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Geopolitics and the rise of cybercrime, and what can be done to fight back against the criminals

Business / news
Geopolitics and the rise of cybercrime, and what can be done to fight back against the criminals
Of Interest podcast
Illustration by Ross Payne

By Gareth Vaughan

Geopolitical tensions are playing a significant role in the growth of cybercrime and New Zealand should consider following Australia's lead by introducing a Minister of Cyber Security.

That's the view of Adam Boileau, Executive Director of security, testing and assurance at cyber security provider CyberCX.

Speaking in a new episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast, Boileau says it's clear cybercrime is getting worse. Criminal gangs can make good money out of computer crime, and when the likes of Russia won't extradite criminals, doing so has become a viable occupation, Boileau says.

"The world around us has shaped how computer security has become relevant to individual people and to businesses, to enterprises, to government," says Boileau.

In the podcast Boileau explains why he's closely watching Australia, where Minister for Cyber Security Clare O'Neil pledges to "punch back at the hackers," taking the attack to cyber-criminals. He describes the Aussie approach as "a pragmatic answer to a very real problem"

New Zealand, Boileau adds, should also have a Cyber Security Minister.

"Computers are so important to everything now. ..This is no longer a thing [just] for nerds."

You can find all episodes of the Of Interest podcast here.

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4 Comments

I agree we need the best and the brightest,   Phil Twyford or Poto Williams....    seriously though , yes we need to take this way more seriously than we are. Medibank should be a wakeup call for NZ.

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There is no one in any party who is suitable and any one who is suitable would never want to get into politics. It's up to individual companies to handle their own data security. There was a some discussion on slashdot.

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Three Cybers anyone?

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Time for one huge bank in NZ to take their own IT seriously, and upgrade unsupported platforms.

Repeated warnings, for the last six years fallen on deaf ears.

 

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