Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness warns every Aussie a target as cyber crime becomes more sophisticated

The country’s top cyber cop worries Australians’ have not spent enough time protecting themselves from online criminals as attacks rise “in scale and sophistication”. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, said the nature of cyber crime was rapidly evolving as criminals harness new technologies to target vulnerable people and businesses. Speaking after the the WA’s Legal Practice Board was hacked last week, Lt. Gen. McGuinness told The West Australian it was imperative “every sector” looked inward to assess whether they had adequate “cyber security posture” and a “well practiced, rehearsed and exercised incident response plan.” “I think we are all very well practiced in how to respond to hazards, as a nation, we face so many natural hazards that we know how to respond, but the cyber environment is different,” she said. “I’m not sure that we have spent enough time exercising and practicing.” “I think there is good that we can do, and we can’t put our head in the sand — we have to face this threat. “It is increasing in scale and sophistication. It’s persistent, it’s insidious and it brings the potential for great harm.” Lt. Gen. McGuinness said every sector — including WA’s rich and resourceful mining sectors — were targets. “I do think that we have to bring this into our culture as Australians, to be more cyber secure, to be aware and not be intimidated by it, trying to simplify it so that it’s accessible to everybody. During a recent visit to WA, Lt. Gen Mcguiness engaged with WA authorities who were dealing with the aftermath of the legal practice board hack. “I have been engaging with the team over there, and they’ve kept us informed, and we’ve offered support,” she said. “I’m not inclined to discuss ongoing issues (but) I think it’s really important that we continue to drive uplift across all sectors. “I don’t think any of us are immune to being targeted . . we persistently learn the lessons as we see attacks being successful, on how we have to harden and move forward and in order to recover. “I think all of us are targets, any business or individual who are seen as insecure and seen as wealthy, I do think Australia is viewed as largely wealthy and a rich target, I’m not sure if it’s specifically targeted to states, but like all sectors, I think that the mining sector would be an attractive target.” “We tend to see groups that are rich in data, rich in resources, and have a low maturity being targeted, but no one is safe on this. The threat is insidious, there is no one safe in this we all need to continue to uplift.” Quick fixes individuals can make to improve their cyber safety includes regularly changing passwords and ensuring they use two factor authenticators where able.