Pioneering numerical and experimental studies at Victoria University will help urban planners and transport agencies predict the spread of bushfires and make tunnels safer for drivers.

On Friday, the world suffered what many have described as the largest IT outage in history, when 8.5 million Windows computers crashed and wouldn't restart.

The cause was a bug triggered by an automatic update for a piece of software that until Friday nobody beyond cyber security nerds had heard of: CrowdStrike's Falcon.

The very first edition of the Westender, published in October 1992, carried the front page headline “NO EASY ANSWERS TO WEST END CRIME”, where our founding Editor JOHN JIGGENS examined the issues surrounding street crime in the Boundary Street retail precinct of West End.

According to Peter Marinelli, proprietor of the Swiss Gourmet Delicatessen in Boundary Street and long-serving President of the West End Traders Association, very little has changed in the intervening 32 years.

Cybersecurity experts say the highly sensitive data of 12.9 million Australians, stolen from eScripts provider MediSecure, has already been sold on the dark web and is up for sale again.

The 6.5 terabyte trove contains identifying details such as names, phone numbers, addresses, and Medicare numbers, as well as sensitive medical information such as which drugs people had been prescribed and why.

Seven people have been treated for smoke inhalation after a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike exploded in a unit in Sydney overnight.

Seven Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) trucks and 28 firefighters responded to an initial automatic fire alarm in a 26-storey unit block in George Street around 11.50pm.

A battery was charging in the lounge room of a unit on the sixth floor when it exploded and caught fire.

Victoria will get its first electric fire truck this year, beginning a testing period before it officially goes into full-time service. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) will add the Electric Vehicle for Incident and Emergency (EVIE) to its fleet when it arrives later this year. Firefighters will be thoroughly trained in the new technology before the truck is gradually introduced to service by early 2025.

With emerging industries such as virtual reality technology, and even existing phenomenon such as children being drawn to fire, fire safety has never been more important than it is now. Fire safety education starts from a young age, and ranges from Fire and Rescue sponsored education programs, to elders teaching children about the benefits and dangers of fire at the stove, fireplace, or even near the barbeque.

The Practice Standard for Professional Engineers was released in March 2024. It sets out the obligations, responsibilities and standards required of registered Professional Engineers to complete engineering works under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (DBP Act).

There are various privacy issues associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is rapidly developing which poses various risks to different organisations and their data. This leads to a rising risk of unauthorised access to data and the misuse of data. AI uses various data collection techniques to access data.

Welcome back to our wellness journey with LoteOptimise. In our previous article, we investigated the profound effects of mindfulness on mental well-being. Now, as we move into the heart of winter here in Australia, let's shift our focus to the importance of physical activity and how it can enhance our overall wellness.

Welcome back to this edition of CyberTalk, where we will be discussing cloud migration. Cloud migration involves transferring applications and IT processes from on-premises infrastructure to a cloud computing environment. Specifically, we will be discussing how cloud migration impacts small businesses. For small businesses, cloud migration means moving from legacy hardware and software to centralised cloud services hosted by a vendor.

In July, the Paris 2024 Olympics will attract millions of spectators and athletes from around the globe. To ensure everyone's safety, the organizers have deployed two innovative technologies: QR Codes and Algorithmic Video Surveillance (AVS). However, these technologies present significant cybersecurity risks.

Future security systems will become faster and more reliable as the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies becomes more prominent in physical security applications and other digital-native tools.

Until recently, many individuals, including business leaders and security industry experts, have been comfortable relying on legacy systems for their protection and digital guarding needs. However, this is fast becoming a dying trend as the world around them and us is rapidly changing, and so are our security needs.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 (NIST CSF 2.0) could not have come at a better time. Ransomware attacks have already built up a devastating track record on businesses and institutions across all industries in the past year: 58% of respondents to a recent survey experienced six or more ransomware attacks in the past 12 months. This comes among other concerns, including data breaches, generative AI threats, insider threats, and more, proving that cybersecurity needs to be more accessible than ever.

You might hear about data breaches so often the cacophony of warnings becomes white noise in the background of your mind — something easily tuned out.

But even if a data breach doesn't end with someone using your credit card details, that doesn't mean you're in the clear.

Ever received a text asking you to click on a link to stop your loyalty or reward points expiring? It's likely to be a scam.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (AMCA) has reported a sharp rise in shopping points and rewards-based SMS scams, and is warning customers to be vigilant.

Black Summer bushfires not a 'record first', analysis of 2,000-year Antarctic ice core history finds

By analysing sea salt concentrations in an Antarctic ice core drilled decades ago, scientists have reconstructed bushfire weather patterns in south-east Australia dating back to 2,000 years ago.

Ticketek Australia says the names of some of its customers, as well as their dates of birth and email addresses, may have been accessed in a data breach.

In a statement on Friday, the company said the information in question was stored in a cloud-based platform hosted by a "reputable, global third-party supplier".

The need for greater scale, intelligence, and automation is driving massive change in security operations and the SIEM market.

According to ESG research, 45% of cybersecurity professionals believe that security operations are more difficult today than they were two years ago, while another 11% claim that things are about the same.

About 50 people were forced to evacuate an apartment building overnight after an e-bike rental shop burst into flames in Sydney.

The blaze was sparked on Shepherd Street in the inner-city suburb of Chippendale before 1am today.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke issuing from the front roller door of the shop.

In 2030, organizations of all sizes must expect the technology landscape to be dramatically different. As cloud-native applications take over, ephemeral technology will be a larger component of infrastructure, regulatory demands will increase and there will be a critical need for speed that many organizations are not currently prepared to meet. Understanding the future of compliance and risk management is essential for any organization aiming to thrive in the hyper-speed era ahead.

The video shows a young Asian man with stubbly facial hair and blond tips sitting in a gaming chair in a messy bedroom.

Over the next minute his face cycles through more than a dozen different genders and ethnicities.

It's not just another new TikTok filter.

If you're an alien arriving on Earth for the first time, eager to know the latest about Earth's cybersecurity landscape – the RSA Conference is always the best place to be. Held annually, the conference brings together cybersecurity professionals from all over the world to discuss the year's most pressing security problems and emerging security themes. This year, as expected, AI and Data Security dominated the conversation.

The following are the formal position of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) in regard to each given matter. These statements are provided in the public interest and FRNSW may not have any specific jurisdiction on the related matter. A responsible person or authority is expected to take relevant advice into consideration as appropriate to their given circumstance.

In recent years, Electric Vehicles (EVs) have surged in popularity, representing the fastest-growing category in car sales globally. In 2023, they accounted for 14% of all new vehicle sales worldwide. However, this rapid growth has presented unique challenges, particularly concerning the safety of the batteries powering these vehicles. The occurrence of fires in EVs has raised concerns among manufacturers, emergency responders, and policymakers alike.

Tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower, London and most recently in Valencia, Spain where fires were observed to spread swiftly across the exterior of the buildings have raised concerns whether current fire safety regulations are sufficient in addressing the adoption of new materials and innovations in the construction industry.

Keyless entry systems in modern cars provide convenience but also pose security challenges, with a growing number of car thefts exploiting this technology. Thieves use methods such as relay attacks, headlight hacking, key cloning, OBD port attacks, and signal blocking to gain unauthorised access to vehicles.

Welcome back to our wellness journey with LoteOptimise. In our previous article, we explored the transformative impact of holistic practices on individual growth and development. Now, let's shift our focus to the power of mindfulness and its profound effects on mental well-being.

The cybersecurity landscape is marked by emerging threats that pose significant challenges to organisations and critical infrastructure. While offering transformative benefits in cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are also being exploited by threat actors to automate sophisticated attacks. AI-powered threats such as phishing campaigns and deepfakes have surged to unprecedented levels, making them difficult to detect and mitigate effectively.

The article addresses the urgent need to reassess security protocols and emergency responses in public spaces following the tragic events at Bondi Junction on April 13, 2023, which resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. It highlights the evolving nature of security threats, notably involving knives, despite Australia's stringent gun control measures.

