INTHEBLACK July 2025 - Magazine - Page 37
“Sometimes, scammers call and immediately manipulate you
to transact, but more recently we have observed that they
might just try to keep you on the line to take a voice recording.”
SHAMEELA GONZALEZ, CYBERCX
customers from scams. In Singapore, the
Home Team Science and Technology Agency
(HTX), a statutory board formed under
the Ministry of Home Affairs, is developing
innovative technologies like the Online
Cybersquat Hunter (OCH), which scans
up to two million websites each day and
flags the most suspicious for further review.
Gonzalez says collaboration will be
essential to fighting cyber scams in the future.
“Industries or companies trying to fight
the fight individually is not reflective of how
the threat actors out there are operating,”
she says. “If the threat actors are collaborating,
what’s stopping industries from doing it? This
should not be a competitive-advantage race.”
PEOPLE AS ULTIMATE CRIME FIGHTERS
CPA Australia’s Asia-Pacif ic Small Business
Survey 2024–25 shows that 40 per cent
of small businesses lost time and/or money
due to a cyber attack in 2024, and 41 per cent
expect to be attacked this year. More than
50 per cent reviewed their cybersecurity
in the past six months and over two-thirds
have used cybersecurity measures in the past
12 months.
Azfar Asa’ad, senior advisor, business,
investment and international at
CPA Australia, says AI adoption among
survey respondents is also expected to
increase throughout the year, driving a great
need for cybersecurity.
“AI is planned to be the number
one investment for most businesses and,
as a result, we think they should also look
to improve their cybersecurity. As you adopt
more advanced technology, the cybersecurity
risks increase.”
While technologies like AI are elevating
cybersecurity, they also present limitations.
For example, while the “good guys” need
to apply guardrails around AI, the “bad guys”
do not.
“We have compliance obligations — it’s
not an untethered ‘switch it on and just let
it do its thing’ approach, and that’s where
we have to be a little bit more constrained
about its use,” says Gonzalez, adding that
people within an organisation can pose the
CYBERSECURITY CHECKLIST
What steps can businesses take to protect
themselves from cybercrime?
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has
a checklist for small businesses. Key areas
of focus are securing accounts, protecting
devices and information, and preparing staff
for a cyber incident.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 37
