyber/Online safety: Legal implications for community groups - Wednesday 18 October 

This session at St Albans Community Centre will share information on cyber safety - what it means to be safe online and how to maintain this. This also includes the legal requirements and implications for community groups. 

For more information about Cyber Security Awareness Month, head to https://www.cyber.gov.au/learn-basics/view-resources/cyber-security-awareness-month