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers hosted the 15th SFPE Fire Safety Conference & Expo on Performance-Based Design in Copenhagen from the 17th to 19th of April 2024. This biennial event gathered global experts for presentations, case studies, and discussions on the latest trends in fire safety engineering. The conference highlighted the significant growth of fire safety engineering over the past 30 years, driven by performance-based building and fire codes.

Victorian fire authorities say they're responding to almost one lithium-ion battery fire every day, in the wake of a dramatic blaze which threatened dozens of people in Melbourne's inner north. About 50 residents were forced to evacuate a Carlton student accommodation building on Thursday morning, due to a fire sparked by an exploding lithium-ion battery.

Lithium-ion battery OEM CATL's claim that its latest BESS product has no degradation for the first five years of use has provoked much discussion across the industry, with some sceptical of its merits. The China-based firm made the claim a week ago about its new grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) DC block product, Tener, which has 6.25MWh of energy per 20-foot container.

It was a quiet Sunday at their Moreton Bay home for 15-year-old Summer Van Andel and her younger brother Quinn. They were watching television in their living room when a "giant explosion" sent "shards" flying throughout the house. A flame as high as the ceiling ignited in the house. In the centre of that blaze, a beloved toy car was now almost unrecognisable.

Cyber risk is now recognized at the board level. The result is organizations are increasing their cyber budgets to keep up with the evolving threat landscape, with unprecedented visibility from the board and C-suite.

As the risks of a catastrophic cyber attack on critical water infrastructure grows, companies across all industries must prepare for the fallout, warns Alexander Ward, consulting partner & account lead for critical national infrastructure, cyber security and trust, Thales.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has expressed concerns about the rising rate of Lithium-Ion battery fires as crews responded to four separate incidents yesterday. Nine fire trucks rushed to an address in Apprentice Drive at Berkeley, on the state's Central Coast, just after 5pm yesterday when an electric vehicle charging station caught alight.

In some ways, the newest cybercriminals attacking Australia are a lot like real estate agents. It's all about location, location, location. Marketing is key, of course, and so is plenty of stock.

And, like the housing market, there's plenty of money to be made. A big difference is that when real estate agents hand over the keys, it's not a crime.

There have been 64 fires related to lithium-ion batteries in New South Wales this year, resulting in two deaths. Since January 2023, there have been 1,000 related fires nationally. First commercialised during the 1990s, lithium-ion batteries have become increasingly common.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of the United States government — has been hacked. “About a month ago, CISA identified activity indicating the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Ivanti products the agency uses,” a CISA spokesperson announced.

The Federal Court has dismissed Medibank's attempts to shut down an investigation into the October 2022 data hack. Justice Jonathan Beach refused the originating application to prevent the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) from proceeding with its investigation into the major data breach that compromised the personal details of 9.7 million Australians.

Every year, we see the lines continue to blur between IT, operations and security teams, with many functions traditionally sitting with the CIO that may be better suited with the CISO — or at least need a dotted line to the security team. One such function is identity. Identity and Access Management traditionally manages access to systems, databases, devices, the cloud, SASS applications, remote access, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and account privileges rather than focusing on securing identities and identity infrastructure.

Crooks are working overtime to anonymize their illicit online activities using thousands of devices of unsuspecting users, as evidenced by two unrelated reports published Tuesday. The first, from security firm Lumen, reports that roughly 40,000 home and office routers have been drafted into a criminal enterprise that anonymizes illicit Internet activities, with another 1,000 new devices being added each day. The malware responsible is a variant of TheMoon, a malicious code family dating back to at least 2014. In its earliest days, TheMoon almost exclusively infected Linksys E1000 series routers. Over the years it branched out to targeting the Asus WRTs, Vivotek Network Cameras, and multiple D-Link models.

Paul Fuller says his account manager had good reason to trust the voice on the other end of the phone asking for bank details, but handing them over was a mistake that has cost his business almost $1.2 million.

In recent years, Australia has made some key moves to improve the country's security posture. In 2020, the country invested AUD $1.67 billion (US$1.1 billion) as part of Cyber Security Strategy 2020.

Welcome to the ongoing journey of wellness with LoteOptimise! At Lote, we're committed to cultivating a workplace where well-being thrives, and the LoteOptimise Initiative stands at the forefront of this commitment. As we explore the core pillars of LoteOptimise, discover the transformative impact of holistic wellness practices on our team members and the quality of our service delivery.

Specification 43, integral to the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022, mandates bushfire protection measures for designated Class 9 buildings, such as healthcare facilities, early childhood centres, schools, and residential care buildings.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool in many areas. Generative AI can help CPTED practitioners and Security Risk Management professionals in becoming more efficient and effective. Generative AI models such as ChatGPT, Co-pilot or Bard can be used as an effective editing, brainstorming, summarising, data analysis and image generating tool.

The Global Cybersecurity Forum 2023 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It aimed to establish the context of evolving threats within Cyberspace and the need for multilateral approaches to combatting these. Day 1 commenced with a session where Education was emphasised both for establishing better and safer cyber hygiene whilst also capacity building.

On February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare, one of the major pharmacy claims processors in the United States, detected a cybersecurity incident and took its systems offline, causing disruptions to pharmacies and medical providers across the country. UnitedHealth Group, its owner, immediately acknowledged this incident in an 8-K filing to the SEC on Feb. 21. The healthcare ecosystem of payers, providers, and processors in healthcare continues to face an unrelenting wave of cyberthreats that result in diminished care experiences for patients.

On February 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a new, final version of their guidance for regulated healthcare entities to follow to improve cybersecurity and compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) Security Rule.

While filling up your car at a petrol station, you've likely noticed a sign prohibiting you from using your mobile phone while at the pump. And if you've ever been told off via loudspeaker while breaking that rule, you might have wondered to yourself, 'But why?'.

They call it 'Testla', a $60,000 car among six electric vehicles to catch fire in Australia that could become key in dealing with future battery blazes. Hundreds of fire investigators tuned in to watch a video of the burnt-out Tesla Model 3 being taken apart, after the automaker donated it to an agency tracking and investigating EV fires in Australia.

UNSW Sydney Professor Guan Yeoh and his team have won the 'Problem Solver' People's Choice prize at the inaugural Shaping Australia Awards for their innovative fire protection technologies.

More than 35,000 votes were cast to select people's choice winners from finalists across three award categories – The Problem Solver, The Future Builder and The Community Champion. The Awards have been created by Universities Australia to 'recognise excellence and the contributions universities and individuals make to Australia and Australians'.

A devastating fire that engulfed two large apartment buildings in Valencia, Spain, on 23 February killed ten people and destroyed dozens of homes. Video footage shows flames spreading swiftly up the buildings' exterior, fanned by strong winds to create what onlookers described as a “fireball”. The two blocks – 14-storey buildings containing 138 apartments – were gutted in under an hour, raising questions as to the materials used in their construction.

Many young children are enamoured with the brave dogs that make up the PAW Patrol™, and the new initiative will see characters from the hit animated franchise convey age-appropriate fire safety messaging to preschool and primary school-aged children.

National Fire Protection Association figures reveal a staggering $408m cost of construction fire damage on site. John Heinen, principal fire investigator, discusses the changes that can be implemented to ensure safer environments.

Every year QFES responds to fires that threaten people, property and the environment. Some of these fires escape from smaller fires that are part of permitted activities and some are caused by irresponsible behaviour. If people are careful with fire, the loss and damage can be greatly reduced. The information will help you understand your obligations and responsibilities when using fire outdoors.

In recent months, the news has been filled with reports of vulnerabilities being exploited, such as the Apple Shortcuts Vulnerability, SlashandGrab ScreenConnect Vulnerability, ESET Privilege Escalation Vulnerability, Zoom Vulnerability, Roundcube Webmail Vulnerability, and Ivanti VPN Vulnerability. These incidents underscore the urgent need for organizations to modernize their vulnerability management practices. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), adversaries exploit vulnerabilities within just 15 days of their discovery, while organizations typically take several months to patch them. This raises concerns about how organizations can close this gap and minimize their risk exposure effectively.

