New legislation to help shield universities from an increased risk of cyber attacks passed has through parliament. Under the federal government's second Security Legislative Amendment Bill, higher education providers will be mandated to report any significant cybersecurity incidents or ransom payments ...
More »How do we secure Australia in the 21st century?
Australian states and territories must play a greater role in countering the security challenges of the 21st century and cyber security demands greater recognition and appreciation, two experts warned at the latest National Press Club Address. Entitled 'Securing Australia in ...
More »Why providing a secure student experience could be make or break for Australia’s tertiary education institutions in 2021: opinion
Pre-pandemic, higher education was Australia’s third-largest export category, responsible for contributing $37.6 billion to the economy in the 2019 financial year, according to Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan. What a difference a year makes. The higher education sector has been ...
More »Dutch uni struck ‘devil’s bargain’ with cyber attackers
Maastricht University (UM) in the Netherlands has revealed it paid hackers of its computer systems a ransom of 30 bitcoin, worth around 200,000 euros at the time of payment. Two days before Christmas, UM reported the hacking of its computer ...
More »‘It was a diamond heist’: ANU details facets of data breach
Four months after Australian National University revealed to the public that it had been the target of a cyber hack, the institution has released a report detailing its subsequent investigation. ANU vice-chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said the “state of the ...
More »Tehan details foreign interference taskforce at Press Club
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has unveiled details for a university foreign interference taskforce in his address at the National Press Club in Canberra. The group will be made up of representatives from universities and government agencies in equal measure ...
More »Education institutions ‘ill-prepared’ for cyber ‘beast’: report
A new report has warned that Australian education institutions are ill-prepared for the cyber-security threats of the digital age. Commissioned by cyber security group Cisco, the report provides clues as to why successful cyber attacks are happening more often and ...
More »ACU hit by cyber attack, staff emails compromised
In the second successful cyber attack on a university unearthed in the past month, Australian Catholic University has alerted its community to a data breach. Earlier this month, Australian National University revealed a hacker breached its systems in 2018, accessing ...
More »Locking down our houses of higher learning: why effective cyber protection should start from the top
Around the world, cybersecurity threats are real and rising, and Australia’s education sector is far from immune. Maintaining effective cybersecurity defences has become an enterprise-wide challenge for organisations of all sizes and stripes, including the country’s houses of higher learning. ...
More »Ten inexpensive ways to vanquish cyber spies in higher education
Just a few short years ago, cyber attacks were a barely recognised threat. They felt intangible, unlikely, a concern for the future perpetrated by bored yet technically gifted teenagers. Fast-forward to today and cyber security is the most pressing IT ...
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