Te Whanganui a Tara – Aotearoa’s cyber security incidents jumped 25 percent in the first quarter of the year.
CERT NZ’s latest report shows Kiwis reported more than 1400 online security breaches in the three months to March 31.
Phishing and credential harvesting remained the most reported incident category, followed by scams and fraud, then malware.
Almost a quarter (23 percent) of reports made to CERT NZ during this time period resulted in some form of direct financial loss, totalling $3 million.
“Our data shows that year-on-year cyber security incidents are on the rise and they can be costly to recover from,” CERT NZ director Rob Pope says.
“As we increasingly spend more of our lives online, attackers are constantly developing new and more sophisticated campaigns.
“That’s why it’s really important to maintain good cyber habits. This can be as simple as implementing updates, having a long, strong password and using two-factor authentication.”
There’s lots of practical advice and information on the CERT NZ website about how both individuals and businesses can stay safe online.
Organisations or businesses who experience a cyber security incident should contact CERT at www.cert.govt.nz or call 0800 CERT NZ.
The world has seen an unprecedented rise in cyber security incidents since the beginning of 2020.
