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2021-006: ASD's ACSC Ransomware Profile - Lockbit 2.0   Advisory

Aug 5, 2021 - The LockBit ransomware restricts access to corporate files and systems by encrypting them into a locked and unusable format. Victims receive instructions on how to engage with the offenders after encryption. LockBit affiliates have successfully deployed ransomware on corporate systems in a variety of countries and sectors, including Australia, where the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is aware of numerous incidents since 2020. LockBit affiliates are known to implement the ‘double extortion’ technique by uploading stolen and sensitive victim information to their dark web site ‘LockBit 2.0’, and threatening to sell and/or release this information if their ransom demands are not met.

New joint advisory on Russian military cyber tactics released   News

Sep 6, 2024 - Russian military cyber tactics, techniques and procedures targeting global critical infrastructure exposed in new joint advisory.

Advisory 2021-002: Active exploitation of vulnerable Microsoft Exchange servers   Advisory

Mar 26, 2021 - On 2 March 2021 Microsoft released information regarding multiple exploits being used to compromise instances of Microsoft Exchange Server. Malicious actors are exploiting these vulnerabilities to compromise Microsoft Exchange servers exposed to the internet, enabling the malicious actor to access email accounts and to enable further compromise of the Exchange server and associated networks.

Small business Google Chromebook and ChromOS security guide   Guidance

Nov 12, 2024 - This publication was developed by the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) with technical input from Chrome Engineering.

Identifying and Mitigating Living Off the Land Techniques   Advisory

Feb 8, 2024 - This Guide, authored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the following agencies (hereafter referred to as the authoring agencies), provides information on common living off the land (LOTL) techniques and common gaps in cyber defense capabilities.

Cyber security incident response planning: Practitioner guidance   Publication

Dec 12, 2024 - ASD defines a cybersecurity incident as an unwanted or unexpected cybersecurity event, or a series of such events, that has either compromised business operations or has a significant probability of compromising business operations.

Contact us  

Feb 25, 2023 - Contact ASD's ACSC for general enquiries and media enquiries.

Cyber Security Awareness Month 2024   News

Oct 1, 2024 - October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, a time for all Australians to talk about cyber security and take action to protect their devices and accounts.

System hardening  

Dec 2, 2020 - This page lists publications on the hardening of applications and IT equipment.

Suspected user credentials stolen from FortiNet devices leaked online   Alert

Sep 10, 2021 - A malicious cyber actor has leaked a list of suspected user credentials and IP address of the associated FortiNet SSL VPN device the credentials are used for. Organisations should review the patch status and history of internet exposed FortiNet SSL VPN devices and consider performing a password reset for affected users.

National cyber security exercises for Australia’s electricity industry   News

Apr 30, 2020 - In November 2019, the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) coordinated a national cyber security exercise series in partnership with Australia’s electricity industry and government agencies.

Ransomware targeting Australian aged care and healthcare sectors   Alert

Aug 2, 2020 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is aware of increased targeting of healthcare, including hospitals and aged care, by ransomware campaigns undertaken by cyber criminals.

Foundations for modern defensible architecture   Publication

Feb 10, 2025 - The Foundations represent the first step to help organisations adopt a ‘modern defensible architecture’ approach, which will enable them to evolve alongside the threat landscape.

Barracuda Email Security Gateway (ESG) malicious activity – additional Indicators of Compromise released   Alert

Dec 25, 2023 - Update: ASD's ACSC is aware of active exploitation of a third party library, Spreadsheet::ParseExcel, leading to potential Arbitrary Code Execution in Barracuda ESG appliances (CVE-2023-7101 and CVE-2023-7102).

Important Vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s June 2023 Security Update   Alert

Jun 15, 2023 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) is concerned about vulnerabilities disclosed in Microsoft’s June 2023 Security Update. Government, businesses and individuals should patch their Microsoft products and apply any recommended mitigations as soon as possible.

Home  

Jul 19, 2022 - Welcome to the Australian Cyber Security Centre website - cyber.gov.au

SVR cyber actors adapt tactics for initial cloud access   Advisory

Feb 27, 2024 - How SVR-attributed actors are adapting to the move of government and corporations to cloud infrastructure.

Serious vulnerabilities in Atlassian products including Confluence, Jira and Bitbucket   Alert

Dec 7, 2023 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is concerned about serious vulnerabilities in certain Atlassian products (CVE-2023-22522, CVE-2023-22523 and CVE-2022-1471) which are fixed by recent patches. Operators are urged to review Atlassian’s advice and implement recommended mitigations before exploitation begins.

Secure your email   Guidance

Jul 29, 2024 - How to protect yourself when using email and reduce spam and malicious emails.

Sign up for alerts  

Nov 14, 2024 - Sign up for alerts on the latest threats and vulnerabilities.

Cyber security for charities and not-for-profit organisations   News

Mar 18, 2024 - With cyber-attacks continuing to increase in frequency and severity across all sectors, the Australian Signals Directorate is encouraging charities and not-for-profit organisations to take action to protect their online systems.

Safer Internet Day 2021   News

Feb 9, 2021 - Safer Internet Day on 9 February 2021 aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and share strategies everyone can use for staying secure online.

Guidelines for gateways   Advice

Sep 4, 2025 - This chapter of the Information security manual (ISM) provides guidance on gateways.

2020-002: Critical vulnerabilities for Microsoft Windows   Alert

Jan 15, 2020 - On 15 January 2020 (AEDT), Microsoft released security patches for three critical and one important vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Remote Desktop Client, Remote Desktop Gateway and the Windows operating system. The ACSC recommends that users of these products apply patches urgently to prevent malicious actors from using these vulnerabilities to compromise your network.

Secure-by-Design Foundations   News

Jul 31, 2024 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) has released updated guidance to help technology manufacturers and those who use their digital product or service to adopt secure-by-design principles.

Active exploitation of vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Information Services   Alert

May 22, 2020 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is aware that sophisticated actors are actively exploiting a deserialisation vulnerability existing in all versions of Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) using the .NET framework (.NET). The vulnerability exploits the service’s VIEWSTATE parameter to allow for remote code execution by unauthorised users.

Supporting Australian organisations through a cybersecurity incident   Guidance

Dec 18, 2024 - Malicious cyber activity continues to pose a significant risk to Australia’s security and prosperity. Australian organisations that have been, or may be impacted by a cybersecurity incident, are encouraged to reach out to the Australian Signal’s Directorate (ASD) to seek  technical incident response advice and assistance.

Implementing SIEM and SOAR platforms: Executive guidance   Publication

May 27, 2025 - This publication is one of three in a suite of guidance on SIEM and SOAR platforms. It is primarily intended for executives but can be used by any organisation that is considering whether and how to implement a SIEM and/or SOAR.

2021-009: Malicious actors deploying Gootkit Loader on Australian Networks   Advisory

Aug 27, 2021 - From April 2021, the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) has received an increase in reporting of malicious actors targeting Australian networks with Gootkit JavaScript (JS) Loaders. Open-source reporting confirms that Gootkit JS Loaders are a precursor to several malware families traditionally used for cybercrime, notably, Gootkit, REvil ransomware, Kronos, or CobaltStrike. The ASD’s ACSC is providing this information to enable organisations to undertake their own risk assessments and take appropriate actions to secure their systems and networks. The ASD’s ACSC will update this advisory if more information becomes available.

Spotting scams   Guidance

Learn how to identify phishing messages to stay safe and protect your personal information.