Wherever disaster strikes, the scammers are soon to follow, like weeds in your carefully tendered garden. Well, break-out the spray pack because we’d like to share some ways you can mix-up a cyber-security solution that will keep the nasties at bay.
Since the beginning of March this year Australia has seen a significant rise in malicious cyber attacks and scams related to COVID-19. These scammers are relying on people’s concern for themselves and their businesses during the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 100 reports of scams have been received by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in the past three months. Ploys include directing targets to dodgy websites that attempt to install malicious software or steal personal information, sometimes imitating trusted entities like the World Health Organisation.
These are your first steps to cyber-safety in the time of COVID-19:
- Don’t open email attachments or links from an unrecognised sender
- Do the sender’s URLs reflect the organisation they claim to be?
- Run software and operating systems updates whenever its available
- Use strong passwords and don’t share – consider using a dedicated password storage app
- Apply multi-factor authentication on any applications
- Back up your data to a location separate from your work devices.
As you’d expect during such a major crisis, the relevant government agencies are here to help with a range of advice and resources.
If you work in or run a small business, take a look at the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) publication COVID-19: Protecting Your Small Business.
Think you’ve been scammed? Visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) dedicated COVID-19 resource page and report what happen.
We’ve created a suite of resources to help you manage payroll during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as emergency assistance options for Aurion customers.
About the Author
Nick Ransley
Content Creator
Nick researches and writes quality content that educates our community about current and emerging Payroll & HR trends. This requires building solid relationships with internal and external stakeholders to understand issues, products, and the wider Payroll & HR landscape.
