ACMA Cites Two Companies for SMS Spam
19 September 2012
SNX Pty Ltd, trading as Premier Auto Wholesale, and Home Loan Selection Services have been given formal warnings for sending marketing messages without consent, in contravention of the Spam Act 2003.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s investigation established that Premier Auto Wholesale sent SMS messages to mobile phone numbers obtained from online advertisements for used cars. The ACMA found that the numbers in the advertisements were accompanied with a statement that marketing messages were not welcome.
“E-marketers need to understand that the publication of an email address or mobile telephone number on a website is not an open invitation to send messages,” said Chris Chapman, ACMA chairman.
Home Loan Selection Services failed to demonstrate that it had consent to send emails promoting its business. Complaints about email and SMS spam can be made at www.spam.acma.gov.au.
Attorney-General Lauds Cybercrime Report
A report co-sponsored by the Australia attorney-general’s office and the Kokoda Foundation has proposed responses to the threats of what the the attorney general calls “the evolving global cyber security threat.”
Australia’s attorney-general Robert McClelland welcomed the report, Optimising Australia’s Response to the Cyber Challenge, according to a media release from his office.
“The report acknowledges the need for an integrated whole-of-government approach on cyber security and identifies a number of important issues for consideration,” McClelland said. “The Australian Government has made cyber security a top national security priority and will continue to invest significantly in enhancing Australia’s cyber security capabilities.”
The report says that the cyber threat is not simply an issue for Government alone. “The global and interconnected nature of the internet means that the cyber threat extends within and between nations, companies and individuals both in Australia and overseas,” the media statement said.
The Report acknowledges work to date by the Australian Government, including the implementation of the 2009 Cyber Security Strategy which outlines a vision for a secure and resilient cyber environment.
“The Cyber Security Strategy is at the heart of the Government’s approach to cyber threats, and recognises the important contribution of all levels of government, business and industry in securing cyberspace,” McClelland said.
As part of this Strategy, the Government has taken a number of significant steps to address a range of cyber threats, including:
• Establishing the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT Australia) which works with the owners and operators of critical infrastructure and systems to ensure that threats and vulnerabilities are detected and mitigated;
• Establishing the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) in the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) to coordinate operational responses to cyber events of national importance across government and critical infrastructure;
• Creating the ‘Stay Smart Online’ website (www.staysmartonline.gov.au) which provides an alert service and information on the latest cyber threats and vulnerabilities and how to address them; and
• Moving to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, the only binding international treaty on cybercrime.
“A secure online environment is more important than ever to the security and prosperity of Australia,” McClelland said.
Financial, Insurance Industries Face Cybercrime Threat
A new paper released this month by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has found that although the financial and insurance industry is one of the more sophisticated users of information and communications technologies, there is still a need to maintain vigilance with respect to emerging cybercrime threats.
Cyber threat landscape faced by financial and insurance industry analyzes data from the 2008 Australian Business Assessment of Computer User Security (ABACUS) study, an Australia-wide survey into the prevalence, nature, costs and impacts of computer security incidents against Australian businesses.
AIC senior research analyst Raymond Choo said that although the financial and insurance industry is the “target of choice” for cyber criminals, not much is known about the scale of their crimes and the impact it has the industry as a whole.
“The financial and insurance industry’s increasing dependence on ICT and the size of the industry exposes it to a wide spectrum of financially-motivated cyber criminal activities,” he said. “Rapid changes in technology mean we are still yet to uncover the true extent of cybercrimes committed against businesses.”
The paper highlights the need for effective partnership between government and business and the need to develop and implement on an ongoing basis preventative measures such as personnel awareness and education/training initiatives, together with insider and vendor management.
