Latest coverage for Australia

Also, Kali365 Bypasses MFA, Silent Ransom Group Makes Office CallsThis week, active duty troops tracked, Kali365 bypassed MFA, Australian lawmakers phished on WhatsApp, Silent Ransom escalated IT scams, Lithuania and German hospitals disclosed breaches, pro-Russian infrastructure providers arrested, CISA warned of active LiteSpeed exploitation.

Meta Ruling Points to Obligatory VerificationThe European Union all but mandated the use of age verification technologies by large social platforms by provisionally finding that Meta broke digital rules by allowing pre-teens to login. Many European countries are following Australia's lead in raising the minimum age for social media use.

Also: IoTex Bridge Exploit Linked to Private Key BreachThis week, Step Finance shuts down, IoTeX bridge exploit, Russia-linked exchanges help evade sanctions, Australian charged in $3.5 million scam, a hacker returned $21 million in seized bitcoin to South Korean prosecutors and Malaysia arrested 12 police officers in an extortion case.

Treasury Submissions Want Broader Coverage; Gaps Could Weaken ProtectionsAustralia's proposed Scams Prevention Framework leaves key scam-enabling entities outside its initial scope, raising questions about whether the model can deliver the consumer protection it promises.

Also: Australia's AI Policy Backtrack, Legal Protections for White Hat HackersIn this week's ISMG Editors' Panel, four editors explored Australia's shift in artificial intelligence regulatory policy, a resurgence of white hat hackers in the news and the shadow Telegram market of Russian fraudsters who are selling identities of former U.S. immigrants for $1,000 a person.

Also, Microsoft Badly Patches LNK Flaw, Australian Sentenced for 'Evil Twin' HackThis week, the React flaw, a belated Windows fix, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Signal group posed operational risk, more North Korean npm packages. An Australian jailed for Wi-Fi "evil twin" crimes. The US FTC will send $15.3 million to Avast users. A London council said attackers stole data.

Government Opts for Voluntary Frameworks Over Enforceable SafeguardsAustralia's federal government has quietly shelved the mandatory AI guardrails it proposed just three months ago, replacing enforceable requirements with voluntary guidance in its National AI Plan released today.

Treasury Links Russian Bulletproof Host Network to Prolific Ransomware OperationsThe U.S., U.K. and Australia sanctioned Russian bulletproof host Media Land for supporting major ransomware gangs, including LockBit and Play, a move paired with new global guidance urging internet service providers to tighten access controls and disrupt cybercrime infrastructure.

AI Models can Flag Anomalies, but Still Struggle to Read Human DeceptionReal-time payments settle in seconds - faster than fraud models can think. With most authorized push payment scam losses in Australia occurring over instant payment rails, artificial intelligence models built to spot unusual patterns often miss the one thing they can't predict: human deception.

Also, Australian Police Arrest 55 in New Round of Anom App StingThis week: UPenn hit by email breach, Australian police arrested 55, 'SesameOp' backdoor hid C2 traffic, BEC scammers used AWS, hackers stole trucking cargo, Ukrainian national extradited to United States for role in Conti ransomware and a supply chain risk in advanced installer tool.

Devices Unpatched Since October 2023 Are VulnerableThe Australian cyber defense agency warned that hackers are attacking unpatched Cisco IOS XE enterprise devices to leave behind a web shell the networking manufacturer calls "BadCandy." At least 150 Cisco devices in Australia carry the implant as of late October.

Treasury Yet to Release Sector-Specific Controls and Reimbursement MechanismsAustralia introduced the world to the first-ever Scam Prevention Framework law that promised to make the country the hardest place on earth for fraudsters. Eight months later, it's trapped in bureaucratic limbo - passed, praised and still waiting to work.

Also: F5 Revenue Dips, Swedish Utility Operator BreachedThis week, critical infrastructure breaches in Canada, a Swedish grid operator breached, an Australian guilty of selling cyber exploits, Gmail wasn't breached, F5 projected a revenue dip, PhantomRaven targeted developers, a Pakistan-linked actor targeted India and Dentsu confirmed a data breach.

Treasury Yet to Release Sector-Specific Controls and Reimbursement MechanismsAustralia introduced the world to the first-ever Scam Prevention Framework law that promised to make the country the hardest place on earth for fraudsters. Eight months later, it's trapped in bureaucratic limbo - passed, praised and still waiting to work.

Australian Clinical Labs Ordered to Pay $3.8 Million Over Pathology Unit Data TheftAn Australian court has fined a medical lab $5.8 million for cybersecurity failures leading up to - and following - a 2022 cyberattack that affected 223,000 patients. The penalty marked the first time Australia has levied a civil monetary fine for violations of its Privacy Act of 1988.

Australian Clinical Labs Ordered to Pay $5.8M in Data Theft at Medlab Pathology UnitAn Australian court has fined a medical lab $5.8 million for cybersecurity failures leading up to - and following - a 2022 cyberattack that affected 223,000 patients. The penalty marked the first time Australia has levied a civil monetary fine for violations of its Privacy Act of 1988.

Firm Deploys Claude for Staff, Refunds Australian Government Over AI ErrorsDeloitte will embed Anthropic's Claude across its workforce despite flaws in a report from a government client that its analysts produced work with the help of generative artificial intelligence, costing the company thousands of dollars.

Apate.ai CEO Dali Kaafar on Turning the Tables on Fraudsters With AI-Powered BotsMajor banks in Australia are now using bots to foil scammers. The bots are designed to pose as potential victims, extract real-time intelligence and waste scammers' resources. The data is then pushed directly into fraud detection systems used by banks, telecom providers and government agencies.

Apate.ai CEO Dali Kaafar on Turning the Tables on Fraudsters With AI-Powered BotsMajor banks in Australia are now using bots to foil scammers. The bots are designed to pose as potential victims, extract real-time intelligence and waste scammers' resources. The data is then pushed directly into fraud detection systems used by banks, telecom providers and government agencies.

Country's Largest Lender Bank Offers to Reinstate 45 'Redundant' WorkersCommonwealth Bank of Australia reversed plans to eliminate 45 call center positions after its chatbots failed to reduce customer service volume as promised, forcing the bank to offer overtime to remaining staff while facing union challenges over what may have been disguised outsourcing to India.