The Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024 was published on 20 November 2024. In the financial year 2023-24, the Australian Signals Directorate Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD) received over 36,700 calls to its Australian Cyber Security Hotline, an increase of 12% from the previous financial year. ASD also responded to over 1,100 cyber security incidents, highlighting the continued exploitation of Australian systems and ongoing threat to critical networks.
The Report set out that, ‘cybercrime is a persistent and disruptive threat. Cybercriminals are adapting to capitalise on new opportunities, such as artificial intelligence, which reduces the level of sophistication needed for cybercriminals to operate. In FY2023-24, business email compromise and fraud were among the top self-reported cybercrimes for businesses and individuals in Australia. Ransomware and data theft extortion also remained a pervasive and costly threat.’
The first chapter of the report deals with the threat of State actors. It points out, that ‘state-sponsored cyber actors will continue targeting Australian governments, critical infrastructure, and businesses, as well as connected systems and their supply chains, for espionage and information-gathering purposes. These actors will continue to adapt their techniques, using both publicly available and bespoke tools to achieve their objectives.’
Access the Annual Cyber Threat Report 2023-2024 here.
