Latest Cybersecurity News and Articles

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Could we have one app for everything? We ask an expert

Super apps can revolutionise your life – but do you want to pay the price, wonders AI and innovation professor David ShrierAcross Asia, the trend for a single app that does everything – from deliveries to bookings to chatting – is spreading. Known as super apps, they are rumoured to be the inspiration for Elon Musk’s plan for Twitter. Could they take off here – and should they? I asked David Shrier, professor of practice, AI and innovation at Imperial College Business School in London.Have you tried a super app?Well, what do you mean by “super app”? I’d say Facebook is a super app – it certainly has super app-like functionalities. Continue reading...

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I am a Medibank customer. Am I affected by the cyber-attack? What can I do to protect myself?

Experts suggest using multifactor authentication and telling your bank to put extra security checks in placeFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastMillions of Medibank’s current and former customers have had their personal information, including health claims, exposed in a hack of the company’s customer database.Here’s what we know so far and what you can do.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundupnameaddressdate of birthgenderemail Medicare card number (in some cases)health claims made with Medibank (in some cases) Continue reading...

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Password app LastPass hit by cybersecurity breach but says data remains safe

Company says its security system prevented the hacker accessing customer data or encrypted passwordsFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPassword manager LastPass has told customers that some of their information has been accessed in a cybersecurity breach, but says passwords remain safe.LastPass is one of several password managers in the market that aims to reduce the reuse of passwords online, by storing themin a single app. It also makes it easier for users to generate strong passwords as required.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Medibank hackers announce ‘case closed’ and dump huge data file on dark web

Medibank confirms it may be the full trove of hundreds of thousands of customers’ private records that were stolen from the health insurerFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe cybercriminals behind the Medibank cyber-attack have posted on the dark web what appears to be the remainder of the customer data they took from the health insurer, stating it is “case closed” for the hack.On Thursday morning, the blog – which returned online after several days of being offline last week – posted “Happy Cyber Security Day!!! Added folder full. Case closed.” and included a file that has several compressed files amounting to over 5GB.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Is it worth taking out personal cyber insurance in case you are caught up in a data hack?

Experts say investing in identity theft protection may provide peace of mind, but won’t help recover lost informationGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe recent Optus and Medibank data breaches in which thousands of Australians had their personal information stolen have heightened public consciousness of the threat of identity fraud.Information including names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, passport and Medicare numbers, and even healthcare claims have been posted online in the past few months as a result of the high profile breaches.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Pegasus spyware inquiry targeted by disinformation campaign, say experts

European parliament is investigating powerful surveillance tool used by governments around the worldVictims of spyware and a group of security experts have privately warned that a European parliament investigatory committee risks being thrown off course by an alleged “disinformation campaign”.The warning, contained in a letter to MEPs signed by the victims, academics and some of the world’s most renowned surveillance experts, followed news last week that two individuals accused of trying to discredit widely accepted evidence in spyware cases in Spain had been invited to appear before the committee investigating abuse of hacking software. Continue reading...

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Facebook sued for collecting personal data to target adverts

In high court case that could set precedent for millions, Tanya O’Carroll alleges owner Meta is breaking UK data lawsA human rights campaigner is suing Facebook’s owner in the high court, claiming the company is disregarding her right to object against the collection of her personal data.Tanya O’Carroll has launched a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta alleging it has breached UK data laws by failing to respect her right to demand Facebook stop collecting and processing her data. Facebook generates revenue from building profiles of users and matching them with advertisers who direct ads at people targeting their specific interests and backgrounds. Continue reading...

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I am a Medibank customer. Am I affected by the cyber-attack? What can I do to protect myself?

Experts suggest using multifactor authentication and telling your bank to put extra security checks in placeFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastMillions of Medibank’s current and former customers have had their personal information, including health claims, exposed in a hack of the company’s customer database.Here’s what we know so far, and what you can do.NameAddressDate of birthGenderEmail addressMedicare card number (in some cases)Health claims made with Medibank (in some cases)Financial support for customers who “are in a uniquely vulnerable position” as a result of the hack, who will be supported on an individual basis.Access to Medibank’s health and wellbeing support line.Specialist ID protection services from IDCARE.Identity monitoring services for customers who have had their primary ID compromised.Reimbursement of fees for reissue of ID documents that were “fully compromised” in the hack. Continue reading...

