View all news and media releases

06 Aug 2020

Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020

The Australian Government has today launched Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020.

31 Jul 2020

Dousing Cyber Risks to Water Infrastructure

National Cyber Security Exercise for Australia’s Water and Wastewater Sector

22 Jul 2020

US Department of Justice Indictment of Cyber Actors

The Australian Government expresses its concern over reports of global malicious cyber intrusions, as detailed in today’s unsealing of indictments by the US Department of Justice.

17 Jul 2020

UK-US-Canada Joint Advisory on Russia

Today, Australia declares its support for the release of the Joint Cyber Security Advisory by the US, UK and Canada, which details malicious cyber activity by Russian actors targeting organisations involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.

10 Jul 2020

Security tips for social media and social networking apps

Social media sites, social networking and messaging apps can pose a number of risks to both organisations and individuals when used in an inappropriate or unsafe manner.

06 Jul 2020

Staying off the hook in phishing attacks

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has seen a significant increase in reporting in the past few months of COVID-19 themed phishing scams, using all sorts of lures to try and trick people into handing over personal details.

01 Jul 2020

Announcing the ACSC Small Business Survey Report

Today ASD’s ACSC has published the ACSC Small Business Survey Report: How Australian Small Businesses Understand Cyber Security.

12 May 2020

Government service agents urged to protect clients and themselves

Agents of government services, such as taxation agents, BAS agents and taxation (financial) advisers, are attractive targets for cybercriminals.

20 Apr 2020

COVID-19 cyber scams mount against Australians

Cybercriminals continue to target Australians through a range of COVID-19 themed scams, fraud attempts and deceptive email schemes, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned in a new threat update.

15 Apr 2020

Are you cyber-safe at home?

With increasing numbers of Australians working from home to combat the spread and impact of COVID-19, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has issued a new advisory containing tips to reduce the risk of Australians falling victim to cybercriminals at home.

02 Apr 2020

Stay safe and be tele aware

In light of COVID-19, many businesses and individuals are now turning to web conferencing systems, like Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting and Cisco WebEx to connect online.

01 Apr 2020

ACSC program enters its next phase through JCSCs

The ACSC Partnership Program is increasingly bringing industry, academia, law enforcement and government agencies together in collaborative work spaces, enabling information-sharing and network-hardening across the economy. This is being enabled through the network of Joint Cyber Security Centres (JCSCs) around Australia.

01 Apr 2020

ACSC aware of critical vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller and Citrix Gateway

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is aware of a critical vulnerability that exists in the Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) (formerly known as NetScaler ADC) and Citrix Gateway (formerly known as NetScaler Gateway).

27 Mar 2020

Cyber scams during the COVID-19 crisis - ABC Radio interview

Mr Karl Hanmore, acting Head Australian Cyber Security Centre, interview with Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck on ABC Radio Sydney, 27 March 2020

27 Mar 2020

Microsoft warns of vulnerabilities in Adobe Type Manager Library

The ACSC is aware of Microsoft’s recent disclosure of two remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library. Microsoft reports that there is targeted exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

13 Mar 2020

Cyber security is essential when preparing for COVID-19

Ensuring good cyber security measures now is the best way to address the cyber threat.

12 Mar 2020

Microsoft warns of vulnerabilities in SMBv3 (update: patch released 13 March 2020)

The ACSC is aware of Microsoft’s recent disclosure of a vulnerability in the Microsoft Server Message Block 3.1.1 (SMBv3) protocol called CVE-2020-0796, also known as EternalDarkness.

02 Mar 2020

Joint public statement on independent review of CSCP and IRAP

In late July 2019, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) commissioned an independent review of its Cloud Services Certification Program (CSCP) and Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP).

17 Jan 2020

Top tips to avoid ticket scammers online

Follow our tips for buying tickets safely online.

03 Dec 2019

Shopping safely online at holiday time

What are the do’s and don’ts to avoid online shopping scams? Read our tips now.

28 Nov 2019

Online fraud and shopping scams among the top cybercrimes targeting Australians

Australians are urged to be vigilant and protect themselves online, especially over the busy festive period.

07 Nov 2019

National Cyber Security Committee urges vigilance as two concerning cyber security threats are in the wild

The ACSC, with its state and territory partners, is continuing to respond to the widespread malware campaign known as Emotet while responding to reports that hackers are exploiting the BlueKeep vulnerability to mine cryptocurrency.

24 Oct 2019

Widespread exploitation of vulnerable systems via Emotet malware

The ACSC is investigating a widespread malware campaign known as Emotet. Emotet is a Trojan virus delivered via emails sent with malicious attachments.

15 Oct 2019

Stay Smart Online Week - it's a wrap!

As Stay Smart Online Week comes to a close for another year, we wanted to take a moment to look back on the week.

08 Oct 2019

Protect yourself online – in your language

Check out our fact sheets translated into five languages.

07 Oct 2019

Reverse the threat of cybercrime – Stay Smart Online Week 2019

Take control of your online identity this Stay Smart Online Week

04 Oct 2019

Protect your business online this Stay Smart Online Week

Cybercriminals target businesses of all sizes, stealing business and customer information to commit identity theft, fraud and other crimes. The consequences of this can be devastating.

