By HARRY PALMER
Recent computer hacking of Optus and Medibank confidential data also raises the question of security with our nations public confidential records.
Computer security in government is farcical. Subjected to political spin, bureaucratic bungling, un-accountability and unadulterated El-Toto-Excreta is a despicable display of Australian government inability to maintain top security of our public confidential records.
Breaching Australian government and corporate computers is game world hackers enjoy.
We the public will never know to what extent this has occurred. Back in 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics census under PM Malcolm Turnbull saturated the media with the introduction of on-line forms. The launch took place so government computers started to melt down causing a national outage. Hackers or incompetence, this government project given the Public Service OK to go on-line failed. It would have been quicker for me to carve my details into stone with a hammer and chisel than to wait for Malcolm’s magic machine to revive.
Let us not forget the 2013 Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO) classified blueprints plans of the new headquarters building in Canberra stolen from a building contractors computer. The cyber attack was confirmed to have come from a server in China. Then federal Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, also our curren AG and responsible minister for ASIO, declined to say the breach took place despite world media publishing irrefutable information daily. What controls were set in place by ASIO to secure these highly confidential national security plans being stored on a building contractors computer and what has changed today?
It should be stated again that much of our classified military data is stored in Chinese-owned data banks.
Then most Australian states sent their electoral rolls to Chinese data banks, not for election manipulation of course.
First a need to understand government and public service mentality that includes massive power and unlimited department control by computer illiterate senior management often delivering unqualified final decisions for disaster.
The more qualifications you have the greater chance of securing a controlled public service job. At no time is the applicants capability or expertise questioned, academic credentials secure government jobs. Keep in mind once admitted into the bureaucratic inner sanctum you are unaccountable for your blunders with a 99% chance of holding your public service job unscathed, short of having set fire the office building or launched a missile into the canteen .
Chains of command in the public service keep highly paid dinosaurs at the top controlling drones within the ant farms, all trained to obey and not think. These clones are accompanied by cash hungry contractors looking for any opportunity to slip their fingers into the till.
In 2013 Indians became the 8th most populous army of hackers by the number of cyber attacks and can be found in a ripe community of “hackers-for-hire” firms in India. By 2016 Indian hacking activity jumped to 6th place, now holding down 3rd position in 2022.
China’s “hacker army” personnel is suggested from 50,000 to 100,000 individuals and still holds the world No1 title otherwise known as “patient visionaries & social engineering experts” with their favorite targets being Asia, the Pacific and Australia.
What has this to do with our security under safer keeping by a duopoly government hosting a bungling bureaucracy in charge?
Contractors (not staff) make up a big contingent of government programmers and IT specialists from Indian or Chinese heritage. Passing ASIO background checks together with the right credentials (not required by hacker attackers), move into positions in government where they can do what they do best with computers. We are not suggesting all are conspirators but a dark cloud remains.
Referencing Optus and Medibank computer security, let me quote from the Financial Review October 27th 2022;
“However, despite the company admitting to losing such a huge hoard of sensitive data, the privacy watchdog said it was not ready to talk about the likelihood of starting a new investigation into Medibank’s conduct, or expanding the Optus investigation to incorporate Medibank”.
As the buck passing continues government fight to stem the illegal flow of information from their custody is Attorney General and Spin Doctor, Mark Dreyfus. An expert in commercial and planning law, just the credentials to defend a nation from computer hackers, aimed his deadly weapon of LEGISLATION squarely at the cyber crooks and truant Australian corporation’s launching the barrage with a payload of penalties for an unknown foe.
China resources the youth (12 -20) into their computer invader”s army by talent and ability not PhD’s or parchment documented certificates with accreditation required in Australia.
Without doubt Australian youth have produced many with superior hacking knowledge and programing capabilities found around the world, no qualifications just 100% raw skills leaving public service academia floundering. Government needs to be sourcing this talent pool to combat cyber attacks without any interference from an incompetent public service.Wake up Australia, you do not take a knife to a gun fight.
And not forgetting the Labor apparatus wants to give everybody a national ID pass containing all of your personal data. No doubt some of the sheeples will fall for it.
“It is difficult to soar like an eagle when we are surrounded by turkeys”
Sent this to boffin, who knows? Might have a bit to do with Google if u use it
Also Dear Editor, I have to log in every time I want to comment or like. For some reason WP does not remember my login – this happened when Mike left. Can you fix it?
Dear Editor, I can post comments quite easily but cannot click on LIKE.please tell me what I need to do…in simple terms as I’m not very good with computers, being an oldie.
Why is it that you need to complete an educational Course AND receive a Certificate to get a job as a Stop and Go Sign Holder OR to file a piece of paper, yet you need NO qualifications whatsoever to run a Country? Maybe that’s a change we need to make. Vote for the most competent Candidates, not the ones with the most influential mates with stacks of money in their coffers.
tonyryan43 said – “Eight years later, my Pensioner Security Savings Account, was attacked by iiNet yet again, and $50 removed.”
This is pretty serious – you mentioned it in a different thread and it sounded like the standard phone account scam (which, though deceptive, is actually legal thanks to Australian comms company regulations), but what you describe here is just outright blatant fraud.
I suspect your only sure recourse would be to go to whoever runs your savings account and get them to reverse the illicit transaction (if that’s possible), and then also delete that account and create a new one instead (that’s the standard solution nowadays if a vendor starts making unauthorised credit charges against one’s credit card, for example).
No easy way around it. IMO trying to get satisfaction from the cops would be like prying your own eyes out with a screwdriver (because, basically, all Australian cops are lowlife bash-artist Gestapo retard scum with no more constitutional legitimacy than a Coles door-minder).
Oh so true.
But let’s focus way, way down to the local and less sensational cyber crime… the number of Australian and foreign companies who regularly steal money from starving age pensioners. The perfect example is iiNet, otherwise known as Westnet, or iiNet.net.au. Seven years ago, long after I severed all contact with this ruthless and opportunistic company, I discovered my savings account had been plundered to a total of $150. As an ancient, but still savvy age pensioner, I called in some judicial favours and was able to panic iinet into restoring my stolen money. I demanded, and was assured this had happened, that my cyber details were forever expunged.
Eight years later, my Pensioner Security Savings Account, was attacked by iiNet yet again, and $50 removed. The AFP passed the complaint to the NT Government’s Police, who described iiNet as having “lax accounting”. “No mate”, I replied on the phone, “this is not lax. This is calculated criminal; iinet gamble on thousands of former customers not challenging the theft”.
The cop suggested community standards had changed. “No they have not changed, and I have conducted surveys that demonstrate my position is that of the community,” I responded. It was obvious the cop I was talking to had a script, and was adhering to this come what may. Our police force is now protecting the criminals. No other interpretation is conceivable.
When we finally restore honest government, not only will many doctors, nurses, bureaucrats, journalists, and politicians face the death penalty, so too will many police officers who supported crime.
Just as well the state govts got rid our hard copy Title Deeds and made them all electronic. A few keystrokes and presto! We’ll own nothing and we’ll be happy. 😉
Can’t wait for the Nirvana they plan for us. lol
We have accepted technology without question and we are only beginning to pay the price.