Government calls for all cyberattacks on SMEs to be reported
Small businesses should not be ashamed to seek cyber support after falling victim to an attack, Small Business Minister Julie Collins said.
Australian small business owners felt ashamed and embarrassed when they were directly attacked by a cyber incident, leading to fewer requests for government assistance.
In the 2022-23 financial year, Australian small businesses lost an average of $46,000 due to a cyber incident, according to estimates from the Australian Signals Directorate.
The estimate is derived from 94,000 cybercrimes reported to the government, which is expected to be much higher given that some SMEs are too embarrassed to report an incident.
In an article for SmartCompany, Small Business Minister Julie Collins said she had heard from small business owners who had not reported their cyber attacks due to the shame and stigma attached to doing so. be a victim.
“E-commerce businesses are not the only ones at risk,” Minister Collins said.
“You can use an online booking system to manage appointments, cloud-based accounting software or even just an email account – they all need to be secure. »
“That’s why my message to small businesses after October’s Cyber Security Awareness Month is to work with your trusted advisors and the government to report and recover from cyber incidents and build your cyber resilience going forward.
Collins noted that applying cybersecurity was easier than expected for small businesses.
SMBs could put themselves “in good stead” simply by having secure passwords, using multi-factor authentication and regularly updating their software.
According to Minister Collins, the Government has provided and funded several tools and programs to protect the cyber integrity of Australian small businesses.
These programs included the Council of Small Business Organizations Australia (COSBOA) Cyber Wardens program aimed at providing free online training to SME owners and their staff on steps that could be taken to protect crucial information.
Minister Collins said she had also launched the Small Business Cyber Resilience Service to help SMEs recover from a cyber or privacy incident and to provide advice and assessment of the resilience.
The Home Office was also to develop a cyber health check service for eligible small businesses.
“I am incredibly proud, as Federal Minister for Small Business, to offer a number of free supports to help small businesses stay safe online,” Minister Collins said.
“The Albanian Labor Government is dedicating more than $60 million to these important digital supports, as part of more than $640 million in targeted and practical support for small businesses in this year’s budget.
This story was originally published by Accountants Daily, Cyber Daily’s sister brand.