Australia's peak recycling body wants companies that use lithium-ion batteries made responsible for their disposal to reduce the risk of explosions and fires.

According to the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), lithium-ion batteries cause at least three fires in recycling streams every day, but the real number of blazes is suspected to be much higher.

In recent years, Australia has made some key moves to improve the country's security posture. In 2020, the country invested AUD $1.67 billion (US$1.1 billion) as part of Cyber Security Strategy 2020.

Despite these efforts, the Australian government's "Cyber Threat Report 2022-2023" reported 58 incidents that it classified as Extensive Compromises, and 195 incidents that it classified as Isolated Compromises.

A widely adopted standard that facilitates secure and delegated access to resources on the internet, OAuth (Open Authorization) is designed to address the challenges of user authentication and authorization for third-party applications. OAuth allows users to grant another application limited access to their resources – such as personal data, online accounts, and other sensitive items in SaaS environments – without sharing their credentials.

Adversarial machine learning, or AML, involves extracting information about the characteristics and behavior of a machine learning system, and manipulating inputs in order to obtain a desired outcome.

NIST has published a report on adversarial machine learning attacks and mitigations, and cautioned that there is no silver bullet for these types of threats.

A major hack on Victoria's court systems was the first reported cyber attack on Australia's justice system, but similar incidents overseas show criminals are increasingly targeting sensitive official information.

Ninety seconds. That is the amount of time Japan Airlines crew members are given in passenger evacuation training.

The rigorous training paid off for the 12 JAL crew members who led all 367 passengers to safety after Flight 516 collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday.

Huge, fast-moving fires which rip through communities destroying all in their path are becoming more common around the globe. Canada, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Greece and even Hawaii have all suffered in 2023.

Australia, of course, has never been immune to fire. Indeed, there is an acceptance that bushfires are part of Australian life.

But as climate change causes these fires to become more frequent, more widespread and more destructive, the way we talk about them might need to change as well.

Here's one group that's leveraging generative artificial intelligence tools successfully: cybercriminals. Since the fourth quarter of 2022, there's been a 1,265% increase in malicious phishing emails, and a 967% rise in credential phishing in particular, according to a new report by cybersecurity firm SlashNext.

The cybersecurity strategy released last week by the Albanese government is about collaboration and communication, not about conjuring our worst national-security nightmares. It's focused on industry and consumers.

Taking a rigorous approach to inspection is crucial across the energy storage supply chain. Chi Zhang and George Touloupas, of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), explore common manufacturing defects in battery energy storage systems (BESS’) and how quality-assurance regimes can detect them.

Christmas shoppers have been warned about the dangers of charging Lithium-ion products and to beware of sub-standard Lithium-ion battery-powered devices as fires surge across the state.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that will play an increasingly influential role in the everyday life of Australians. In response to the rising interest and discussion around AI, highlighted globally at the UK’s 2023 AI Safety Summit, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is expanding its AI guidance to help Australian individuals and organisations engage with AI systems in a secure way.

Miscreants are actively exploiting two new zero-day vulnerabilities to wrangle routers and video recorders into a hostile botnet used in distributed denial-of-service attacks, researchers from networking firm Akamai said Thursday.

Miscreants are actively exploiting two new zero-day vulnerabilities to wrangle routers and video recorders into a hostile botnet used in distributed denial-of-service attacks, researchers from networking firm Akamai said Thursday.

As the Defence Strategic Review made clear, in the post-Second World War period Australia was protected by its geography and the limited ability of other nations in the region to project combat power. In the current strategic era, Australia’s geographic advantages have been eroded as more countries have enhanced their ability to project combat power across greater ranges, including through the rapid development of cyber capabilities.

Australia's region, the Indo-Pacific, is also now seeing growing competition on multiple levels – economic, military, strategic and diplomatic – framed by competing values and narratives.

Danish critical infrastructure faced the biggest online attack in the country's history in May, according to SektorCERT, Denmark's specialist organization for the cybersecurity of critical kit.

Detailing the attack waves in a report, it revealed that 22 companies were breached in just a few days. Some were forced to enter island mode operation, where they had to disconnect from the internet and cut any other other non-essential network connections.

Danish critical infrastructure faced the biggest online attack in the country's history in May, according to SektorCERT, Denmark's specialist organization for the cybersecurity of critical kit.

Detailing the attack waves in a report, it revealed that 22 companies were breached in just a few days. Some were forced to enter island mode operation, where they had to disconnect from the internet and cut any other non-essential network connections.

Researchers have made a breakthrough with a so-called miracle material to break the efficiency record for solar panel electricity generation.

A team from the Chinese solar technology firm Longi set a new world record of 33.9 per cent for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell, breaking the previous record set in May this year by King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.

Numerous think tanks are seeking to resolve the cybersecurity skills gap, estimated by industry group (ISC)2 to stand at 3.4 million worldwide. It's an issue that cannot be resolved by relying upon the usual influx from higher education. The call has been to recruit in a less discriminating way by encouraging people in related professions or who have some aptitude and the relevant soft skills to enter the profession.

There's been plenty of debate about why Russia's invasion of Ukraine never devolved into the full-blown cyber Armageddon many expected at the start of the war, and what that suggests about the role of cyber operations in kinetic warfare.

A global intelligence expert says cyber threats are rapidly growing in number and sophistication - designed to cause chaos or leave victims millions of dollars out of pocket.

Security software firm Radware threat intelligence director Pascal Geenens said cyber-attacks were becoming much more common, from elaborate crimes to more common low-level distributed denial-of-service (DDos) attacks, which were relatively simple to execute.

Genex Power, the owner of a 50 MW/100 MWh battery system that caught fire in the Australian state of Queensland on Sept. 26, says the blaze was triggered by issues on the grid side of the Tesla Megapack battery unit.

Developers, policymakers, YIMBYs, and the mainstream media are lobbying Australian governments to relax planning regulations.

The objective is to enable the construction of hundreds of thousands of high-density homes in the “missing middle” of Australia’s major cities.

A partnership between UNSW Sydney and Flame Security International has produced BAL-40 accredited FSA FIRECOAT paint that could help prevent the spread of bushfires.

The landslide of lithium-ion batteries making it to market means that fires caused by them are set to surge, says the chief commercial and product officer of Energy Vault, who warns that only providers who put safety first will “survive”.

Focusing on a wide range of topics in fire safety material sciences, AOFSM’5 fostered academic exchanges among experts and strengthened industrial cooperation.

Our previous article, Navigating the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program (CIRMP): Understanding and Compliance, provided an overview of the CIRMP and the obligations arising for critical infrastructure owners, operators and suppliers in Australia. This article delves further into the CIRMP, what it means and the specific obligations arising with regard to cybersecurity.

The implementation of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, prohibiting the overseas export of unprocessed waste coupled with the challenges posed by COVID-19, has spurred the transformation of local Waste Management Facilities (WMFs) to handle recyclables domestically. WMFs, with their diverse operational setups, encounter distinct fire safety risks, especially with the rise of hazards like Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The LoteOptimise Initiative, introduced by Lote, underscores the company's commitment to enhancing team well-being and productivity. Recognising that a mentally and physically prepared team delivers superior results, the program focuses on three pillars: Health, Mind, and Exercise. These pillars provide guidance on physical health, mental well-being, and the importance of regular physical activity.

We are excited to unveil our new office space in the heart of Sydney, nestled in a beautifully preserved heritage-listed building.

Paul Fuller says his account manager had good reason to trust the voice on the other end of the phone asking for bank details but handing them over was a mistake that has cost his business almost $1.2 million.

The man on the phone introduced himself as Mike from the National Australia Bank (NAB). Mr Fuller's Grafton-based earthworks business had previously dealt with a Mike from NAB in Coffs Harbour, so no-one was suspicious.

