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PRC state-sponsored actors compromise and maintain persistent access to U.S. critical infrastructure   Advisory

Feb 8, 2024 - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assess that People’s Republic of China (PRC) state sponsored cyber actors are seeking to preposition themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States.

JCSC virtual presentations on Log4j2 vulnerability – Friday 17 December   News

Dec 16, 2021 - A critical alert and advisory has been published on the Log4j2 vulnerability. On Friday 17 December 2021, ASD's ACSC’s Joint Cyber Security Centres (JCSCs) will facilitate a series of virtual awareness and advice sessions about this vulnerability. Australians are urged to act now to secure their computer systems against this critical software vulnerability.

ACSC Threat Report 2017   Reports and statistics

Oct 15, 2017 - This is the third Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) Threat Report. It continues to reflect on the experience, focus, and mandates of the ASD’s ACSC’s member organisations. The report provides an insight into what the Centre has been seeing, learning, and responding to, focusing on specific areas of change or new knowledge obtained.

2023-01: ASD's ACSC Ransomware Profile - Royal   Advisory

Jan 24, 2023 - The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) is aware of a ransomware variant called Royal, which is being used by cybercriminals to conduct ransomware attacks against multiple sectors and organisations worldwide, including Australia. Once gaining access to a victim’s environment, cybercriminals use this ransomware for similar purposes to other variants such as encrypting their data and extorting a ransom to return access to the sensitive files.

Critical vulnerabilities in Ivanti Connect Secure (ICS) and Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)   Alert

Feb 1, 2024 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is aware of critical vulnerabilities affecting Ivanti Connect Secure (ICS), formerly known as Pulse Connect Secure, and Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) gateways. The vulnerabilities affect all supported versions and configurations of the products. Customers should apply the mitigations made available by Ivanti and implement patches as they become available.

2023-03: ASD's ACSC Ransomware Profile – Lockbit 3.0   Advisory

Jun 15, 2023 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is aware of Lockbit 3.0 which is the newest version of Lockbit ransomware. It is used by cybercriminals to conduct ransomware attacks against multiple sectors and organisations worldwide, including Australia. Once gaining access to a victim’s environment, cybercriminals use this ransomware for similar purposes as other variants such as encrypting their data, and extorting a ransom to return access to the sensitive files.

ASD's ACSC Advisory 2020-012: Critical remote code execution vulnerability in Windows DNS server (CVE-2020-1350)   Advisory

Jul 15, 2020 - An adversary who successfully exploits the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the Local System Account. The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) strongly recommends users apply the security patch to their Windows DNS servers to prevent an adversary from exploiting this vulnerability.

Educational pack for small businesses   Guidance

Jun 15, 2023 - This educational pack provides engaging content to help small business owners learn how to stay cyber secure. Includes practical activities for staff.

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.

2019-126: Vulnerable version of Telerik UI being actively exploited by APT actor   Alert

May 22, 2020 - The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has become aware that Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors have been scanning for and attempting exploitation against unpatched versions of Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX using publicly available exploits. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to upload files to the vulnerable server to facilitate further compromise.

Traffic Light Protocol (TLP)   Hidden

The Traffic Light Protocol is a set of Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) designations used to ensure that information is shared with the correct audience.

DDoS threats being made against Australian organisations   Alert

May 25, 2020 - Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is aware of a number of Denial of Service (DoS) for ransom threats being made against Australian organisations, primarily in the banking and finance sector.

Seniors  

Jun 23, 2023 - This guide provides some simple steps and resources to protect your personal information, accounts and life savings when going online.

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.

Advisory 2021-004: Active exploitation of ForgeRock Access Manager / OpenAM servers   Advisory

Jul 9, 2021 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) has identified targeting and compromise of Australian organisations with vulnerable internet-accessible servers running ForgeRock Access Manager (ForgeRock AM). ForgeRock AM was previously known as OpenAM. The ASD's ACSC has observed malicious actors exploiting the vulnerability in ForgeRock AM/OpenAM to gain initial access to networks in multiple organisations, and facilitate further access within these networks. On 7 July 2021 the ASD's ACSC alerted organisations that this vulnerability was being actively exploited. This ASD's ACSC advisory provides recommendations for securing ForgeRock AM against vulnerability CVE-2021-35464, and advice on identifying potential successful exploitation of this vulnerability.

