[Australia] Sky News employees caught in cybersecurity breach

[Australia] Sky News employees caught in cybersecurity breach
28 Feb 2022

Cable news channel Sky News Australia has become the latest media company to experience a cybersecurity incident, with personal identification details of staff members stolen following the hack of a third-party provider, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Employees at the news channel, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, were told that their personal information may have been part of a cybersecurity breach in late 2021.

A letter seen by The Sydney Morning Herald apologised for the breach. It is not clear how many employees were affected. Sky News was reportedly approached for comment but has yet to respond.

The letters were sent weeks after Nine Entertainment Co, owner of The Sydney Morning Herald, was informed that around 500 current and former employees had their personal payroll details stolen.

The prevalence of ransomware attacks on Australian businesses led to the creation of a new task force by the Australian Federal Police, allowing the force to fight more effectively again crime groups operating within Australia and overseas.

Initially it was believed that no personal information had been released but this information was updated after further analysis. The data accessed included full names, home and email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, tax file numbers, salaries, payroll IDs and superannuation fund details. 

Research from McGrath Nicol late last year revealed that ransomware attacks are becoming a significant problem for Australian executives. 35 per cent of companies have been hit by a ransomware attack and 83 per cent of those businesses paid a ransom.

In 2021 the federal government announced a ransomware action plan that included additional funding for security officials to go after criminal gangs. It also introduced legislation requiring companies hit by ransomware to report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, part of the Australian Signals Directorate. Nine, the owner of The Sydney Morning Herald, suffered a ransomware attack in March 2021.


Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

(Link and quote via original reporting)

Cable news channel Sky News Australia has become the latest media company to experience a cybersecurity incident, with personal identification details of staff members stolen following the hack of a third-party provider, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Employees at the news channel, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, were told that their personal information may have been part of a cybersecurity breach in late 2021.

A letter seen by The Sydney Morning Herald apologised for the breach. It is not clear how many employees were affected. Sky News was reportedly approached for comment but has yet to respond.

The letters were sent weeks after Nine Entertainment Co, owner of The Sydney Morning Herald, was informed that around 500 current and former employees had their personal payroll details stolen.

The prevalence of ransomware attacks on Australian businesses led to the creation of a new task force by the Australian Federal Police, allowing the force to fight more effectively again crime groups operating within Australia and overseas.

Initially it was believed that no personal information had been released but this information was updated after further analysis. The data accessed included full names, home and email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, tax file numbers, salaries, payroll IDs and superannuation fund details. 

Research from McGrath Nicol late last year revealed that ransomware attacks are becoming a significant problem for Australian executives. 35 per cent of companies have been hit by a ransomware attack and 83 per cent of those businesses paid a ransom.

In 2021 the federal government announced a ransomware action plan that included additional funding for security officials to go after criminal gangs. It also introduced legislation requiring companies hit by ransomware to report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, part of the Australian Signals Directorate. Nine, the owner of The Sydney Morning Herald, suffered a ransomware attack in March 2021.


Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

(Link and quote via original reporting)

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