The latest and biggest battery in New South Wales – the country's biggest state grid – is now fully operational with the commissioning of the 150 megawatt (MW) / 300 megawatt hour (MWh) Tesla system built by Edifiy Energy and Federation Asset Management.

The Riverina and Darlington Point Energy Storage Systems, built on Wiradjuri land in the Riverina, are comprised of three independent units which are contracted to Shell Energy and EnergyAustralia for the next decade.

New South Wales energy storage start-up MGA Thermal has temporarily suspended operations at its pilot plant in Tomago after a “dangerous heat build-up” at the facility had to be brought under control with the help of emergency services.

The incident occurred during the commissioning of MGA's $3 million, 5MWh plant that is demonstrating the company's proprietary thermal storage technology that uses metal blocks to store energy as heat.

Property services firm MICM, a wholly owned subsidiary of Central Equity, is recommending electric vehicle (EV) chargers not be installed in its buildings until it receives guidance from the Federal Government.

In a document sent to CarExpert by a reader, the company – which has nearly 75 buildings under management – says these installations “bring forth challenges and risks”.

A lack of regulation covering lithium-ion batteries has resulted in lower quality products on the market, increasing the fire risk from charging devices such as e-bikes, an expert says.

Robert Kerr, an associate professor from Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials, told Guardian Australia that one of the major issues was a lack of regulation around how the technology is developed and how people would charge the batteries.

Two French backpackers have narrowly escaped a hostel fire in Sydney after a lithium-ion battery exploded in their room.

About 70 people were evacuated from the Mad Monkey hostel in Potts Point on Wednesday morning because of the fire, which has since been extinguished.

Australia will build "six cyber shields around our nation" declared home affairs minister Clare O'Neill yesterday, as part of a national cyber security strategy. Scheduled to be in place by 2030, when O'Neill expects Australia to lead the world in all things cyber.

It didn't take long for the house next door to burn.

As she helped her son brush his teeth one evening in early 2019, Melanie Francese saw a red glow outside the bathroom window. When she looked outside, flames were taking hold of the roof of her neighbour’s home. Within minutes, her family were standing on the street, watching as fire engulfed the top storey. An incident report conducted by the fire services in the weeks after the blaze would reveal that their neighbour's home, a five-bedroom, two-storey house in Beaumaris in Melbourne's upmarket south-east, was covered in a combustible cladding material called expanded polystyrene (EPS).

K-12 schools all have unique layouts and settings within buildings that are characteristic landmarks in every city and town across the United States. With lengthy hallways and numerous classrooms and functional space, school buildings have a variety of security needs, and hundreds of mechanical keys that need to be secured.

How many EVs have actually caught fire in Australia? This week there were two electric vehicle battery fires in Australia within a 24 hour period, causing a lot of speculation on social media about the number of plug-in EVs that have had a battery fire while driving or parked. This short video answers that question & we think you'll be surprised!

It takes a diverse village of experts to enact effective cybersecurity guidelines, practices, and processes.

Amid the ongoing policy push to implement the comprehensive National Cybersecurity Strategy and manage risks posed by AI, cybersecurity compliance officers, together with other specialists like cybersecurity attorneys, network engineers, IT personnel, and technical writers, form the core of cybersecurity.

NIST seeks comments ahead of the 2024 release of CSF 2.0, which aims to appeal to a broader range of organizations while elevating the importance of corporate governance and more fully addressing supply chain security.

NSW strata legislation requires that changes to common property - in this case changing the electrical services and/or infrastructure in your building - require specific steps to be taken as noted in Section 108 of the Strata Schemes Management Act (SSMA 2015).

You need to read this along with the Strata Schemes Management Amendment (Sustainability Infrastructure) Bill 2020. This categorises the installation of EV charging infrastructure as a sustainability infrastructure upgrade and replaces the special resolution previously required under section 108 of the SSMA 2015.  

Poor cybersecurity is a risk to the interconnected digital systems on which we all increasingly rely, while improved security is an opportunity to build trust and advantage by enabling further digital transformation.

The Australian government has recognised the challenge and is developing a new national cybersecurity strategy, expected in the next few months. The strategy will need to cover a diverse range of digital infrastructure, with a mixture of private and public ownership and responsibility.

With the growing availability and seamlessness of AI and analytics solutions, traditional CCTV surveillance and access control are becoming increasingly more automated and future-proof.

By removing the need for heavy human intervention and repetitive tasks being entrusted to intelligent algorithms, security in commercial properties and residential environments looks set to be enhanced.

A multi-storey construction is turning heads in Launceston's CBD — the building is made almost entirely from timber.

The 28-metre-high structure is going up fast, in fact, a lot faster than ones made from traditional building products like steel and concrete.

ISO27002:2022 introduces drastic changes to the ISMS framework structure. These will have an impact on future ISO 27001 certifications or recertifications. There are certain steps you can take to overcome the new challenges created by the updated ISO 27002 standard.

In December 2022, a significant amendment was made to the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021, known as the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Amendment (Fire Safety) Regulation 2022 or Fire Safety Regulation 2022. This amendment aims to address fire safety concerns in Class 1b – 9 buildings and will be implemented in stages from 2023 to 2025. The changes introduced through this amendment have important implications for building owners and regulatory bodies involved in fire safety compliance.

This article explores the regulations and guidelines related to fire safety engineering services in hospitals across different states in Australia. While hospitals are typically subject to Crown Construction Certificates and must comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA), each state has its own specific rules and guidelines regarding fire safety and engineering services. The article discusses the different guidelines and approaches in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland.

The Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program (CIRMP), which commenced on 17 February 2023, is a comprehensive risk management approach designed to identify and mitigate potential threats to critical infrastructure assets. The goal is to ensure the availability, reliability, integrity, and confidentiality of these assets while minimising the risks and their impacts. CIRMP must include processes for hazard identification, risk minimisation, and mitigation.

In today's digital age, cybersecurity is a critical aspect of protecting businesses and their customers from cyber threats. As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, it is crucial for companies to implement effective cybersecurity training programs for their employees. This article outlines the necessary steps to create a well-structured employee cybersecurity training program, emphasising education on cybersecurity basics, encouraging stronger security habits, setting clear goals, and creating comprehensive policies and procedures for maximum protection.

NAIDOC Week 2023 focused on honouring and recognising the pivotal role of Elders in First Nations communities and societies. The article emphasises the importance of learning from the unique ways of knowing and being that have evolved over 70,000 years in First Nations culture.

Recent media coverage of the worst apartment developers and builders over the past 15 years has wreaked havoc on public confidence. Their legacy is a swath of appalling buildings riddled with complex challenges, and innocent homeowners inhabiting a world of pain. These buildings and owners are not being ignored.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has shared a factsheet providing details on free tools and guidance for securing digital assets after switching to the cloud from on-premises environments.

In Australia's bustling cities and vast remote regions lie the critical infrastructure assets that are fundamental to people’s lives: electricity, water, health care, telecommunications, transport, food and more. Critical infrastructure is vulnerable to an array of hazards, including threats from people with malicious intent, and needs to be protected.

Class 2, 3 and 9c buildings are currently regulated in NSW. From 3 July 2023, the DBP Act expanded to include class 3 and 9c buildings (in addition to class 2 buildings). This expansion applies to the construction of new buildings only. Alteration or renovation work for existing class 3 & 9c buildings will come into effect on 1 July 2024. The Act continues to apply to building work on new and existing class 2 buildings.

Garbage truck drivers are calling on residents to dispose of lithium batteries correctly after an increase in rubbish fires across Sydney.

Lithium batteries are found within e-waste components such as vapes, phones, laptops, electric toothbrushes, power tools and solar power back-up storage devices.The disposal of these devices in general waste is sparking fires in trucks across the city daily, putting drivers and the public at risk.

