Reports Of Cybercrime On The Rise: Keep Them Coming, Says The NCSC

After three quarters of steady decline, the number of reported cyber incidents has increased (up 58% from the last quarter).

"We've seen an increase in most incident categories, including an 80% jump in Unauthorised Access, which is a worrying trend," National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Director Mission Enablement Michael Jagusch said.

"Unauthorised access means the attackers are inside your systems or accounts and are potentially stealing information, moving your money around or even preparing for a larger and more devastating attack," warned Jagusch. "By the time these incidents are discovered, it’s often too late.”

“But there are some simple steps you can take to protect against unauthorised access, such as enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts and using long, strong and unique passwords.”

Phishing remains the biggest incident category for individuals and organisations, accounting for almost half of all reports. It is also the most common way for cyber criminals to gain access to your systems.

While overall financial losses are down on last quarter, the number of reports for losses under $500 has gone up. This was another area that had previously seen declines over the previous nine months.

"These reports are good indicators of where and who the criminals are targeting, and we can expect more of this level in the coming months as we enter the holiday period," Jagusch said.

“The more incidents you report to us, the more you help keep yourself and those around you safe from future attacks."

About the NCSC:

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is a part of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). The NCSC is the Government's lead operational cyber security agency. As the agency holding the computer emergency response team (CERT) function, the NCSC works to support all businesses, organisations and individuals who are affected by cyber security incidents. The NCSC also provides trusted and authoritative information and advice, while also collating a profile of the threat landscape in New Zealand.

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