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The week in digital: ASD’s new Essentials, a Windows cut-off and hijacked Shopify checkouts

ASD’s Essentials replaces the Essential Eight, Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro updates end, Shopify checkouts hijacked, telco penalties rise and Gemini 4 Argon.

By Digital Advisors Publisher Bob Jones 4 min read 11 sources

a folded black-and-white halftone newspaper on a flat saturated orange background, beside a rough-cut halftone laptop whose screen shows a halftone padlock and a halftone shopping cart; newspaper columns are abstract unreadable lines, with no faces, government crests or personal data. a large blue masthead label on the newspaper reading THE WEEK, and a small red tag on the laptop reading PATCH; these are the only three readable words
Illustration: Digital Advisors

This week was about the basics that keep a business running safely: which security framework you’re working to, whether your PCs still get fixes, and whether the apps on your online store can be trusted at checkout. There were also bigger penalties for telcos and a new AI model with a price attached. Here are five stories worth taking into next week.

1. ASD launches the Essentials, the successor to the Essential Eight

The Australian Signals Directorate launched the ASD Essentials on 15 October, calling it “an evolution” of the Essential Eight. It has chapters for enterprise IT, operational technology and cloud. Maturity levels are replaced by priority phases, which ASD says are “a sequencing mechanism, not a rating”, and each action is rated on how effective it is, not just whether it’s switched on. ASD says organisations should keep meeting their current regulatory obligations until regulators announce changes, and both frameworks stay on cyber.gov.au during the transition.

So what: if your IT provider reports against an Essential Eight maturity level, nothing stops today. Ask them which Essentials chapter fits your business and how they plan to map that work to it. In the enterprise IT chapter, internet-facing services and sign-in come first.

Read what changes from the Essential Eight.

2. Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro have had their last update

Microsoft says Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro reached end of updates on 13 October 2026 (US time), and the October security update was the last. PCs still on those editions get no more monthly security fixes. Microsoft recommends moving to version 26H2 or 25H2. Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 are supported until 12 October 2027.

So what: check each PC in Settings > System > About, under Windows specifications. Any Home or Pro PC still on 24H2 needs to move to a newer version through Windows Update.

Read how to check your PCs.

3. Hijacked Shopify app settings sent shoppers to fake checkouts

Logbase says an unauthorised script was injected into some stores using its Selleasy app on 13 October, sending customers to a phishing page. HulkApps says unauthorised configurations altered its Hulk Product Options theme extension. iTnews reports an Australian online store hit on 13 October remains closed on Shopify’s advice. Neither developer has said how many stores were affected.

So what: if you run a Shopify store, open a private browser window, add an item to the cart and check you land on your real checkout. Then review your installed apps.

Read what to check on your store.

4. Bigger penalties for telcos, and a promise of outdoor mobile coverage almost everywhere

The ACMA welcomed new laws on 15 October that substantially increase penalties for telcos that breach consumer protection rules, make industry codes directly enforceable and create a telco registration scheme. When the bill was introduced, the government said the maximum general penalty for code and standard breaches would rise from $250,000 to about $10 million. A second law sets up the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, requiring Telstra, Optus and TPG to provide reasonable access to outdoor mobile voice and SMS coverage, with a default start date of 1 December 2027 that the Minister can delay.

So what: stronger enforcement backs the rules you already have as a telco customer. Outdoor coverage beyond today’s towers is expected to come from satellites, so whether you benefit will depend on your phone and plan.

Read what changes and when.

5. Gemini 4 Argon arrives, for paying subscribers only

Google says its newest top model, Gemini 4 Argon, is rolling out globally in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. Free accounts and AI Plus don’t get it. Google’s Australian page listed AI Pro at A$32.99 a month and AI Ultra from A$149.99 when we checked on 14 October. Google publishes no prompt count for Argon; limits are based on computing use.

So what: Argon is built for long, multi-step jobs. If you mostly use Gemini for quick questions and emails, the models you already have may be enough, and Google publishes no prompt count for Argon.

Read who gets Argon and what it costs.

Dates to watch

Date What happens
13 October 2026 (US time) Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro reached end of updates.
12 October 2027 Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise and Education, and 25H2 Home and Pro, reach end of updates.
1 December 2027 Default start date for the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation; the Minister can delay it.
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