In yet another sign of a lucrative crimeware-as-a-service (CaaS) ecosystem, cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new Windows-based information stealer called Meduza Stealer that's actively being developed by its author to evade detection by software solutions.

Fire and Rescue NSW are warning residents with solar panels to remain observant and take steps to protect their homes after a series of solar panel fires over the last week.

Solar panels were found to be the cause of four fires this week. The first at a home in Lalor Park, where the isolating switch for the solar panels was found to have failed.

Graffiti has become so mainstream in recent years that auction houses, museums and entire art shows cater to street art connoisseurs and collectors around the world. Images in the news of young vandals responsible for marking walls have been replaced by sleek websites belonging to global phenoms such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey.

Cybercriminal habits were analyzed in a recent report by Orca Security. The report reveals that attackers typically find exposed “secrets”— pieces of sensitive information that allow access to an enterprise cloud environment — in as little as two minutes and, in many cases, begin exploiting them almost instantly.

In 2022, LockBit was the most deployed ransomware variant across the world and continues to be prolific in 2023. Since January 2020, affiliates using LockBit have attacked organizations of varying sizes across an array of critical infrastructure sectors, including financial services, food and agriculture, education, energy, government and emergency services, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation.

Since our last update, Clop has continued carrying through with its ransom threats. As of now, they have leaked the business information of six more of the named organizations.

There have been no new organizations added to its ransom list so far.

To support Australians making the switch to electric vehicles (EV), the National Construction Code (NCC) is requiring new buildings to be ready for EV charging. To help industry, the ABCB has published a new advisory note.

The global experience of EVs to date indicates they have a lower likelihood of being involved in a fire than internal combustion engines, but the characteristics of battery fires are different to liquid fuel fires.

Craig Dore, the AsiaPac Field CTO for RSA (one of the pioneers in the world of strong user authentication), says there are several myths and misconceptions about zero trust and how to successfully incorporate it into an organisation’s security strategy.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance is one of many investments that more businesses are prioritizing when protecting their facilities. While it can prove invaluable at securing your premises and preventing unwanted intrusion or trespassing, one—often invisible—threat can hoodwink even the most experienced operatives in the game.

A fire that resulted in a garbage truck having to dump its load in a car park in southern Sydney has prompted calls for consumers to safely dispose of lithium batteries.

This document summarises the changes introduced by the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Amendment (Fire Safety) Regulation 2022 (the Amending Regulation), to improve fire safety in new and existing buildings.

Ritesh Bhatia, Cybercrime Investigator & Consultant, says until now, if you would be receiving emails, you might be ignoring it because of the language it was in. Now just take the same text and put it in ChatGPT and rephrase this to make it like a formal mail to be sent to an Indian. The language will be in Indian English and the phishing mail that comes now is quite believable. It has no mistakes. It has no language or grammatical mistakes also.

A growing number of cities, transit organizations and public-facing businesses are adopting artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced technologies to identify and respond to security risks more effectively. In particular, advances in video surveillance technology can be an affordable force multiplier that delivers effective results.

A key need for the intelligence community to prioritize the advancement and adoption of encryption technologies to bolster national security arises from the escalating use of digital repression strategies by authoritarian regimes. China, for example, leads the world in applying surveillance and censorship to monitor its population, repress dissent, and strengthen its surveillance and security apparatus. The rise of digital authoritarianism and the increasing sophistication of surveillance technologies pose substantial threats to democratic values and individual privacy.

A pair of new guides strives to foster better building outcomes and more effective maintenance through a focus on teamwork.

The Building Confidence report, released in 2018, unearthed numerous construction industry problems and regulatory failures, prompting widespread building sector reform.

A quarter of a million people pass through Denmark's busiest train station each day.

As designers sought to unravel the chaos and create a better, safer space, they paid careful attention to how people were already using the area.

A young Melbourne tradie thought he was going to be burnt alive after a power bank charging his phone spontaneously combusted in his pocket.

He was on a ladder installing an air conditioning unit a fortnight ago when he heard a "hissing sound" and fire shot up at his face.

Doris McAllister spent her whole life working hard to support herself. She started working when she was 15. She saved to buy a house on her own after a divorce. She fought breast cancer and all the other problems life threw her way.

So, last year, when the 75-year-old saw an international bank offering a good return on deposits, she decided to transfer her life's savings of $260,000 across to help secure her retirement.

While the benefits of a converged security operations centre for organisational resilience are regularly cited, how can such a solution contribute in a wider sphere? As the growth in interconnected networks and devices in 'smart cities' continues, James Willison and Sarb Sembhi explain how converged security centres, where physical and cyber risks are brought together, can create a more integrated and secure environment.

When Beth* was caught up in the Optus data hack, she had to get a new drivers licence.

But it meant her name, address and date of birth were out there. Six months later, her data was leaked again when Latitude Financial was targeted.

An investigation into a large fire that destroyed Canberra's only recycling centre has found batteries in household waste were probably at fault.

The ACT government said there were about 150 tonnes of domestic recycling and waste in the building at the time of the fire.

A security researcher found a series of vulnerabilities with the Nexx brand of smart garage openers. He says he could remotely find garages to target, and then open them across the internet.

Lithium-ion batteries—used in everything from smart phones and laptops to electric scooters and cars—are catching fire on land and at sea. We talk with a former cargo ship captain about why these fires are so hard to put out and why ocean-going car carriers are at particular risk.

Cameron Murray talks to industry experts about the physical security risks to battery storage sites, and how the security and insurance aspects of operating BESS sites are evolving.

As battery energy storage technology becomes more widespread and well-known in today's mature markets and, increasingly, new ones, the risk of attack and theft is also likely to grow.

Energy-Storage.news proudly presents our webinar with IHI Terrasun, where we hear 'What experts think you should know about UL9540 codes and standards for battery storage'.

With the growth of energy storage, standards for testing of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) have been evolving also.

Finnish energy technology company Wärtsilä's battery energy storage system (BESS) product GridSolv Quantum has achieved the “best possible outcome” in UL9540A testing.

Wärtsilä said earlier this week that its fully integrated, modular platform, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells from manufacturer CATL, had met all of the fire safety tests requirements for Outdoor Ground Mounted BESS equipment.

The article discusses the issue of combustible cladding on the external façade of buildings, which has become a major safety concern since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The article explains what cladding is and why some types of cladding are so flammable. It highlights the fact that the majority of cladding systems used in the construction of buildings comprise non-combustible elements, such as masonry, stone, fibre cement, glass, and solid aluminium.

The PBDB and FEBQ are documents that lay out the scope of works for fire safety considerations in building design, involving all stakeholders and identifying outcomes and critical activities. The PBDB/FEBQ process includes a proposal summary, analytical assessment procedures, acceptance criteria, and acknowledgement of participants.

In an increasingly interconnected world, infrastructure security has emerged as a critical concern for both governments and businesses (World Economic Forum, 2022). Two countries, Saudi Arabia and Australia, despite being culturally and geographically distant, have acknowledged the significance of infrastructure development as a fundamental catalyst for economic progress. Consequently, they are actively investing in projects that emphasise security and resilience.

In this edition of the newsletter, we will be continuing our series on a comprehensive guide to preparing your business against cybersecurity threats by considering the framework to employ in order to add tools and technologies to your cyber toolkit.

For those of us chasing moments of extreme focus and hyper-productivity, the ultimate state is called the "flow state," as described by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1970. However, the state itself has existed throughout human experience, from persistence hunts of hunter-gatherer groups to arenas of warfare, to meditative states experienced through religious rituals.

The increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) in tandem with the global push for a greener environment has resulted in the installation of more charging stations worldwide. However, recent news of EV charging station fires and risks has raised concerns.

Northern Territory prisons are full to overflowing, violent crime is getting worse, leading to thousands of people to rally outside Parliament House in frustration.

But as the Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says, we can't arrest ourselves out of the dire social situation in which we find ourselves.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released eight Industrial Control Systems (ICS) advisories on Tuesday, warning of critical flaws affecting equipment from Delta Electronics and Rockwell Automation.

