Qld premier's top bureaucrat hit by spam attack

iTnews: "The Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet has fallen victim to a suspected email spoofing scam that has seen bogus messages sent out purportedly from Annastacia Palaszczuk’s top bureaucrat."



'via Blog this'

‘Certain death’ for Aussie jihadists

‘Certain death’ for Aussie jihadists: "Australians fighting with Islamic State now face “almost certain” death on the battlefield as the terrorist group loses the war in Iraq and its myth of invincibility, Malcolm Turnbull has declared."



'via Blog this'

Australia strengthening cyber defences as hacker threats grow

Australia strengthening cyber defences as hacker threats grow: "The Australian Signals Directorate, a grey and dull-looking building in the defence precinct on a hill above Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, houses the nation's offensive cyber capability."



'via Blog this'

ABS quietly drops Census data security claim

ZDNet: "The Australian Bureau of Statistics' claim that a security audit had rated their systems in the 'Cyber Secure Zone' has disappeared from their website."



'via Blog this'

Hackers target Queensland Premier’s department emails

Hackers target Queensland Premier’s department emails: "The Queensland government has moved to strengthen its cyber security as police investigate yet another hack to hit the state, this time involving the state’s top bureaucrat."



'via Blog this'

Queensland Premier hacked: cyber attackers strike with malicious virus

 The Courier-Mail: "STATE and federal police ­officers are investigating a ­successful cyber attack inside the office of the Department of Premier and Cabinet."



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iTWire - Independent MP Wilkie opposes census name retention

iTWire "A little less than a week before the 2016 Australian census, a lone federal politician has come out and said that he opposes the retention of names and addresses to be collected in the census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics."



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People threaten to boycott Australia's Census

Daily Mail Online: "Concerns about the security of personal data Australians are required to hand over in this year's Census has led to an increasing number of people threatening to undermine the survey."



'via Blog this'

Lockheed Martin to open $13m Melbourne tech hub

iTnews: "The partnership between Lockheed Martin and Melbourne Uni is the second major research facility to be launched as a collaboration between a higher education institution and the defence sector in recent months.

In June, the Australian Signals Directorate announced it would contribute $12 million to a new Australian National University facility focused on data analytics and cyber security."



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Spooks' email infosec guide banishes MS Word macros, JavaScript

The Register: "The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), the sigint outfit renowned for its “don't be stupid” guide to infosec, has published its latest guidelines for e-mail admins."



'via Blog this'

ABS forced to defend Census website security

 iTnews: "The Australian Bureau of Statistics has been forced to answer questions about the security of its online Census website after it was revealed to be using an insecure and deprecated form of encryption to protect the sensitive personal details of the nation’s citizens."



'via Blog this'

Journalists’ confidential sources: Free speech under attack

Journalists’ confidential sources: Free speech under attack: "Rights are being eroded or res­tricted through various means and the war for free speech is being waged on a number of different battlegrounds."



'via Blog this'

Australia on edge as racial tensions rise

The Straits Times: "Race relations in Australia have deteriorated so badly that some community leaders fear violence will erupt in a political vacuum where the new government, elected with a bare majority, must rely on the support of parties that have fomented the discord."



'via Blog this'

Spies pulled out of Asia to fight ISIS

Spies pulled out of Asia to fight ISIS: "Australia’s foreign espionage agency has stripped officers from across its Southeast Asian and central Asian stations, sending spies to the Middle East in an ­urgent bid to meet the growing threat posed by Islamic State."



'via Blog this'

Legal bodies warn on proposed anti-terrorism legislation

Legal bodies warn on proposed anti-terrorism legislation: "The Australian Bar Association and the Law Council of Australia have warned the government to exercise caution with its new proposals to reform anti-terrorism legislation."



'via Blog this'

Australia's Muslim migrants on edge, race relations falter

Reuters: "Race relations in Australia have deteriorated so badly that some community leaders fear violence will erupt in a political vacuum where the new government, elected with a bare majority, must rely on the support of parties that have fomented the discord."



'via Blog this'

As surveillance gets smart, hackers get smarter

As surveillance gets smart, hackers get smarter: "There is an escalating technological arms race underway between governments and hacktivists. As governments step up their surveillance, the hacktivists find new ways to subvert it."



'via Blog this'

CIO stalwart Gathercole retires from public service

 iTnews: "He learnt much of his trade working at the Defence Signals Directorate throughout the 90s."



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Beijing,Canberra against IS in Jakarta

Intelligence Online: "The execution of the Indonesian Islamist Syaikh Abu Wardah Santoso on July 18 revealed the three-way alliance between the Chinese, Australian"



'via Blog this'

SA’s nuclear debate: The state’s controversial history of atomic tests

Adelaide Now: "FROM atomic bomb tests at Maralinga to protests over new uranium mines, SA has a long history of controversy linked to the nuclear industry."



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Getting comfortable with cloud-based security: Whom to trust to do what

The Register: "There are some bits of computing that you just don’t want to trust other people with. They’re just too sensitive. But at the same time, there are some things that people can do as well or better than you, for a lower cost."



'via Blog this'

Victoria Police goes to market for 8500 smartphones, tablets

 iTnews: "But tender documents reveal Victoria Police has a stated preference for iOS devices because they have been certified by the cyber security experts at the Australian Signals Directorate."



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