Phishing scam targeted super fund execs in week of cyberattack: reports
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The news: Cybercriminals attempted to gain access to Australian superannuation funds’ systems by impersonating key executives across a number of funds last week. The phishing scam occurred in the same week that the sector experienced a coordinated attack that saw thousands of accounts compromised.
The context: According to media reports, the non for profit organisation Women in Super was targeted in the unsuccessful attack. “We can confirm that a recent phishing attempt impersonating Women in Super office holders was unsuccessful and did not result in any breach or compromise,” a company spokesperson said.
“We acted swiftly and responsibly, identifying the threat early and taking immediate steps to notify all relevant stakeholders. We remain vigilant and continue to prioritise the security of our systems and communications.”
The AFR said that while Women in Super did not confirm the individuals who were targeted by the scammers, the organisation’s board includes ESSSuper chief executive Robbie Campo and a number of middle managers at Cbus, ART and Mercer.
In addition to the Women in Super scam, the AFR said that the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors and the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia were also targeted by impersonation scams last week.
If the superannuation funds are found to have had inadequate consumer cybersecurity protections in place, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority may impose steep fines on the funds.
What they said: Prior to media reports on the phishing scams, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commented on the coordinated super attacks last week: “There is an attack, a cyber attack in Australia, about every six minutes. This is a regular issue. We have beefed up funding for the Australian Signals Directorate.”
The sources: The Australian , AFR