This includes 13 security vulnerabilities in Delta Electronics' InfraSuite Device Master, a real-time device monitoring software. All versions prior to 1.0.5 are affected by the issues.

Google and Microsoft are on a mission to remove the drudgery from computing, by bringing next-generation AI tools as add-ons to existing services.

On March 16, Microsoft announced an AI-powered system called Copilot will soon be introduced to its 365 suite apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

H0lyGh0st, Magecart, and a slew of state-sponsored hacker groups are diversifying their tactics and shifting their focus to…

You. That is, if you're in charge of cybersecurity for a small-to-midsize enterprise (SME).

Almost six years after the deadly Grenfell tower fire in London—and nine years since the Lacrosse building fire in Melbourne—hundreds of residential buildings in NSW remain at risk from potentially combustible cladding.

An e-bike has exploded in flames, which have spread through the garage and ground floor of a home at Eastgardens, in Sydney's east.

Fourteen Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) trucks attended the fire which broke out around 8pm last night in Mathewson Street.

Vapes and e-cigarette cartridges are full of hazardous materials, including toxic liquids, nicotine and lithium batteries that can catch fire, and there is growing confusion over the best way to responsibly dispose of them.

In Western Australia, councils and waste management authorities are responsible for the disposal of most household rubbish but have limited scope to manage hazardous waste from used vapes.

The Gherkin in London. The Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris. Love them, hate them, few forget them.

Turning a building inside out and putting the structure on the outside, like the new Powerhouse Parramatta Museum and tech giant Atlassian's new Sydney headquarters, usually results in fame and recognition that turns these building into a tourist attraction and movie backdrop.

NSW's fire agency will require triple the number of fire engines to be sent to incidents on Sydney's multibillion-dollar Metro Northwest rail line after firefighters warned they will have difficulty accessing tunnels in emergencies.

The US electricity grid is transforming. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are playing an increasingly significant role in power production, and energy storage has emerged as an ideal counterpart. Battery systems store energy and wait on stand-by, ready to dispatch it into the grid when the wind isn't blowing, the sun isn't shining, or when demand for electricity is particularly high.

Sydney's west is to be a focal point in the booming build-to-rent sector with two major projects worth a combined $900 million moving ahead in the planning stages and, when complete, will provide significant housing for the region.

The battery storage industry can learn lessons on how to approach fire safety from more established sectors as it works to develop standards.

That was the view of Carlos Nieto, global energy storage division manager at engineering company ABB, speaking at the Energy Storage Summit EU in February.

Speaking on a panel on how technology plays its part in ensuring fire safety for battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, Nieto and fellow panellists were asked by moderator Matthew Deadman, energy systems lead officer at the UK's National Fire Chiefs Council, how safety in the industry is evolving and what sort of lessons it needs to learn.

In 2022 Cyber Security NSW made notable achievements towards its vision of a cyber-secure NSW Government. Among a host of other accomplishments, this included steady progress in outreach to local councils, leadership in major cyber security incidents affecting NSW Government, and ongoing assistance to help the state recover from the massive data breaches of 2022.

The Albanese government will appoint a Coordinator for Cyber Security who will be given new powers to protect Australians from mass cyberattacks.

The coordinator will be located within the Department of Home Affairs, with the exact nature of their powers to be decided upon following a roundtable of industry experts and department heads.

Cyberattacks targeting multiple data centers in several regions globally have been observed over the past year and a half, resulting in exfiltration of information pertaining to some of the world's biggest companies and the publishing of access credentials on the dark web, according to cybersecurity company Resecurity.

Fire and Rescue NSW Assistant Commissioner Trent Curtin says to ensure electrical device fire safety people should buy “reputable products” and follow instructions.

“Make sure you buy reputable products from good quality brands, that we follow the instructions – we don't overcharge them, use the right charger and don't leave them charging overnight,” Mr Curtin told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

The cost of retrofitting electric vehicle chargers in Sydney apartment buildings can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars and is proving to be a major barrier to owners adopting the technology, sparking calls for governments to boost subsidies.

So what's new? Wood's been around for long enough now, and we've been using it as a building material for centuries. Surely this isn't the first time someone’s realized it gets stronger the more you use it? Well… as you'd expect, the changing popularity of cross-laminated timber in construction does coincide with a greater understanding and focus on environmental causes, but the relationship hasn't always been positive.

Episode 85 - In this episode of the ASIAL Security Insider podcast, we speak with Cameron Smith, Director of the NSW Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED) about impending changes to NSW Security Industry Legislation.

What are they? When will they come into effect and how will they impact you and your business?

The Design and Building Practitioners (D&BP) Act was enacted in June 2020, and established a new licensing and disciplinary framework for building practitioners involved in the design and construction of buildings in NSW. The D&BP Regulation 2021 details the rules for implementing the procedures of the Act and sets out specific requirements for licensing, registration and ongoing professional development required of building practitioners.

Graffiti is a form of vandalism that involves marking property with writing, tags, symbols or illustrations, generally without the consent of the property owner (Morgan & Lewis, 2020). Graffiti is perceived as a form of urban decay and a contributing element to the perception of a decrease in community safety and an increase in antisocial and criminal behaviours.

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting networks, systems, and programs from digital attacks. These attacks usually aim to access, change, or destroy sensitive information, extort money from users, or interrupt normal business processes.

We are conditioned through schooling and university that there are right answers and wrong answers. That the culmination of all your efforts is an examination or test where the marker assesses your answers; they are right or wrong and based on these you pass or fail the subject.

Latest News from the Office of the Building Commissioner. Including: New compliance declaration requirements, Program Update: Project Remediate, New demolition licensing rules, and SafeWork NSW free workshops

This new registration scheme is part of a reform program to restore confidence in the residential construction industry and make sure that apartments being built are trustworthy.

Security begins at the Planning stage. During planning, a licensed security consultant can conduct a crime statistical survey of the neighbourhood and conduct a CPTED review of the proposed development. These CPTED measures include First Generation principles, which are focused on the physical built environment, and Second Generation principles, which focus on securing the site environment through social and community development.

Eight years after raising the national terrorism threat level, Australia recently lowered it again — from mid-range (probable) to low-range (possible).

Does this mean the threat from terrorism is over?

Few are better placed to answer this than Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security and head of ASIO, Australia's domestic intelligence agency.

New legislation will be introduced to tighten security at venues in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing.

The new rules, dubbed Martyn's Law, will cover all of the UK and require venues and local authorities to have preventative action plans against terror attacks, the government said.

Martyn Hett was among 22 people killed in the 2017 attack and his mother Figen Murray has campaigned for the measures.

Draft legislation is due in early spring, the prime minister said.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) have released a draft technical information sheet for public consultation outlining considerations relating to a fire safety study (FSS) as per Hazardous Industry Planning Advisory Paper No 2 (HIPAP No. 2) for facilities containing large-scale Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (LiBESS). The document applies to facilities containing LiBESS greater than 200 kWh rated capacity located externally and not within a building.

Submissions close on 20/01/2023.

Considerations for LiBESS FSS include:

• Assessment of potential consequences of credible BESS incidents
• Defining of an appropriate fire safety strategy for the facility
• Electrical hazards posed to firefighters by LiBESS
• Fire brigade intervention
• Adequacy of installed BESS fire safety systems and measures
• Fire separation of LiBESS
• Ventilation of compartments and/or containers containing LiBESS
• Management of environmental factors
• Clean-up and disposal of BESS involved in an incident
• Referencing of applicable LIB codes and standards (i.e. NFPA 855, UL 9540A)

Large-scale LiBESS are a relatively new technology with a new risk profile that we have yet to fully understand.

FRNSW has initiated the Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies (SARET) collaborative research program to inform emergency services’ preparedness and response to incidents involving these systems.

