New cybersecurity research shows that Microsoft has become the most impersonated brand in phishing attacks worldwide. Cybercriminals are using fake emails and websites that look like legitimate Microsoft communications to trick Australians into handing over personal information, including passwords, payment details, and account access. This trend highlights how important it is for people and businesses of all ages to recognise cunning scams and protect themselves online.

In today’s digital world, most of us have dozens of online accounts — from banking to shopping to social media. Using the same password everywhere, or easy-to-guess ones, makes it much easier for cyber criminals to break in and steal your identity, money or data. That’s where password managers come in.

A newly compiled collection of 1.3 billion unique passwords and 2 billion unique email addresses has been discovered online. This data wasn’t stolen in a single “big breach” of a company or service. Instead, it’s an aggregate, compiled by the threat intelligence firm Synthient, which scoured both the open and dark web to collect credentials from hundreds of past data breaches, lists used for “credential-stuffing,” and logs from malware-infected devices.

If you’ve seen the headlines, you’ll know Qantas is in the middle of an ugly cyber incident. A criminal collective (reports say it’s a mash-up of well-known groups) claims to have stolen customer data and is now demanding a ransom. They’ve threatened to leak data on the dark web if negotiations don’t happen by the deadline. Qantas has taken legal action to try to stop misuse of the data and says its core systems remain secure; the breach traces back to a third-party contact-c