BRIEFS

A government survey of 255 large firms found cyber attacks are on the rise: more than a fifth of those firms admitted they had been targeted in the past year, and among the targeted organisations 20% experienced more than 10 "cyber security incidents". One organisation even reported the theft of 15 years' worth of critical business data.

The survey covered 255 big firms. "More than a fifth" means over 51 firms (since one-fifth of 255 is 51) acknowledged being targeted in the past year, according to the report.

Rising cyber attacks can cause operational disruption, data theft and reputational damage for companies — risks that can affect revenues and share value. The report’s finding that some firms faced multiple incidents and that one lost 15 years of critical data highlights why investors should consider cyber security readiness when assessing company risk.

As part of an open-data push, the federal government released a downloadable record of all information and communications technology (ICT) contracts currently in place across government agencies. Investors and researchers can access updates each Sunday on data.gov.au via the Austender contract export dataset.

The downloadable ICT contracts record can help investors spot which vendors are winning government work, track contract volume and continuity, and research exposure to public-sector revenue. Because the dataset is updated weekly, it can be used to monitor changes in government contracting activity over time.

Evernote launched a business-grade version of its document app designed to meet both loyal users’ needs and businesses’ requirements for access control and document security. Evernote’s chief operating officer Ken Gullicksen noted that about two-thirds of its 50 million customers already use the app for work, indicating significant existing business usage.

Yes. The article cites one organisation that reported the theft of 15 years' worth of critical business data, illustrating the potentially severe and long-lasting impact cyber incidents can have on companies.

The government ICT contract data is available on data.gov.au via the Austender contract-notice export dataset (the article noted updates will be posted each Sunday). For the survey findings on cyber attacks, the article referenced a government report summarising the results from 255 large firms.