Australian Government’s Media-Monitoring Company Hit with Cyber attack
Isentia, the Australian Federal Government’s media-monitoring and analytics company, fell victim to a Cyber-attack. It informed the Australian Stock Exchange on Tuesday that it is investigating a cyber-security incident that disrupted its media portal. The latter service allows customers to see media reports that involve them or topics of interest to them, and find journalists. This prompted the country’s leading cyber security agency, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, to step in and assist after receiving a notification from Isentia, which also said it had sought external specialists.
The analytics firm boasts it has most Australian “government departments and large corporations” as clients. Its work requires that they provide sensitive information so that Isentia knows what to look for and subsequently deliver related content and results. Therefore, attackers may put their hands on valuable data or classified information, but news of such breaches haven’t been confirmed. The company told its customers that they would be notified at the end of the investigation if and how the attack has affected them, but did not specify how long the outages will remain. It added that external IT specialists are leading the investigation and working hard to restore full service.
The disrupted media portal doesn’t just affect clients; it also keeps staff members from accessing company tools. Guardian Australia reported that Isentia employees had to prepare media reports using regular Google searches. Moreover, companies and government agencies had to seek media-monitoring alternatives. The news outlet also believes that Isentia fell victim to a ransomware attack, which involves malware that encrypts files and data. The only way to retrieve the information is by paying a ransom.
In its latest report, the Australian Cyber Security Center revealed six entities on average require its assistance with cyber security issues each day. It responded to over 2,200 hacking incidents and received almost 60,000 cybercrime reports in 2019-2020. Using a VPN service significantly reduces cyberthreats and maximizes your online privacy and anonymity. TheVPN.Guru is home to the latest VPN reviews and news, as well as cybersecurity guides and pointers.
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Sumit Bhowal An Internet addict and a MASTAN , Also a lazy Freelancer . I don't try to reinvent the wheel I just like to soak things in Steroid's :p Thanks (y)
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