Symantec’s 21st annual Internet Security Threat Report used metadata from 175 million devices in 157 countries to identify the biggest cyber risks in the world and unfortunately New Zealand cybercrime is alive and well. “No one is going to hack my Tauranga business’s website” they may say.Īs NZ Herald journalist Morgan Tait states, “ Kiwis are increasingly falling victim to cybercrimes that are growing in sophistication and volume, and specifically targeting the country.” Crime knows no bordersīusinesses owners in New Zealand can kid themselves into believing that this sort of crime only really happens in the United Stated and Europe.

We have the Russian / U.S Presidential election saga and more frequently companies across the globe are coming under fire from nation states such as North Korea and Iran. The news at the moment is rife with stories (maybe not so Hollywood-esque as the fish tank hackers) of cyber crime and hacking activity that has the potential to disrupt major companies and personal computers alike through the use of ransomware and many other crypto tools. They managed to find the breach and shut it down without any damage being done but Darktrace chief executive Nicole Eagan stated “as more and more electrical items are connected to the internet it is a hacker’s paradise out there”. Luckily for the casino they it had just signed with a new online security firm names Darktrace - a company where some of its co-founders, and many of its 650 employees, are former spies. The hackers realised that this was an easy way to get into the casino’s computer system and try their luck at obtaining the bank details of the casino’s elite members. The tank was connected to the computer system so that the temperature, lights and water quality could be changed and automatically monitored. The casino ensured it’s IT network was secure with security features such as a firewall and anti-virus software but unfortunately they failed to remember that flash new fish tank in the lobby. Despite sounding like a far-fetched plot from a Hollywood movie, this is exactly what happened.

Aquarium casino hack