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Charity leaders should review and upgrade cyber security measures to avoid becoming an “easy target” for cyber criminals.

That’s the message from Jacqui Barr - the Assistant Director-General Technical Threats and Visibility at the Australian Cyber Security Centre, which is part of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).

In the latest ACNC Charity Chat podcast, Ms Barr discussed simple steps charities could take to stay cyber safe, and emphasised that charities were not helpless against cyber criminals.

To help address cyber threats, Ms Barr recommended charities take measures such as:

  • using strong and unique passwords
  • enabling multi-factor authentication
  • completing routine data backups, and
  • instituting comprehensive cyber security training for all staff.

ACNC Commissioner Sue Woodward AM also told Charity Chat that the ACNC had worked closely with the ASD to create and refine cyber security guidance tailored specifically to the charity sector.

“Within government the lead agency (on cyber security) is the Australian Signals Directorate, and that's why we're working so closely with them to develop and review our own guidance for charities and not for profits,” she said.

Listen to the latest episode of the Charity Chat podcast via the ACNC website, or on your favourite podcast app.