One In Five OZ Businesses Cyber Attacked

One in five strategic Australian businesses has suffered a cyber-attack in the past year, with attacks becoming more coordinated and targeted, a federal government survey shows. More than 20 percent of 255 organisations in Australia’s energy, defence, communications, banking and water sectors reported a ”cyber incident” last year, it says.Released by Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, the 2012 Cyber Crime and Security Survey Report shows the most serious attacks involving malicious software and theft or breach of confidential information.

“Cyberattacks have shifted from being indiscriminate and random to being more coordinated and targeted for financial gain,” Dreyfus said. “Most attacks occur from outside the business, although it appears internal risks are also significant.”

One business reported the theft of 15 years’ worth of critical data.

The survey, commissioned by the Federal Government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), notes the concerns about the level of IT security some big businesses have in place.

It found more than 90 percent of respondents deployed firewalls, anti-spam filters and anti-virus software, while two-thirds had documented incident management plans – but only 12 percent had a forensic plan.

More than 80 percent also reported using access control and virtual private networks (VPNs).

Of the organisations which are aware they had experienced cyber incidents, 17 percent suffered from loss of confidential or proprietary information; 16 percent encountered a denial-of-service attack; and 10 percent experienced financial fraud.

About 44 percent reported the incident to a law enforcement agency, but only 13 percent sought a civil remedy through action from legal counsel. Many chose not to report the matter to a law enforcement agent with 20 percent fearing negative publicity if they did so.

Of the respondents who reported their organisation had experienced a cyber incident in the previous 12 months, the main types reported were: theft of a notebook, tablet or mobile devices – 32 percent; virus or worm infection – 28 percent; trojan or rootkit malware – 21 percent; unauthorised access – 18 percent; theft or breach of confidential information – 17 percent, and denial-of-service attack – 16 percent.