The objects of this Regulation are to amend the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 to— (a) clarify powers and responsibilities of the Fire Commissioner, and (b) make provision for essential fire safety measures for a building to be addressed by a performance solution, and (c) make provision for the reissue of fire safety schedules, and (d) make provision for the Commissioner for Fair Trading to approve certain forms.

Update to the B&DC Reg regarding practice standards; amendments to some qualification & experience requirements and minor amendments due to repeal of certain legislation.

In particular reference is made to the following Practice Standards:

• Practice Standard for Registered Certifiers – Volume One - new residential apartment buildings
• Practice Standard for Registered Certifiers - Volume Two - Class 1a Buildings

Includes amendments to the D&BP Reg making permanent the staged lodgement of declared designs where the application complies with both the updated requirements in the Practice Standard for certifiers & the Regulated Design Guidance Material.

Fire + Rescue NSW do not want your 'Ho Ho Ho' to turn into 'oh No No No' this Christmas.

Deniliquin Fire + Rescue NSW brigade is spreading the word on fire safety for the festive season, especially when it comes to those light up decorations we all love.

Two trends in recent years are combining to exacerbate insider threat risks at companies. First, companies continue to foster cultures of openness and collaboration that often run contrary to the needs of a security-oriented mindset. Second, the mainstreaming of hybrid work has made companies' control over data and device usage during work more tenuous.

Wired have written plenty about the threat that cyberattacks pose to power grids worldwide. But lately, the most significant attacks on electrical systems have demonstrated that hacking is hardly necessary when physical destruction and sabotage are an option: Just as Russia's invasion force in Ukraine has systematically destroyed electrical infrastructure to cause vast blackouts across the country, a mysterious and continuing series of physical attacks have hit power utilities in the American southeast—and in one case, have caused an extended outage for tens of thousands of people.

The attack on two power substations in North Carolina over the weekend is stoking concerns among grid experts that utilities are not doing enough to stave off physical threats to the electricity system.

But solutions to safeguard the grid may not be easy — or affordable — to implement.

Initiatives and grants to help revitalize the downtown core was the focus of a talk at Casa Tuesday by the City's Urban Revitalization manager Andrew Malcolm.

Malcolm gave a sparse audience a look at revitalization efforts in downtown with much of his talk focusing on the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program.

This program, which was recently extended by city council in the 2023-24 budget with $50,000 annual funding, is aimed at supporting businesses in the downtown core that are dealing with costs due to increasing amounts of loitering, vandalism, and theft.

Dale Peterson, founder of the S4 conference, is one of the most experienced individuals on the planet when it comes to industrial cybersecurity. After a few years at the NSA as a cryptanalyst, he spent a decade focusing on financial cybersecurity before becoming fully engrossed in protecting the critical industrial control systems (ICS) in facilities like power plants, pipelines, medical facilities, and freshwater utilities.

Machine learning refers to the evolving ability of computer systems to learn and adapt without following explicit instructions. It essentially involves the use of algorithms and statistical models to analyze and draw conclusions from patterns in data.

We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the impact of machine learning (ML) on the security market?

Cybercrime is continuing to surge in Australia as gangs use increasingly sophisticated techniques to defraud and blackmail households, governments and businesses across the nation.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has launched its third annual threat report, revealing that it received over 76,000 cybercrime reports last financial year – a 13 per cent increase from the year before.

Millions of Australians have had their privacy breached in recent cyber attacks against Optus, Medibank and other companies.

Cybercriminals stole sensitive health and financial data that can be used for ransom, blackmail or fraud.

Medibank Private chief executive David Koczkar has defended the company’s handling of a damaging cyberattack amid growing fury from customers and investors over the spiralling data breach that has now affected more than 4 million Australians.

If you've provided Medibank Private or AHM with your Medicare number this may affect you.

The NSW Government's ambitious agenda for building legislation reform has taken another step forward, with the release of three Bills for public consultation as part of the Construct NSW transformation strategy which focuses on building “trustworthy buildings” which are fit for purpose in order to restore consumer confidence in the construction industry.

Ransomware remains the primary type of cyberattack targeting organizations, but the ransomware attack vector has shifted in 2022.

The State of the Threat Report from Secureworks found that cyber vulnerability exploitation in remote services has become the primary initial access vector (IAV) in ransomware attacks over the past year, accounting for 52% of ransomware incidents and overtaking the top spot from credential-based attacks from 2021.

In episode 6 of the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast, we hear from Dr Gavriel Schneider, CEO of Risk 2 Solution, as he explains ‘Presilience’ and how security professionals can improve their decision making in high-risk scenarios.

A string of new regulations are expected to be implemented by the Federal government following the Optus data leak saga.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers made the announcement on Thursday, saying the changes would aim to detect and mitigate the risks of cyber security frauds, scams and other malicious cyber activities.

A former policeman has killed dozens of people in a knife and gun rampage at a daycare centre in Thailand, before shooting dead his wife and child at their home and turning his weapon on himself, police say.

After an alarming spike in break-and-enters across Sydney, police have set up a new strike force targeting the perpetrators.

With plummeting costs and soaring efficiency, we are going to be seeing many, many more batteries over the next decade – especially big, grid level ones.

There are at least a dozen big batteries operating and dozens more under construction or announced around Australia. Because of their energy density, lithium-ion batteries are becoming much more common – which means that, while rare, battery fires are becoming more common too.

The introduction of the National Construction Code 2022 in May 2023 heralds the introduction of new quantified Performance Requirements in Volume 2. NCC 2022 H3P1 and H3P2 (BCA 2019: P2.3.1 and P2.3.2) now include quantified metrics for spread of fire and automatic warning of occupants.

With unprecedented changes in the workforce, employers are re-evaluating how to protect employees both on-site and remotely, establishing flexible methods of communication with a workforce that can be working in the office, working remotely, or both.

Stephane Nappo, VP Global Chief Information Security Officer at Société Générale posted: “Even the bravest cyber defense will experience defeat when weaknesses are neglected."Stephane Nappo, VP Global Chief Information Security Officer at Société Générale posted: “Even the bravest cyber defense will experience defeat when weaknesses are neglected."

We lead very busy lives and sometimes in our 'busy'-ness we lose sight of the important stuff. Too often, we feel we are overworked, tired, exhausted and too busy to do anything else. Days turn into weeks and weeks into years and we are stuck on this hamster wheel, giving it our all, but feeling like we are not getting anywhere.

As Optus weathers the fallout from the damaging data breach that exposed the personal details of 9.8 million customers, questions have been raised about how protected the data was to begin with.

So, how do companies protect the information of their customers?

Optus has suffered a massive cyber-attack, with the personal information of customers stolen, including names, dates of birth, addresses, and contact details.

The telco suffered the data breach when hackers, believed to be working for a criminal or state-sponsored organisation, accessed the sensitive information by breaking through the company’s firewall.

Reporting of minor crimes against property on Facebook community social media pages can make residents feel their neighbourhood is less safe, even when statistics show the actual rate of crime is low.

LastPass says the attacker behind the August security breach had internal access to the company's systems for four days until they were detected and evicted.

In an update to the security incident notification published last month, Lastpass' CEO Karim Toubba also said that the company's investigation (carried out in partnership with cybersecurity firm Mandiant) found no evidence the threat actor accessed customer data or encrypted password vaults.

Harris Farm has opened a new lavish store in Australia - boasting an in-house butcher and fishmonger, Messina parlour, build-a-cookie-pie station and 500 cheese varieties from around the world.

The Lane Cove outlet is a one-of-a-kind “upmarket grocery shop” in Sydney - offering shoppers more than just a standard supermarket.

Australians are being warned about a new scam which take control of your phone or laptop, if you click on one particular photo.

Photos captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are being sent out via email, but they can be dangerous if opened.

The images are being used to disguise and distribute malware from hackers.

We have released the second stage preview of NCC 2022. Development of the 2022 edition of the NCC was split into two stages.

We published the first stage of NCC 2022 on 9 May 2022, but left the energy efficiency and condensation management provisions blank while we finalised those parts.

