Got a new smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart device? Congratulations! But before you dive in, take a few minutes to setup your device securely and protect your personal info, identity and digital life from cyber threats. Here’s a simple, practical checklist designed for Australians, to help you stay safe, secure and connected.

Picture this: Santa’s just finished checking the weather over the Nullarbor, Mrs Claus is sipping a flat white, and the elves are tuning up the sleigh for the big run Down Under. All seems merry — until a dodgy email nearly wrecks Christmas Eve. It happened like this …

If you’re a tradie or sole trader, software updates are probably low on your priority list. You’ve got jobs to quote, invoices to send, tools to maintain, and customers waiting. An update that pops up during the workday feels like bad timing. However, skipping updates is one of the biggest cyber risks facing tradies and one-person businesses in Australia. Cyber criminals actively target sole traders because they know time is tight, and systems are often left unpatched.

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.

You can do almost anything on your phone these days — pay bills, book travel, watch the grandkids on video, or even manage your investments. But as more of us rely on apps, scammers have moved in too. Fake apps are one of the fastest-growing digital scams in Australia. Some look exactly like trusted brands. Others hide dangerous software that can steal personal details or quietly charge your credit card. Here’s how to spot them before they catch you out.