Overview
- The Australian Institute of Criminology found 47% of internet users experienced cybercrime in the past year, with online abuse (26.8%) leading, followed by identity crime (21.9%), malware (20.6%) and scams (9.5%).
- Fewer than one-quarter of respondents regularly update passwords or use secure password managers, and uptake of multi-factor authentication remains low.
- Young people, Indigenous Australians, LGBTQI individuals, people with disabilities and small businesses face higher victimisation rates and report social and health consequences in addition to financial loss.
- Reporting to police and the ReportCyber portal remains low despite identity-crime recovery rates rising from 75% to 82%, while average post-recovery losses stayed unchanged.
- Regulators have sued Medibank over its 2022 breach in the Federal Court and the government’s “Act Now. Stay Secure” campaign is urging users to adopt basic cyber-hygiene measures.