Government data breached twice by ‘rogue employees’ in six months
A report by the Privacy Commissioner has found data breaches are on the rise in Australia, and government agencies aren't disclosing them in the proper time frame.
Government agencies experienced two data breaches caused by “rogue employees [or] insider threats” in the first six months of this year, as overall data breaches in Australia reached a three-and-a-half-year high.
And while the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has voiced frustration over private companies downplaying or delaying cyber breach notifications, its latest figures show that government agencies are the worst offenders when it comes to late disclosures.
A report by Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind, released last month and covering data breaches between January and June, found the vast majority of breaches impacting government agencies were not reported within the OAIC’s 30-day disclosure timeframe.
Last week, the federal government introduced three cyber bills to parliament, which could affect major banks and Telstra. The bills propose a new regime for ransom payments and grant Commonwealth authorities the power to step in and direct critical infrastructure operators during a cyber incident.