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Medibank hacker says ransom demand was US$10m as purported abortion health records posted

Post on blog linked to Russian ransomware group says it offered ‘discount’ ransom to health insurer of US$9.7m, or $1 for each customer’s dataFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe hacker behind the cyber-attack on Medibank set a US$10m price on not releasing the data, they claimed, alongside a new leak of apparently hacked records that purports to contain abortion health information.In the early hours of Thursday on a dark web blog linked to the REvil Russian ransomware group, the attacker posted that they initially sought US$10m from Medibank, then reduced the price.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Cyberspace ‘a battleground’ as reports of cybercrime in Australia jump 13%

Fraud, online shopping and banking among most commonly reported crimes, but ransomware ‘most destructive’, ASD saysFollow out Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe number of reports of cybercrime in Australia had shot up by 13% to 76,000 in a year, or one every seven minutes, even before a series of high-profile privacy breaches hit the headlines.These threats are imposing an increasingly heavy cost on businesses, with the average loss per cybercrime rising by 14% to $39,000 for a small business and $62,000 for a large business.Sign up for our free morning and afternoon email newsletters from Guardian Australia for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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TikTok tells European users its staff in China get access to their data

Privacy policy update confirms data of continent’s users available to range of TikTok bases including in Brazil, Israel and USTikTok is spelling out to its European users that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China, amid political and regulatory concerns about Chinese access to user information on the platform.The Chinese-owned social video app is updating its privacy policy to confirm that staff in countries, including China, are allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform is “consistent, enjoyable and safe”. Continue reading...

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Online age-verification system could create ‘honeypot’ of personal data and pornography-viewing habits, privacy groups warn

As the government develops online safety guidelines, digital rights groups says any approach requiring the use of ID is ‘invasive and risky’Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastIn the wake of the Optus and Medibank data breaches, digital rights groups are urging the federal government to rule out requiring identification documents as part of any online age-verification system, warning it could create a honeypot of people’s personal information and pornography-viewing habits.The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, is developing an online safety “roadmap”, outlining a way to prevent minors from accessing adult content online by ensuring host sites have verified the ages of users.Sign up for our free morning and afternoon email newsletters from Guardian Australia for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

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Can a new form of cryptography solve the internet’s privacy problem?

Techniques which allow the sharing of data whilst keeping it secure may revolutionise fields from healthcare to law enforcementRachel is a student at a US university who was sexually assaulted on campus. She decided against reporting it (fewer than 10% of survivors do). What she did, however, was register the assault on a website that is using novel ideas from cryptography to help catch serial sexual predators.The organisation Callisto lets a survivor enter their name in a database, together with identifying details of their assailant, such as social media handle or phone number. These details are encrypted, meaning that the identities of the survivor and the perpetrator are anonymous. If you hacked into the database, there is no way to identify either party. Continue reading...

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Outsourcer Interserve fined £4.4m for failing to stop cyber-attack

Watchdog says phishing email enabled hackers to steal personal information of 113,000 employeesBritain’s data watchdog has fined the construction group Interserve £4.4m after a cyber-attack that enabled hackers to steal the personal and financial information of up to 113,000 employees.The attack occurred when Interserve ran an outsourcing business and was designated a “strategic supplier to the government with clients including the Ministry of Defence”. Bank account details, national insurance numbers, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and religion were among the personal information compromised. Continue reading...

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Hacked! My Twitter user data is out on the dark web -- now what?

Your Twitter user data may now be out there too, including your phone number. Here's how to check and what you can do about it.

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Windows: Still insecure after all these years

OPINION: With every Windows release, Microsoft promises better security. And, sometimes, it makes improvements. But then, well then, we see truly ancient security holes show up yet again.

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Stop using Twitter to log in to other websites

With Twitter's growing technical problems, you can't rely on it as your single sign-on for other sites.

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How to keep your home secure when you travel

With travel stressful enough, you don't need the anxiety of wondering if your home is protected.

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OpenSSL dodges a security bullet

The critical security vulnerability turned out to be two serious vulnerabilities. Still, they need patching ASAP.

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How to find out if you are involved in a data breach -- and what to do next

Here's a guide highlighting the tools you can use to determine if your account is at risk.