Small business  

Jun 15, 2023 - Basic steps to protect your business and staff from cyberthreats. Our guide has information and resources to help you and your staff prepare for cyberattacks.

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.

2019-131a: Emotet malware campaign   Alert

Oct 1, 2020 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has observed an ongoing and widespread campaign of malicious emails designed to spread Emotet across a variety of sectors in the Australian economy, including critical infrastructure providers and government agencies.

Active exploitation of critical vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller and Citrix Gateway   Alert

Jan 13, 2020 - The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is aware of ongoing attempts to exploit a critical vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) (formerly known as NetScaler ADC), Citrix Gateway (formerly known as NetScaler Gateway) and Citrix SD-WAN WANOP.

Secure your website   Guidance

Jul 29, 2024 - Small business account for over 95% of all businesses in Australia and 72% of them have a website. However, in a world in which websites are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals, only 36% check for updates every week. For those small businesses with a website, or that are considering one, these three quick wins will help you protect your money, data and reputation.

Update your devices  

Jan 25, 2023 - Updates are new, improved, or fixed versions of software. Regular updates are critical in maintaining a secure system. It's important to check for any updates and make sure that automatic updates are switched on. 

Fast Flux: A national security threat   Advisory

Apr 4, 2025 - This advisory is for network defenders and explains how Bulletproof Hosting Providers are using ‘fast flux’ to cycle quickly through bots and DNS records to bypass detection. It highlights the importance of using a reputable Protective DNS (PDNS) provider that detects and blocks fast flux.

2021-003: Ongoing campaign using Avaddon Ransomware   Advisory

May 8, 2021 - The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is aware of an ongoing ransomware campaign utilising the Avaddon Ransomware malware. This campaign is actively targeting Australian organisations in a variety of sectors. This advisory provides details of Avaddon threat actors, dark web activity, targeted countries and sectors, the malware infection chain, and known Techniques, Tools, and Procedures (TTPs). If activity is identified relating to this advisory please report any findings to the ACSC.

Mitigation strategies for edge devices: Executive guidance   Publication

Feb 4, 2025 - This publication provides a high-level summary of ASD’s existing guidance to manage and secure edge devices effectively. It is intended for executives in large organisations and critical infrastructure providers that are responsible for the deployment, operation, security, and maintenance of enterprise networks. ASD is soon to release a comprehensive technical publication on mitigation strategies for edge devices for practitioners.

Set up and perform regular backups  

Nov 9, 2022 - Backing up and having backups mean you can restore your files if something goes wrong. It is a precautionary measure so that your data is accessible in case something happens to your computer.

Critical security vulnerability affecting Apache Struts2 below 6.4.0.   Alert

Dec 13, 2024 - ASD’s ACSC is aware of a critical vulnerability impacting Apache Struts2 below 6.4.0 (CVE-2024-53677).

Critical security vulnerabilities affecting Mitel MiCollab version 9.8 SP1 FP2 (9.8.1.201) and earlier   Alert

Dec 9, 2024 - ASD’s ACSC is aware of multiple critical vulnerabilities impacting Mitel MiCollab collaboration applications.

Australia joins US and UK to warn of 2021 Ransomware trends   News

Feb 10, 2022 - Ransomware continues to be a global threat, and cybercriminals using ransomware pose a significant risk to Australian organisations and households.

Ransomware   Threat

Read through the following case studies and learn from other Australians about how ransomware has affected them.

Exploitation of existing Fortinet Vulnerabilities    Alert

Apr 11, 2025 - Fortinet has released information regarding exploitation of previously known vulnerabilities affecting Fortinet devices.
ASD’s ACSC recommends customers follow the advice contained in Fortinet’s advisory page.