Stay Smart Online Week highlights the importance of cyber safety from the lounge room to the board room, especially as nine in 10 Australians will be online by 2017.
The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security Mr Dan Tehan, has called on all Australians to be proactive about their cyber security. Tehan said cybercrime cost the Australian economy more than $1 billion a year as he launched the 2016 Stay Smart Online Week at the National Library of Australia.
The importance of the issue hits home when 90% of Australians will be online by 2017.
“CERT Australia, the national computer emergency response team, has dealt with more than 9000 cyber security incidents affecting Australian businesses already this year,” Tehan said.
“There have been more than 74,000 cybercrimes reported since November 2014, with online scams and fraud accounting for 42%. These statistics demonstrate the importance of every Australian taking responsibility for their own cyber security,” Tehan said.
The theme for the ninth annual Stay Smart Online Week (10-14 October) is cyber safety from the lounge room to the board room and focuses on the importance of good online security habits at home and at work.
Tehan launched two guides to mark the start of the week: an updated Stay Smart Online Small Business Guide and Stay Smart Online My Guide for individuals.
The guides provide advice on vital areas of online security including: privacy, passwords, suspicious messaging, surfing safely, online finances and payments, tablets and mobiles, security software and reporting. They are available for download from the Stay Smart Online website.
“These resources can help everyone understand the steps they can take to protect themselves and their business online,” Tehan said.
“The Government is committed to a safe and secure internet for every Australian and is making significant investments to improve our cyber security through the National Cyber Security Strategy. People also need to take responsibility for their own cyber security and there are simple steps we can all take to protect our personal and financial information online,” he said.
“The Stay Smart Online Alert Service has online safety information and solutions to help you protect your online safety and privacy and is a beneficial resource for all Australians to stay staff online,” Tehan said.
The Alert Service is a free subscription service that sends information about current online security threats. For more information about the 2016 Stay Smart Online Week or to sign up for the Alert Service visit www.staysmartonline.gov.au.
Stay Smart Online Week is an event supported by more than 1700 businesses and community partners.
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