Cyber education key to fighting scams
One of the world’s most famous hackers is calling on the Victorian government to roll out cyber security awareness training in schools and pay for ad campaigns to alert the public to the latest hacking scams.
Future Victoria
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One of the world’s most famous hackers is bringing his online security training business to Melbourne to help businesses and government organisations fight off rampant cyber attacks.
Kevin Mitnick, who once spent almost five years behind bars, says workers must be armed with the tools to identify and avoid phishing and ransomware attacks that can compromise data and cost millions of dollars.
Mr Mitnick, the chief hacking officer for US company KnowBe4, is also calling on the state government to roll out cyber security awareness training in schools and pay for ad campaigns to alert the public to the latest hacking scams.
In an interview with the Herald Sun, Mr Mitnick warned that businesses needed to prepare for cyber security attacks with the same vigilance that they prioritised the physical security of their staff and offices.
While machine learning and artificial intelligence is being adapted to spot and fight off hackers, Mr Mitnick said those systems were still designed by humans who “are imperfect and make mistakes” which could be exploited.
“There’s a real need for businesses, universities and government agencies to think about how they’re going to protect their organisations against the human risks,” he said.
“It’s a necessity of doing business, otherwise they’re leaving themselves open to risk. It’s almost like driving a car without insurance.”
Regional Victorian hospitals were recently hit by a cyber attack via a phishing email which allowed hackers access to computer networks and enforce ransomware encryption.
The state government’s cyber incident response service, set up in July last year, has responded to more than 600 cyber attacks on government organisations, and experts say the problem will only get worse.
KnowBe4 is used by 25,000 organisations on multiple continents and provides world-leading integrated security awareness training, and former Telstra executive Karina Mansfield is the company’s Australian managing director.
Economic Development Minister Tim Pallas said Melbourne had “world-leading tech capabilities and is home to some of the best and brightest minds in the field of cybersecurity”.
“This decision by KnowBe4 to set up its Australia New Zealand HQ in Melbourne is a strong vote of confidence in our thriving tech industry and our cybersecurity know-how,” Mr Pallas said.
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Mr Mitnick said Nigerian, Russian and Chinese fraud rings were responsible for many cyber attacks seen recently.
He said his interest in hacking started as a child who loved magic. He later managed to turn his friends’ phones into payphones before hacking into the phone company’s computer system “to pull better pranks”.
“I kind of started being a mischievous delinquent, and then I escalated and escalated … I started before there were laws against hacking,” Mr Mitnick said.
“What I’d like to do is reach the world and expose the fraudsters so people don’t get taken.”
Future Victoria begins on Tuesday with a special 8 page edition of the Herald Sun newspaper.