Author: Crystal Hewett

Do You Know and Trust Your Pentesters?

Hacking Gang Creates Fake Firm To Hire Pentesters For Ransomware Attacks

Hacking gang creates fake firm to hire pentesters for ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

Hacking groups are now attempting to join the highly profitable ransomware space by creating fake cybersecurity companies that conduct network attacks under the guise of pentesting.

As ransomware has become a profitable field for cybercriminals, they are creating fake front companies like “Combi Security” to lure legitimate IT specialists.

Researchers believe that the hacking group was looking to hire pentesters, as system administrators that would also have the ability to map compromised corporate systems, perform network reconnaissance, and locate backup servers and files.

The veil of legitimacy around these corporate entity was lifted by researchers at Gemini Advisory, who found out that the website for a fake cybersecurity company known as Bastion Security comprised of stolen and re-compiled content from other websites.

For over ten years, Acurus has been trusted by Australia’s largest household brands, including Energy Australia, Officeworks, Bakers Delight, Red Energy, Reece Plumbing etc.

If you need cyber security assistance, post incident or need to bolster your cyber security position to avoid detrimental attacks Contact – Acurus today.

Building Deeper Relationships in the New Digital Retail Sector

Like many industries, the retail sector is going through a digital revolution. A digital shift that has been accelerated by the global pandemic. More people than ever before are shopping online and enjoying these seamless, contactless experiences. Australia’s growing adoption of events like Black Friday are accelerating the journey.

So how do retailers respond to this great challenge? How do they adapt their businesses and workforces and do it in a way that is efficient, flexible and profitable? In a world full of choice, retaining customers and keeping them engaged in brands is more difficult than ever.

What does the model of a modern retailer look like?

Without a doubt the future is digital. But it is also omnichannel and finding new ways to connect and retain customers.

Modern retail is no longer just about the store front, its digital led. Consumers now have more choice than ever before, bringing issues of increased customer fickleness and churn.

Retailers are competing to retain and build customer relationships in this new world.

In this race to win, brands must diversify their offering.

Adding additional services, that are front of mind and emotional such as telecommunication services, is the way of the future.

It is the new way to deepen customer relationships and increase engagement over time.

Qantas has been a leader at this for many years now.

The iconic brands ever expanding frequent flyer partnership model, now including Optus Mobile, Officeworks – see the company adding nbn and mobile services to their product line.

Energy retailers are also embracing this trend, adding telecommunications and insurance products to their line up, for example EnergyAustralia’s Experience On Program. And CBA has invested in telecommunications partners Moore Telecom and Tangerine – all part of the breakdown of traditional industry silos.

At Acurus, we are at the forefront of helping make Australian businesses better and more successful.

And we are excited about helping more companies move into this space in a meaningful way.

China’s Cyber Hacking Flex

IOS 15, Windows 10, Google Chrome Hacked During Huge Cyber Onslaught

Last month Chinese hackers went on something of a rampage, exploiting all but three of the 15 target products breached during the onslaught that was the Tianfu Cup.

The zero-day vulnerabilities, exploited by the Kunlun Lab and Team Pangu, saw a remote code execution attack and the first iOS 15 jailbreak to occur in a matter of seconds.

The competition victims also included Microsoft, with five successful exploits involving the Windows 10 operating system, one impacting Microsoft Exchange, and Google, leaving Chrome to succumb twice.

“Researchers do often retain vulnerabilities they’ve discovered in order to use them in competitions like these,” he says, adding, “But it’s important to consider the reason they stockpile vulnerabilities for competitions rather than disclosing them immediately to impacted vendors.” Simply put, the competitions pay, while vendors typically do not, according to Williams.

If you still think your company can deal with a cyber security issue if it happens, rather when it happens it is time to change your mindset.

Contact us today for free cyber security gap assessment so you can be prepared for when it happens to you. Work from Anywhere Securely – Acurus

The Golden Age of Cybercrime

We are now in the golden age of cybercrime. Ransomware attacks have increased dramatically over the past year, with 93% more carried out in the first half of 2021 than the same period last year.

For the past 15 years, the attitude towards cyber security in most companies has been about keeping the bad guys out, with very little thought towards what happens when they get through the front door.

Companies need to shift their thinking and move away from an “if” it happens, to a “when” it happens mindset.

This is no surprise given recent statistics released by the ACCC which found that in FY21, there was a 13% increase in cybercrime reports.  

Added to this, there was a nearly 15% increase in ransomware cybercrime reports.  

It’s no wonder then that the big banks are now taking a much more proactive approach towards protecting themselves against increased attacks. 

Insurance companies also now require clear documentation for the procedures and processes that have been put in place before they insure businesses.  

If your business is asked to produce this information, it cannot be compiled quickly, it must be done ahead of time and cannot be backdated.    

To learn more about what your insurance company wants to know before they insure your business, click here.  

https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/threat-hunters-and-red-teams-inside-the-big-banks-cyber-defences-20211029-p5947m.html

A Recipe For Success.

Acurus assists Bakers Delight to deliver a centrally managed, secured SD-WAN network to support the current and future operational needs of the organisation.

