COVID-19 cybercrime
Territorians are reminded to be alert to cyber security during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Cyber criminals are using the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation to circulate scams online and to take advantage of businesses and people working remotely from home.
Ensuring good cyber security practices is the best way to address the cyber threat at work and at home.
Cyber threats
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) releases briefs on coronavirus (COVID-19) related cyber security threats with tips to reduce your risk.
Go to the ACSC website to check the latest threat advice.
Get help with cyber security
There are a number of websites you can go to for tips and advice about the below topics.
Turning on security settings
Go to the ACSC website for step-by-step guides about how to turn on security settings like multi-factor authentication and automatic updates.
These guides are useful for individuals and businesses.
Working from home
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in many people working from home for the first time.
Working from home has specific cyber security risks. Find out how to protect your work and personal information by reading the working from home guide on the ACSC website.
As more people work from home, collaboration tools can be essential to staying connected. Go to the ACSC website for advice on web conferencing security.
For more advice on household cyber security, read the tips on how to secure your devices and information on the cyber.gov.au website.
Protecting your business
Small businesses can be big targets for cybercriminals.
Read about protecting your small business on the ACSC website. This includes cyber security basics and practical steps to support businesses adapt to working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACSC Small Business Cyber Security Guide provides information to help small businesses protect themselves from the most common cyber security incidents.
See the advice to protect against business email compromise or invoice fraud.
Online scams
A number of COVID-19 themed scams are circulating online and via text messages.
The phishing emails and messages are often sophisticated, preying on people’s desire for information and imitate trusted and well-known organisations or government agencies.
Clicking on the links in these messages or visiting the fake websites listed may automatically install computer viruses or malware and ransomware onto your device, giving cyber criminals the ability to steal your financial and personal information.
If you receive one of these messages, do not click the link. Delete the message.
You can see examples of COVID-19 scams and get advice about how to protect yourself on the cyber.gov.au website.
You can also visit cyber.gov.au for:
- alerts on the latest online threats and scams
- advice on protecting your mobiles and tablets.
If you have suffered financial loss from cybercrime you can report it on the ACSC website.