Cyber Security

Cyber Security is a broad topic that can often be overwhelming for businesses. However, it is also a topic of great importance as a cyber breach can often cripple a business and in severe cases lead to significant brand damage or lead to a business closure.

As such, its important to take Cyber Security seriously! The question is, where to start?

Fortunately, the Australian Government has acknowledged that Australian businesses need assistance in not only preventing cyber threats but also widening their knowledge of how these cyber threats can be prevented in the first place and have invested significant money into the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)

We recommend all businesses utilise the ACSC as a resource to understand their current security posture & maturity when compared to some general best practices that can be applied to all businesses no matter their size.

In February, 2018 the Australian Government made an amendment to The Privacy Act 1988 to include a new scheme called the
Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) Scheme.

This amendment mandates that any organisation with an annual turnover of more than $3 million and some other organisations must notify both affected individuals and The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) when a data breach involving personal information is likely to
result in serious harm.

Data breach occurs when personal information an organisation or agency holds is lost or subjected to unauthorised access or disclosure. For example, when:

The notification to individuals must include recommendations about the steps they should take in response to the data breach. You should notify the OAIC
using the online form

Failure to comply could result in both Directors and Businesses being eligible for large penalties for failure to comply. Breaches under the Privacy Act can result in fines of up to $420,000 for each incident.