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HOW DO I KNOW IF
MY BUSINESS HAS
BEEN HACKED?
You won’t always know
immediately if your security
has been breached, so here
are a few symptoms of a cyber
attack to be on the lookout for:
→ Contacts receiving emails
that you didn’t send
→ High network activity when
not in use
→ Redirected to unusual
websites
→ Unexpected pop-up
windows
→ Low on storage for no reason
→ Computer fan running hard
→ Home page changing
→ Slow performance error
messages
ALWAYS BE ON GUARD
hile researching this issue, we learned
many in the electrical industry had
experienced cybersecurity issues,
however not many were prepared to go on
record to speak about it. Understandable, as
reputational damage can be considerable.
One small business we spoke to recounted a
tale of an email arriving in their accountant’s
inbox one morning from their managing
director who was overseas on business.
The email, which greeted the recipient in a
manner consistent with previous
correspondence, and even made reference to the
overseas trip, requested a relatively small sum of
W
money to be transferred to a bank account.
The ‘managing director’ told the recipient
that his regular cards had been stopped, and he
couldn’t access money while overseas.
The email was even signed off in the familiar
style – an ‘N’ rather than the MD’s full name.
The request, of course, drew suspicion, and a
quick phone call to the MD revealed it was a
hoax.
The replication of the MD’s tone and
language in the email, however, was the thing
that surprised the recipient.
It just goes to show that you always have to
be on your guard.
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR CYBERSECURITY
There is a plethora of
information online about
what to do to protect your
business from cybercrime.
Here are a few handy
resources to keep at your
fingertips.
For simple tips for
protecting your business,
refer to the Stay Smart
Online guide:
staysmartonline.gov.au/
protect-your-business
For a comprehensive list of
practical actions to make
your computers, networks
and systems more secure,
go to: cyber.gov.au/
advice/how-to-mitigate-
cyber-security-incidents
18 GEMCELL.COM.AU AUG – SEPT 2019
Report any breaches
to the Australian
Cybercrime Online
Reporting Network
(ACORN): acorn.gov.au
If a breach has serious
consequences, you may
be required to report it to
the Information Com-
missioner: oaic.gov.au.
HONOUR
AMONG
THIEVES
During the process of putting this
issue of Electrical Gems together,
news reached us of ructions in the
cyber criminal world.
The ‘good guys’ (apparently those
who do return data after infecting
your system with ransomware)
have been taking serious issue with
the ‘bad guys’ (those who do not).
Our source tells us that
accusations of ‘ruining a good
thing’ have been thrown around.
Irony, indeed.