cyber security Archives

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

cyberguru Support January 22, 2019January 29, 2019accounts, Collection 1, Collection#1, cyber safety, cyber security, passwords, safety, security

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

cyberguru Consulting October 12, 2018November 26, 2018cyber safety, cyber security, reverse the threat, Stay Smart Online, Stay Smart Online Week

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:

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).
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.
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.
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.

Upcoming professional development opportunities – May 2018

cyberguru Training April 30, 2018April 17, 2018cyber security, education, ICT courses, ICT education, ICT educators, ICT trainer, ICT training, ICT training courses, learning, Office 365, opportunity, professional development, social media, training

In May 2018, CyberGuru will be presenting three professional development opportunities to small businesses, schools and not-for-profit organisations. All sessions are available for registration and payment made to the respective organisations sponsoring or promoting these events.

CSPL KnowTech – Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme, Overview of Office 365 and Office 365 features

Chris Jeffery, Chief Guru of CyberGuru will be presenting at the first Clandestine Solutions Pty Ltd (CSPL) KnowTech Session covering the Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme, an overview of Office 365 and some of the Office 365 features including SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams. The CSPL KnowTech session is designed to keep you informed of available technologies, tips and tricks, and how to use them to your advantage. This is being held at the Microsoft Innovation Centre, Brisbane on 22 May 2018 at 11:00am. To register, please visit the CSPL KnowTech Session Eventbrite page.

Queensland College of Wine Tourism – Social Media as a Marketing Tool

CyberGuru is proud to partner with the Food, Wine and Tourism Gateway Schools program to bring an exciting teacher currency and professional development workshop on ‘Social Media as a Marketing Tool’ workshop. The workshop will highlight the importance of social media to the hospitality and tourism sectors. This half-day program will be held Windaroo Valley State High School on 24 May at 9:00am. To register or to find out more, please visit the Queensland College of Wine Tourism website.

Community Management Solutions – Protect yourself and your business from cyber security threats

CyberGuru is presenting “Protect yourself and your business from cyber security threats”, sponsored by Community Management Solutions. The webinar will be held on 29 May at 12:00pm. The session is going to be covering the latest in cyber security threats and how to protect yourself and your business. For more information and to register, please visit the Community Management Solutions website. If you have any questions you would like to ask us in advance, please let us know!

If you would like a similar or another training session developed for your small business, not-for-profit organisation or individually, please feel free to contact us.

Stay Smart Online Week 2017

cyberguru Announcements October 16, 2017October 16, 2017cyber safety, cyber security, Stay Smart Online

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 leading the way on Cyber Security

cyberguru Training June 28, 2016June 30, 2016cyber safety, cyber security, scamming, security, Senior Safety Forum, seniors

Last Friday CyberGuru’s Proprietor/Chief Guru, Chris Jeffery had the honour of speaking at the Seniors Safety Forum on cyber security. Speaking alongside the Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Chris informed the local seniors in the community how to protect themselves against phone and internet scammers.

Chris spoke about phone and internet scams and how to avoid becoming a victim. As part of this we provided flyers on the ABCs of dealing with suspected scammers and as well as a Computer Security Checklist to assist seniors in staying safe.

The was a big success and the presentation well received. Over 60 seniors from the local area attended and positive feedback was provided. Our thanks the Honourable Stirling Hinchcliffe MP and Cr Jared Cassidy for organising this great event.

For more information or copies of the ABCs of dealing with suspected scammers and the Computer Security Checklist please contact CyberGuru.