07 Sep 2019

ACSC confirms the public release of BlueKeep exploit

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is aware of the overnight release of a working exploit for the vulnerability known as BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708). Australian businesses and users of older versions of Windows should update their systems as soon as practically possible, before hackers further refine their tools and tradecraft in order to fully utilise this exploit.

29 Aug 2019

Electricity program generates a buzz

The ACSC has been actively working with energy sector organisations and government agencies to strengthen their resilience to cyber security threats.

12 Aug 2019

UPDATE: ACSC confirms potential exploitation of BlueKeep vulnerability

Thousands of Australian businesses using older Windows systems should immediately install a patch to avoid being compromised.

26 Jul 2019

Cyber security best-practice in mergers, acquisitions and MoG changes

The ACSC has developed tailored advice to help organisations manage the increased cyber security risks, including when data is being migrated from one system to another. Businesses undergoing major organisational change, whether it be through a merger, acquisition or Machinery of Government changes, are an attractive target for cyber criminals because of significant upheaval and disruption to the normal flow of business.

25 Jul 2019

Cyber defences tested in the ACSC and Splunk BOTS Day

The ACSC and Splunk Boss of the Security Operations Centre (BOTS) Day is underway today with up to 650 players participating across Australia and New Zealand. The region’s biggest capture-the-flag-style event tests the skills of cyber security professionals in our largest business, government and education organisations.

23 Jul 2019

Business Email Compromise freight forwarding scam

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is warning small to medium sized businesses supplying IT and electrical products of a social engineered email scam requesting quotes on goods.

02 Jul 2019

Updates to the Essential Eight Maturity Model

Our latest update to the Essential Eight Maturity Model (the Maturity Model) provides technical guidance to help organisations improve their cyber security maturity.

02 Jul 2019

Updates to the Essential Eight Maturity Model

As the lead agency on cyber security, the ACSC assists organisations by adopting a risk management approach and providing expert advice that best meets their specific needs. It’s never one-size-fits-all.

19 Jun 2019

Australian Cyber Security Centre advises Windows users across Australia to protect against BlueKeep

The ACSC is aware of Microsoft’s recent disclosure of a remote desktop vulnerability called CVE-2019-0708, also known as BlueKeep. As an indication of just how significant the impacts of BlueKeep can be to their customers, Microsoft took the unusual step of publishing advice to warn of its ability to propagate or ‘worm’ through vulnerable computer systems, with no user interaction at all.

25 May 2019

Canva users advised to change your password

The ACSC is aware of a security incident affecting the Australian online design platform, Canva.

23 May 2019

Never let a stranger remotely access your devices

The ACSC regularly receives reports from businesses and members of the public about remote access scams. Allowing anyone open access to your devices can, and usually does, end with devastating consequences.

19 May 2019

Phone scammers impersonating ACSC

The ACSC is aware of a new scam where people call who pretend to be from the ACSC, seeking your help to act against cyber criminals.

15 May 2019

Users advised to update WhatsApp

The ACSC advises users of WhatsApp to implement the latest fix for a reported vulnerability.

02 May 2019

Take steps to better secure yourself

The ACSC has released a checklist to help Australians protect themselves from cyber criminals. Lottery and grant scams, identity theft, investment scams, hacking, phishing, dating and romance scams, online abuse and sextortion are just some of the threats people face.

03 Apr 2019

Subject - Urgent payroll request

Cyber criminals are trying to commit payroll fraud by sending fake emails requesting a change to your bank details.

30 Mar 2019

Fake Paypal emails request ‘account details’

The ACSC is aware of malicious emails that are falsely advising Australians that their account has violated Paypal rules. These phishing emails try to lure the recipient into sharing personal information which could then be used for identity theft and financial gain by cyber criminals.

26 Mar 2019

Keeping up with the updates

The ACSC advises users of Drupal and Firefox to implement the latest fixes for vulnerabilities.

26 Mar 2019

PageUp data incident

On Friday 1 June 2018 PageUp Limited, an online recruitment services organisation, notified their customers about a data incident in relation to the integrity of their systems proactively informing of a possible breach.

21 Mar 2019

WordPress 5.1.1 security update

The Australian Cyber Security Centre advises users and administrators of WordPress version 5.1 to update their applications to WordPress 5.1.1. The update addresses a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take control of an affected website. WordPress 5.1 and prior versions are affected.

20 Mar 2019

Fake CIA emails requesting Bitcoin or arrest

The ACSC is aware of malicious emails claiming to be from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that are being received by Australians.

18 Mar 2019

Who will be Australia’s next Boss of the SOC?

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Splunk are teaming up this week to host Australia’s largest ever cyber security challenge.

15 Mar 2019

New approach to support cyber security

The updated Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM) has been released by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

14 Mar 2019

A wave of fake social media accounts

Recently, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) discovered multiple fake twitter accounts pretending to be affiliated with an Australian company. The accounts featured similar branding and messaging using fake identities and contact details, creating possible confusion for users looking for support.