Security

Privacy, cyber security, scams and practical ways to protect your digital life.

Account and device security, data privacy, active threats and official warnings, with clear explanations of who is affected and what to do. Scams are one part of the coverage.

47 stories Latest

Scammed or hacked? Start here.

Do these first, in this order. Our first-hour guide has the detail.

  1. Call your bank on its official number and ask it to check for suspicious payments. If money has gone, say so: it may be able to stop the transaction.
  2. Get live help. For an incident happening now, business.gov.au says to call 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371).
  3. Report it through ReportCyber, and scams to Scamwatch.
  4. Get free recovery support. Businesses with 19 or fewer staff can call IDCARE on 1800 595 170 on weekdays.

Start here

Showing 1–12 of 47 stories, newest first

a halftone man in his forties in a business shirt sitting at a desk in a busy open-plan office, hunched over a halftone laptop and typing, while behind him a halftone colleague holding a coffee cup leans in to read his screen and another halftone colleague at the next desk glances over. the man is wearing a novelty disguise of thick round glasses with a big plastic nose and bushy moustache, the only full-colour element, in bright pink; no words and no logos

Myth or fact

Myth or fact: Incognito mode hides you online

Private browsing stops your own device keeping a record. It doesn’t hide you from websites, your employer or your internet provider. Here’s what it does do.

a halftone tradesman in his fifties in a hi-vis shirt standing at the open tailgate of a ute, holding up a giant, overloaded keyring with dozens of different halftone keys spilling off it, looking at it with a weary expression, while his other hand holds a single key out towards the viewer. the single key in his other hand is the only full-colour object, bright gold, with a row of eight black password dots (••••••••) across its round head; no words

Is it worth it?

Is paying for a password manager worth it?

Apple and Google include free password managers. What Bitwarden and 1Password charge, what the money adds, and who should pay, from the vendors’ own pages.