The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has published advice on how small businesses can better protect themselves from cyber attacks and disruptions during COVID-19. The Head of the ACSC, Ms Abigail Bradshaw CSC, said since early March 2020, there has been a significant increase in COVID-19 themed malicious cyber activity across Australia and small businesses are far from immune. “Small businesses can be big targets for cyber criminals,” Ms Bradshaw said. “A 2019 ACSC Small Business Cyber Security Survey showed 62 per cent of small businesses reported they had previously been a victim of a cyber security incident.” “There are simple measures that when implemented can reduce the risk and the impact of the most common cyber security incidents. Key actions that can prevent many malicious actors from being successful – and help organisations recover quickly from cyber security incidents – include: Watch out for scam emails (phishing) and don’t open attachments or click on links; Update your software and operating systems; Use strong passphrases and don’t share them round; Enable multi-factor authentication; and Back up your data and store separate from computer. COVID-19: Protecting Your Small Business publication is part of a series of advice being published by the ACSC at www.cyber.gov.au. The ACSC is part of the Australian Signals Directorate. Further information The ACSC's Web Conferencing Security advice helps to ensure that organisations and individuals make informed decisions when selecting and using a service provider. Cyber Security is Essential when preparing for COVID-19 encourages Australians to remain vigilant and ensure sound cyber security practices. The ACSC’s Threat Assessment on COVID-19 Malicious Activity provides an overview of observed COVID-19 malicious activity impacting Australians. Originally published by Australian Signals Directorate on 7 April 2020
<p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">With the current COVID-19 situation, we wanted to take a moment to check in with our DIF community.</span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;"> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">As digital innovators, entrepreneurs, tech professionals and educators, many of you have come together to help each other. It’s inspiring to see your creative solutions to these unprecedented challenges. We will be sure to showcase this Victorian ingenuity over the coming months.</span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;"> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">It can be tough to change the way we live and work. Transitioning to working remotely is a necessity - for your team and ours. Each of us is being asked to make sacrifices to save lives.</span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;"> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">DIF is an initiative of the Victorian Government and our advice is clear. Stay home. Protect our health system. Save lives. Check the latest advice at the Victorian Government’s coronavirus website: <a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__hs-2D6147685.t.hubspotstarter-2Dil.net_e2t_c_-2AW3fD0GV8tYmBJW6zx0vL1bFxDL0_-2AN3lgQdcRhyDLW5CzD9x3XnRVF0_5_f18dQhb0SmhV8YXMMsN8xYDlRHyjJqVRJgSs4WJflgN3hHhd3XL0jYVp3s9r7s5LskW5mZ76v8VCBKFW54R-2DnS7nZqqkN7KdbZPH5sfrW2MznrN567bYVW5lKvt-5F5420y5MJVPYMVVW1HW32p-2DC34cMfVrW3Kqlz72KFZxKW3Z76rp5rkYxhVMMQxX80gSRfW97rB1b8yxW5MW3Hf5Py4XRDjkN5s1H-2DtVWGljMb7RTT-2DrStHN8mQlhjVplkjW9603jR1qMXqWW8q1c4c3Nbc7lW61T70P96kCb6W5FxMQY1pgRkCW8r4rc79b9xHsN65t81tb2-5FvHW5H0jmt5vvvXKW62B31C7wTY8FN4-2DfT7zPs031VgkKmy5qhHqxW47ND3x2TwgfCN5PMXjmRFXRqVb2-5FnM6LzXYPW3rYWwF8-2DhK0-5FW7cNWQ-5F64w796W8Zbv9M18d75pW6-5F5wmq66-5FqjXw3xWwfq5qkf3xNNyL02&d=DwMFaQ&c=JnBkUqWXzx2bz-3a05d47Q&r=VeNn78KUiK5ZV3KKquo_0Aj9x7URK7eEaM0svvWbGth9Q-lrYPxrhPmPZCM-mGq5&m=ogMqXaBpKKeBMYlLx6JxOMERVRsfpGUWbG1WEvpj8hk&s=W5Jr8duWQi5roRhNoOfsAf2bKZ9nYxlgoEizXQO2hDU&e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #00a4bd;">www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au</span></a> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;"> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">In the true spirit of innovation, we are committed to adapting to support our community virtually. Our team is working with some of our talented community members to redesign programs moving forward.</span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;"> </span></p> <p style="color: #323130; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: black;">We will be sure to keep you posted and remember, you can always connect with us, we're just an email away! </span><u></u></p>