Bakers Delight engaged Acurus to assist in the solution architecture of their digital loyalty platform and the design and delivery of a new secured SD-WAN network solution. Being a customer centric organisation for 14 years, Acurus continues to give customers what they need, allowing us to cultivate many strong working relationships. Acurus understands that the most critical part of a program such as this is to choose the right technology, that is fit for the organisation.

Prior to deploying the new digital customer loyalty platform, Bakers Delight needed to update its network solution across nearly 700 sites internationally. This new network needed to introduce SD-WAN capabilities to ensure that POS and digital customer loyalty transactions could happen in real time, while enhancing its security across all sites, improving centralised management and overall security visibility.

Bakers Delight needed confidence that they were picking the right technology and vendor and engaged Acurus on a market review and proof of concept. The development of a Software Defined – Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) proof of concept took this research and approach to a new level. Effectively shortlisting from 10 technologies to three, then running those three technologies in parallel across 30 active bakeries within their global network.

Acurus tested each of the three shortlisted vendor’s technology across 10 Bakeries per vendor, spanning three countries. The proof of concept had no negative impact on the operations of any Bakeries or Corporate Systems. Acurus tested the SD-WAN functionality of each vendors product, analysing their ability to improve network performance and reliability for key Bakers Delight systems and applications alongside reviewing the advanced security features.

The proof of concept delivered a full capability and commercial scoring matrix which validated Fortinet as the leading vendor to be approved by Bakers Delight for a full roll out across their data centre and bakeries.

With the acceptance as Fortinet for a vendor, Acurus ran the full rollout project in coordination with Bakers Delight and their on-site support team. The project delivered the design, setup, configuration and roll out of the Fortinet-60E devices to approximately 700 bakeries across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. The rollout task was completed using Acurus’ 24/7 helpdesk service which was highly adaptable, working within Bakers Delight’s parameters and proposed timeline of 5 months while ensuring seamless cutovers, leaving no impact on customer interactions across all sites.

Throughout the rollout process Acurus introduced new SD-WAN policies, updated unified threat protection, and centralised all security logging into a centralised FortiAnalyzer. This project left Bakers Delight with a ‘single pane of glass’ network threat assessment capability across all sites globally. Acurus bolstered this solution by partnering with Bakers Delight to provide a fully managed service, ensuring a seamless transition to operations and allowing Bakers Delight staff to focus on other important initiatives for the business.

A new modernised secured SD-WAN solution backed by a fully managed service was the essential foundation which would provide peace of mind to the business. This has allowed Bakers Delight to improve overall security, visibility, operational improvements and rollout new and exciting services such as the new digital customer loyalty program.

Acurus had recently completed a five-year managed service agreement, delivering high quality support for the Bakers Delight Corporate Network, and Bakers Delight Global Bakery Networks. Following a successful design and implementation of the new SD-WAN solution, Acurus will continue to support the Bakers Delight business, by not only ensuring the secure delivery of existing POS, Loyalty, Wi-Fi and operational services, but allowing for future services and applications to be implemented securely.

               “Running a three-vendor proof of concept across our production bakery network was a challenging approach, however the success criteria and learnings from the project enabled Bakers Delight to choose the right vendor and technology to provide a solid and secure foundation for today and for the future. As always, the technical and delivery leadership the Acurus team demonstrated, was critical to the success, including the design, approach and transition to the new global secured SD-WAN network”

Dragan Panjkovic – PMO Manager

The Great Resignation: Millions Of Aussies Could Leave Their Jobs

Have you been struggling with rising wages for IT staff and increasing churn? Are you prepared for the possibility of losing significantly more key staff? 

Millions of Aussies are predicted to quit their jobs in the coming months, as part of a phenomenon currently playing out in the US comes to Australia.

‘The Great Resignation’ has seen 4.3 million Americans leave their job in August alone and experts agree that this trend is already being seen in Australia.

The sudden change to a virtual working environment has left workers feeling exhausted. 

Many people are describing Work From Home arrangements as like sleeping in the office, where their jobs are intruding into their personal life and time. 

Workers feel unrecognised and unrewarded for their extra effort as hours, as expectations and other pressures increase. 

Everyone from frontline workers to senior level staff are leaving their workplaces due to feeling underappreciated. 

With startling research suggesting three in five Australians are looking to change jobs, the opportunity for a ‘fresh start’ is enticing more and more people to walk away from their roles. 

How can your business protect itself against ‘The Great Resignation’? 

Acurus can assist in protecting the ongoing stability and efficiency of your organisation . 

With a meaningful and sustainable outsourced IT support arrangement, utilising the latest technology, you can reap the benefits of outsourcing services, whilst best preparing your company for the possibility of losing essential staff. 

IT Hygiene as a service will simplify your patching and security management regime and protect you against ransomware and cyber security incidents. 

Outsourcing IT services increases compliance and security, controls costs, reduces key personnel risks and ultimately allows you to focus on your core business functions. 

Working with Acurus to outsource your IT will protect the future of your organisation. 

Contact us today to invest in the longevity and protection of your business.