Displaying items by tag: Spam

GUEST RESEARCH:  Infoblox Threat Intel researchers have discovered new insights into the use of spoofed domains in modern malicious spam (malspam) campaigns, sending unsolicited emails that contain harmful attachments or links designed to infect the recipient's computer with malware or to steal sensitive information. This reveals how threat actors exploit domain spoofing and how pervasive this technique is. The information was gathered through a collective effort following the initial Muddling Meerkat research, with various individuals sharing data showing Muddling Meerkat behavior with the researchers. This underscores the importance of collaborative efforts in cybersecurity, as sharing data and insights can lead to significant discoveries and improvements in threat detection and mitigation.

British telco BT’s home phone scam protection service Enhanced Call Protect on Digital Voice has intercepted more than 2.4 million scam and identified 17.7 million spam calls to landlines since it was introduced by voice security Hiya last May.

Email is an old method of communication — yes, it's been here since 1965 with the first messages on the Arpanet being sent in 1971 — but the way it operates is still as much of a mystery to the average punter as it was back in those days.

Four-wheel drive and camping accessory retailer Outdoor Supacentre (trading as 4WD Supacentre) was fined $302,500 for sending more than 83,000 marketing text messages that breached spam laws, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Food delivery platform DoorDash has paid a $2,011,320 fine for sending over one million texts and emails which breached spam rules.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has fined mycar Tyre & Auto $1,047,000 after it sent more than 1.7 million emails and texts that did not comply with Australia’s spam laws.

The Australia Communications and Media Authority has fined the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) a record of $3.55 million after it sent more than 65 million emails that did not comply with Australia’s spam laws.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has entered into a renewed memorandum of understanding (MOU) as part of the global network organisation UCENet, joining Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand to engage in the fight against scams, unsolicited telemarketing, and spam following an agreement between international regulators.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has fined sole trader Noah Rose, trading as BetDeluxe, a $50,172 infringement notice as part of the regulatory body’s crackdown on spam-unsubscribing rules.

GUEST RESEARCH: The dark underbelly of the internet never takes a break, and cybercriminals seem to have set their eyes on exploiting eager travellers as we settle into 2023.

Australia is among the top ten recipients of Christmas-themed spam, according to Bitdefender Antispam Lab, but with only 1% of the total volume we're a lot better off than Ireland. Despite the emerald isle having a population that's less than a fifth of Australia's, it has been hit by 24% of the world's seasonal spam.

COMPANY NEWS: Next Telecom is excited to have been named the SonicWall ANZ Emerging Partner for 2022. The SonicWall partner awards recognise the achievements of SonicWall partners in the pursuit of excellence in the rapidly evolving Cyber Security landscape.

GUEST OPINION: Australia is progressing steadily with an open banking rollout. The Big Four banks – CBA, Westpac, ANZ and National Australia Bank – introduced open banking in July 2021, and other banks and financial services are expected to follow in 2022. According to many fintechs, however, the introduction is going slower than expected, and they are pushing financial markets to open their banking services online by signing additional data holders.

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of the Australian economy. They need support and protection to grow,” says Sagar Sethi, digital marketing specialist and chief executive officer of Xugar. Yet, Sethi is concerned by a proliferation of unethical operators claiming to sell digital marketing but who instead burn the customer and take money out of the country.

AUTHORITY NEWS: The law setting out how businesses must action unsubscribe (or ‘opt-out’) messages from consumers receiving commercial SMS and email has recently been further clarified.

Telemarketing and spam emails or SMS messages are an issue for many Australians, with ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority “protecting the public by promoting and enforcing the law.”

Marketing company Telco First (trading as Compare With Us) has paid a $79,800 infringement notice after an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found it sent more than 65,000 illegal spam text messages.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has investigated Australia e-tail giant Kogan and found the company sent more than 42 million marketing emails without an easy way to unsubscribe.

COVID-19 related threats are the single largest type of threat in the first half of this year, according to one security firm which says it blocked 8.8 million COVID-19 related threats, nearly 92% of which were spam delivered via emails.

Security outfit Sophos claims that funds extracted from victims of sextortion schemes have been deposited by cyber criminals in bitcoin wallets.