Mitigate Risk articles

There has been much discussion recently about Melbourne's local councils introducing changes to rubbish bin collections, including the introduction of a new bin for glass.  So, many households will now have four bins to sort and put out each week.  Depending on where you live, some councils have floated only a fortnightly collection for garbage (aka. the 'red bin'). But for all the talk of sorting, recycling and doing your bit to reduce landfill, no ...

As I sat down to write these tips to manage security vulnerabilities, my smartphone flashed a news notification that criminals had carried out another cyberattack on an Australian company.  A financial institution, no less...Latitude Financial.  Cyberattacks on major Australian companies dominated headlines in late 2022. But, consider how cybercriminals attacked large organisations like Medibank Private and Optus. With the resources they have to manage their IT securely, how were they still exposed?  What does this ...

If there's one thing that's been keeping me up at night more than the thought of running out of coffee, and what is going to happen to the Roy children in Succession, it's the importance of cybersecurity insurance. I mean, who doesn't love a good insurance policy? It's like a security blanket for your digital assets - except way less cuddly and way more necessary. Lately, I've been talking a lot about how in the ...

You're speed walking (... jogging isn't a good idea in the drizzle) up Collins Street towards Parliament station. Quickly you descend underground, heading across the dimly lit concourse towards the Myki ticket gate. You tap your Myki on the reader, and it fails.  "Why does this always happen when you're already late home?" You turn to the side and notice everyone is having the same issue. Someone has made a human error, and Myki rejects all ...

Imagine you’re walking down Hardware Lane at lunch and suddenly receive a text from your CEO asking for help. The text says they are doing customer visits in Northcote and discover a colleague hadn’t provided the promised gift cards.  As they are standing there with the customer, embarrassed, they ask you to pop into Woolies, purchase six $200 gift cards, and text the details immediately. They promise to reimburse you the cost when they return ...

Step into the ANZ Bank branch on the corner of Queen and Collins Street in Melbourne to reflect on the glory days of banking. Do you remember a distant time when you would line up to withdraw your wages? Or when the Bank Manager knew your name and helped you with a home loan. This branch is what many Melbournians dub the 'gothic bank'. It would not look out of place as Gringots in the ...

What is the one thing you notice when you get on a tram, walk down Bourke Street Mall or sit in a cafe? Everyone has their heads down, with a little glow on their face from their mobile phones.  Next time you walk down the street to get lunch or a flat white, count how many people you pass with engrossed in the long scroll. It shouldn't surprise you. Or will it? Either way, internet ...

You can hear it before you see it. Thunder claps violently, shaking you...  Out the window, you see dark, ominous clouds building over the western suburbs.  It's always the way that the heavens open up as you head home. All day you've been putting off updating your password. You know you need to do it today. Otherwise, you'll have IT on your back, forcing you to change the next time you log in. And it's ...

So, that's close. Way too close. The spray is washing up on your face as the boat bumps its way forward over the rapids. Up close, the Rhine Falls are spectacular. Water rushing down over the rock wall and the sheer power of the Falls makes you feel uneasy.  The boat continues to tack around the base. You feel nervous. But you know they say, live in the moment. So you're snapping away, even diving ...

Your accounts team holds the purse strings of your business. Money flows in and out of your business thanks to this hardworking team. With so much responsibility, a small mistake can mean a high financial and reputation cost to your business. In the last three months, the accounts team of 2 different clients have paid out fraudulent invoices totalling over $75,000. In the last year, that figure is well over $150,000; in the previous four ...