InfoGovANZ

Information Governance Think Tank

Cyber & Info Security

OAIC Data Breach Notification Report

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The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) latest Notifiable Data Breaches Report highlights how OAIC expects entities to prevent and respond to data breaches caused by ransomware and impersonation fraud. The OAIC received 446 data breach notifications from January to June 2021, with 43% of these breaches resulting from cyber security incidents. Data breaches arising from ransomware incidents increased by 24%, from 37 notifications in the last reporting period to 46. Read the latest report here.
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Trust & Information Insights – Sarah Auva’a

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As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, we reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. We’ve seen the different ways governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the results in managing the pandemic. Similarly, organisations have had to adapt to the changes and, in particular, to faster digital transformation. Robust governance of organisations and of information has never been so important. Increased cyber risks and the importance of access to real-time and accurate data for decision-making, both at the board level and throughout the organisation, are now critical issues. In the world of data privacy, unfortunately trust and confidence in the way that organisations use data was already […]
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Cyber Risk Management and the Value of Cyber Insurance

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The technology revolution has created unprecedented developments in the way that business is transacted, how information is obtained, how we communicate with each other and how data is sourced and stored. The reality of these developments has also lead to unparalleled increases in the ability of criminals to act in a digital environment rather than in the physical world and cyber crime has never been more financially rewarding. Cyber risk and cyber exposure exists for every business that uses technology and connects to any form of information systems and networks. Size of business, industry factors and reliance on technology for critical operations can increase cyber risk vulnerability, but no business is immune.  Managers are faced with the challenge of protecting against cyber risk and implementing strategies and procedures to safeguard against the potential loss and damage suffered in a cyber event. Cyber risk management is a holistic approach to evaluating […]
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Cybersecurity & IG Insights – Dr Peter Chapman

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As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, we reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. We’ve seen the different ways governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the results in managing the pandemic. Similarly, organisations have had to adapt to the changes and, in particular, to faster digital transformation. Robust governance of organisations and of information has never been so important. Increased cyber risks and the importance of access to real-time and accurate data for decision-making, both at the board level and throughout the organisation, are now critical issues. Our expert panel included InfoGovANZ Advisory Board member Dr Peter Chapman who brings expertise in cybersecurity and Information Governance. […]
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OAIC Data Breach report: January – June 2020

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The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released its Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) Report for January to June 2020. Malicious or criminal attacks remain the leading cause of data breaches involving personal information in Australia.    Commissioner Angelene Falk said,  'this trend has significant implications for how organisations respond to suspected data breaches — particularly when systems may be inaccessible due to these attacks. It highlights the need for organisations to have a clear understanding of how and where personal information is stored on their network, and to consider additional measures such as network segmentation, robust access controls and encryption.' In other findings: Health service providers continued to be the top reporting sector (115 notifications), followed by the finance and education sectors, and the insurance industry making the top 5 sectors for the first time. The number of notifications resulting from social engineering or impersonation has increased by 47%. Actions taken by […]
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Information Security Risk Management Practitioner Guide – OVIC

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The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) issues security guides to support the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards (VPDSS). This document provides organisations with guidance on security risk management fundamentals to enable them to undertake a Security Risk Profile Assessment (SRPA) as required under s89 of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014(PDP Act) and is designed to support practitioners and information security leads.
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Information Governance + COVID-19 Roundtable Report

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To celebrate Information Awareness Month (IAM2020) and Privacy Awareness Week (PAW2020), we kicked off with an online panel discussion on the myriad of Information Governance issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our panellists included – Melanie Marks, Christopher Colwell,  Sonya Sherman, Dr Peter Chapman, Matthew Golab and the discussion was facilitated by Susan Bennett.  The importance of connectivity and of access to trusted information, the role of fit for purposes systems to capture records during a crisis and accountability for decisions made during the pandemic period were all highlighted. Discussion around the COVIDSafeApp emphasised that privacy by design and governance of data are key for user trust.  A key focus of the discussion were increased information security and cybersecurity risks with the move to working from home.  These include the risks of data leakage, data breach, shadow IT and cyber-crimes. In summary, the discussion emphasised that the myriad of information, records, […]
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Broken Trust – The Information Security Dangers of Insider Threats

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  The increasing awareness of external cyber-security threats has executives focused on how their organisation can be defended against the “enemy at the gates”. But are organisations just as much at risk from an “enemy within”? In this article Dr Peter Chapman, Director in the Ferrier Hodgson Forensic Technology and eDiscovery team and InfoGovANZ advisory board member, provides an opinion and case study on insider threat. The media provides us with constant reminders of the threat of cyber-criminals and other external attackers. Recent legislative and regulatory changes such as the European Union GDPR requirements and mandatory breach notification amendments to the Australian Privacy Act have only increased our awareness, specifically with regards to ensuring that personally identifiable information (PII) in the possession of the organisation is safeguarded. While PII data is undoubtedly a target of external attackers, and external threats must be guarded against, organisations may be overlooking significant insider […]
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Information Security & Information Governance – how they work together

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Information (data) security, cybersecurity and IT security all usually refer to the protection of computer systems and information assets by suitable controls, such as policies, processes, procedures, organizational structures and software and hardware functions. The type and extent of controls depends on the scope and maturity of the business function (usually the Security Department) applying the controls, or, depends on the specialisation/focus of the team, such as Perimeter/Firewall or Identity Management. Each function tends to have a different perspective of information security, compared to other functions, due to their focused specialisation. A close parallel is the health profession. You see a GP doctor when unwell, and are referred to a specialist who knows much more than your GP about a particular field of expertise. I know that my GP would not want to perform open heart surgery at all. And equally, a heart specialist would not have up-to-date and practical […]
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Cyber Insurance: how it works and the benefits of Information Governance

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  As the number and size of cyber attacks on businesses continues to increase, the risk of experiencing a data breach is higher than ever. The resulting cost of these breaches can be significant – according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study, these totalled $2.51 million per year across the organisations that were recruited for the research. As a result, an increasing number of organisations are choosing to invest in a cyber insurance policy, which allows them to claim cyber incident response expenses, regulatory fines, legal defence costs and business interruption losses. In other words, offset the cost of a potential data breach. This article outlines the benefits of cyber insurance and explains why, in today’s digital age, it is vital for organisations to invest in this class of insurance, in addition to understanding the information governance obligations that their insurance policy places on them. What […]
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