cyber safety

Create, connect and share respect – Safer Internet Day 2019

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Create, connect and share respect – Safer Internet Day 2019

Safer Internet Day 2019

On Tuesday, 5 February 2019 we are celebrating Safer Internet Day!

Safer Internet Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the safe and positive use of digital technology, and to explore the role we can all play in creating a better and safer internet in
our community.

Coordinated by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner in Australia and celebrated in over 130 countries, this year’s Safer Internet Day theme is: ‘Together for a better internet’.

We are encouraging all Australians to collaborate with their communities and support each other in developing the critical skills required to successfully navigate the online world.

These skills take time to develop but they can help us in all areas of life — online and off. We like
to call them the 4Rs…

  • Respect – I treat myself and others the way I like to be treated
  • Responsibility – I am accountable for my actions and I take a stand when I feel something is wrong
  • Reasoning – I question what is real
  • Resilience – I get back up from tough situations

CyberGuru is supporting Safer Internet Day by posting on blog articles about cyber safety and security and we encourage you to join in!

Help spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of a safer and more positive internet — you can participate in, run your own Safer Internet Day activity or simply start
a conversation in your community about the 4Rs and how you can come ‘Together for a better internet’.

To see what others are doing to promote Safer Internet Day or to find out how you can get involved, visit http://esafety.gov.au/saferinternetday/

“Collection #1” Data breach lists 773 million accounts online

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“Collection #1” Data breach lists 773 million accounts online

Collection #1

Barely a day goes by without news of another data breach or new security issue. But late last week security researcher Troy Hunt announced the discovery of what is possibly the largest data breach ever. Known as Collection#1, the data breach contains approximately 773 million accounts online from multiple sources.

Collection #1 is a large collection of email addresses and passwords which was made available on a public hacking forum. It appears to consist of multiple breaches across several websites.

Since the original announcement by Hunt, it is further now understood Collection#1 is just one of seven collections, so it is likely that the number of breached accounts is likely to increase dramatically when the remaining collections become public.

The recommendations made are always:

  • Set strong passwords and don’t use the same passwords on multiple websites.
  • Change passwords where you may have used the same username and password.
  • Set up multi-factor authentication on your accounts to ensure that you require a secure code as well as your password.

We strongly suggest everyone review their accounts on the Have I Been Pawned? website (link opens in new window) to see if you have any vulnerable accounts. You can also check your password to see if it on any known exposure.

If we can be of any assistance to you in implementing these recommendations, or would like any further advice on cyber security, please let us know.

Stay Smart Online Week 2018

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Stay Smart Online Week 2018

CyberGuru is once again a proud partner of Stay Smart Online Week from 8-14 October 2018. This year’s campaign is Reverse the Threat, which is designed to “mobilise a movement against cybercrime with our partners and the wider community.”

Each year, Stay Smart Online hosts an awareness week to empower people, business and the community to protect themselves when online. Similarly, at CyberGuru, we seek to empower and enable our clients to be more self-sufficient in maintaining their computers as well as helping people be safe online.

According to the 2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report Global Results, one in four Australians were hit by cybercrime last year. As part of Stay Smart Online, we seek to bring together the Australian public, business and government to reverse the threat of cybercrime.

Here’s four tips on how to do this:

  1. Carefully check email messages that you receive before clicking or taking action. If you receive an email or text message that you are not expecting, call the company that supposedly sent it (using their official website or phone book, or listed details from a separate document).
  2. Don’t use public wi-fi connections, use a VPN or private network instead. Public wi-fi connections at airport lounges, libraries and coffee shops are not as safe as you may think. Cybercriminals may be able to see the information being sent between your phone and the Wi-Fi hotspot.
  3. Install new updates regularly. Smart phones, computers and apps require updates to add new features, resolve bugs and fix security holes. Install updates as they arrive or set them to automatically update.
  4. Create strong passwords that are different on all of your accounts. You may use a phrase or series of words that are easy to remember but hard to guess. You may use a password manager or implement multi-factor authentication to help protect you further.

For more information about protecting yourself and for more tips and advice, please see the Stay Smart Online website.

We encourage you to sign up to the CyberGuru Newsletter, as well as to sign up for the Alert Service.

Stay Smart Online Week 2017

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Stay Smart Online Week 2017

Stay Smart Online Week 2017

CyberGuru was a proud partner of the Stay Smart Online Week 2017, an initiative of the Australian Government which ran from Monday 9 October to Friday 13 October.

Each year, through Stay Smart Online Week, the Australian Government works in collaboration with other agencies, industry, community groups and small business operators such as CyberGuru to raise awareness about the ways people can protect themselves onlineThe national awareness week is typically held in October each year and focuses on a key theme that highlights an important safety message. This year, Stay Smart Online week will took place from 9–13 October and the them brought was ‘simple steps to online safety’.

A selection of educational videos were developed especially for Stay Smart Online Week 2017 and are available on the Stay Smart Online website and Facebook page. By having more people aware of the simple steps they can take to be safe online, the internet will be safer for everyone.

In their recent report, Stay Smart Online noted that, “in the last 12 months we have seen a real shift in cyber activity, and more people than ever are at risk of cybercrime. The Australian Cyber Security Centre Threat Report 2017, launched during the week, shows 47,000 cyber security incidents were reported nationally in the 2016–17 period, a 15% increase on the previous year.”

In addition, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Scamwatch figures found that $37 million has been lost by Australians have already lost to online scams since the start of 2017.

We encourage you to sign up for the CyberGuru Newsletter to be informed of developments and sign up for the Stay Smart Online Alert service to continue to be advised on current cyber threats and how to manage them.

CyberGuru’s Chief Guru to present at Seniors Safety Forum

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CyberGuru’s Chief Guru to present at Seniors Safety Forum

Seniors Safety Forum 2017

 

CyberGuru’s Chief Guru, Chris Jeffery will present at the Seniors Safety Forum being hosted by Stirling Hinchliffe MP, Member for Sandgate, Cr Jared Cassidy, Councillor for Deagon Ward, and Leanne Linard MP, Member for Nudgee on Wednesday 4 October 2017.

Chris Jeffery is an 2017 Advance Queensland Community Digital Champion and recently celebrated 20 years of operating his own computer solutions business, CyberGuru which provides ICT consulting, design, support and training to small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and individuals.

Chris is an invited guest speaker at this event, discussing digital security and how to protect yourself from online scams. Other guest speakers include Federal Member of Lilley, Wayne Swan MP as well as other representatives discussing the safety and security of seniors in our community.

There will also be an opportunity to meet with your local representatives to discuss safety in the home and in the community, focussing on issues pertinent to seniors in the local area.

The Seniors Safety Forum is being held on Wednesday 4 October 2017 at 9.30am-11.30am in the Taigum Shopping Centre.

Please RSVP by making contact with either Stirling Hinchliffe MP or Cr Jared Cassidy’s offices by COB 2 October 2017.

  • Stirling Hinchliffe MP Phone: 3639 9100 Email: sandgate@parliament.qld.gov.au
  • Cr Jared Cassidy Phone: 3667 6011 Email: deagon.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au

Seniors Safety Forum 2017