These new measures have now been agreed to by Building Ministers, so now we’re releasing them as a second stage preview of NCC 2022.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued four safety recommendations Wednesday based on findings contained in Safety Report 20/01 which documents the agency’s investigation of four electric vehicle fires involving high-voltage, lithium-ion battery fires.

Over 80% of ransomware incidents can be traced back to misconfigured cloud services, untested security tools, and the enablement of macros.

The vast majority of ransomware attacks begin with cyber criminals exploiting common cybersecurity errors, which – if correctly managed – could prevent most victims from falling prey to attacks.

Cyber Security minister Clare O'Neil has tasked her department with re-casting the cyber security strategy initiated by the former government.

A spokesperson for the minister told iTnews the government wants a more consultative approach to building the strategy.

It's just been revealed that the song has the power to crash particular models of laptops, and it has now been recognized as a cybersecurity vulnerability.

As reported by The Reg, the strange tale comes from a Microsoft devblog by Raymond Chen. He writes that a colleague shared a story from Windows XP product support about how Jackson's track would crash certain models of laptops when it was played within proximity of the device.

A company that supplies water to more than 1.5 million people in the UK disclosed it was hit by a cyberattack in an incident security experts said highlighted potentially dangerous vulnerabilities in the country's critical infrastructure.

Sydney's newest $20 million-plus beachside apartment penthouses have finally been put back up for sale after they were abruptly pulled off the market eight months ago in a row with the NSW Building Commissioner over fire regulations.

The two penthouses were built on top of a seven-level 1960s building in Tamarama as part of an ambitious scheme for their sale to finance the $50 million renovation and refurbishment of the entire 78-apartment block.

Timber skyscrapers up to 50 storeys tall may soon dot Australian skylines in a push to decarbonise and revitalise urban construction.

Three separate plans have been submitted to build hybrid timber buildings in Perth and Sydney between 180 metres and 220 metres high.

Cybercrime Squad detectives are reminding mobile phone users to remain vigilant, after a spike in reports by victims of an emerging scam dubbed the 'Hi Mum' scam.

The scam involves the offender sending a text message from an unknown mobile phone number to a person on a messaging application claiming to be their son or daughter.

Paul Haskell-Dowland has been in the cybersecurity education and research domain for two decades — and he is on a mission to teach the rest of us how to stay safe online.

It's a significant job for the Professor of Cyber Security Practice at Edith Cowan University.

The cost of cybercrime in Australia is incredibly high, though the figure is likely even greater than the reported data suggests.

If you aren't yet aware that there are major changes coming to how you build, or the materials you can use, then now is the time to engage with HIA about what you need to know. We’re at the stage where the majority of NCC 2022 amendments have now been confirmed.

This means you will need to prepare yourself ahead of these taking effect. HIA will be undertaking activities over the next 12-24 months to support members to know what’s changing and what to do with your next building projects.

The emergence of artificial intelligence that uses cameras to check for health and safety breaches in the workplace has raised concerns about a creeping culture of workplace surveillance and a lack of protections for workers.  

You walk into a shopping centre to buy some groceries. Without your knowledge, an electronic scan of your face is taken by in-store surveillance cameras and stored in an online database. Each time you return to that store, your "faceprint" is compared with those of people wanted for shoplifting or violence.

This might sound like science fiction but it's the reality for many of us. By failing to take our digital privacy seriously – as former human rights commissioner Ed Santow has warned – Australia is "sleepwalking" its way into mass surveillance.

Buying an off-the-plan apartment has turned into an expensive, lengthy legal battle for Melbourne woman Tamara Railton-Stewart, and she is not alone.

"I had no idea of the disaster of that decision," Ms Railton-Stewart said.

She told ABC 7.30 her apartment in Melbourne's south-east, completed in 2015, was so riddled with defects it had to be gutted and was only recently rebuilt.

Australian retail giants Bunnings and Kmart are being investigated over their use of facial recognition technology in stores, amid privacy concerns.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner [OAIC] has confirmed it has launched an investigation after it was revealed the stores were using the technology without the knowledge of customers.

Provisions for development certification and fire safety requirements are now located in the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021.

These provisions are jointly administered by the Minister for Fair Trading and the Minister for Planning.

We're providing a series of articles to give you a snap shot of some changes that may impact your work when NCC 2022 is adopted by states and territories.

Open up the NCC, and we'll step you through some of the key changes to fire safety for NCC 2022. Remember, NCC 2022 also has a new referencing system. We've included both the new and the previous NCC 2019 references, to help you identify what has changed.

What should you be doing to prevent or mitigate property damage, injuries and deaths at your institution? Learn more about the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

Childcare Facilities serve a critical role within our communities. By providing their services, these centres enable working parents to attend to their vocational needs, thus functioning as a small but critical component in driving the economy. Childcare centres are founded and run-on trust, where care is at the very heart of their service offering.

Childcare facilities present unique challenges when it comes to managing fire risks and meeting the goals of fire safety within these properties. These types of facilities are used primarily for assembly use (Class 9b).

Every organisation possesses a level of established resources that can be associated with certain value. Regardless of how well the organisation is secured on the exterior, there will always be the possibility of an internal threat that creates a risk of compromise.

In our previous newsletter, we introduced the concept of 'Interthinking' as defined by Littleton & Mercer (2013) in their seminar publication with the same title. We highlighted the importance of 'Exploratory' talk as the basis upon which meetings could achieve interthinking and consequently innovation and problem-solving through collaboration.

The owners of four wind farms in South Australia and the state's big Tesla battery have been fined more than $4 million over two separate breaches identified during major grid disturbances.

As George Dionisopoulos, Head of Security at Australian data centre provider NEXTDC, explains, there is little doubt that the data centre market is witnessing significant growth, in line with the development of cloud-based services. There is also an awareness that data centres are now an integral part of a country’s critical national infrastructure – whether formally recognised or not – and only high-quality security solutions and risk management strategies will suffice.

IFSEC Global was lucky enough to sit down with George, alongside Barkers Fencing’s Adam Savage, at IFSEC International in May, to find out more about the unique challenges that come with securing such facilities and why partnerships are crucial to an organisational security strategy.

The first stage of NCC 2022 'Preview' is here. So, what are the main changes?

The NCC 2022 is here, and there is a lot to get across. Here’s an overview of some of the main updates to help you get across the content before it comes into effect.

State-backed hacking groups are some of the most advanced cyberattack operations in the world - but criminals don't need to rely on them if they can exploit unpatched cybersecurity flaws.

AIBS in conjunction with the Master Electricians Association has developed information supporting members who are seeking to understand how to verify the compliance of design and installation of interconnected smoke alarms where these are required to be installed.

Acting Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell is appealing to the public to take extra safety precautions after a spate of recent house fires across the state.

Selecting fires safety measures for road tunnels relies mainly on strict regulatory requirements. However, the choice should also be based on many different criteria and ranking of alternatives should take place. Existing methods exhibit lack in dealing rigorously with measures' selection amongst different alternatives. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing a novel method, named EVADE, which aims to incorporate diverse stakeholders' views and provide a meaningful ranking of alternatives.

In recent decades, addressing the issue of crime prevention has led to the application of CPTED in many industrialized counties. In Korea and in major cities throughout Asia, high-rise apartments have become the main form of housing, making crime prevention by Natural Surveillance extremely challenging.

Australia has more than 3,400 buildings with flammable cladding. In Victoria alone, at least 71 of these buildings have been classified as “extreme risk” and another 368 as “high risk”. Despite the tragic evidence of the risks of cladding fires, rectification work had been completed on only 11 of these buildings by February 2021.

Amendments have been made to the Design & Building Practitioners Regulation. Most of the amendments commenced 2 March 2022.

Risk assessments are used to inform decision-making in hazardous systems. The process involves highly technical steps such as quantifying uncertainty and it is typically carried out by subject matter experts with a robust engineering background. The process also involves value-loaded steps such selecting the risk acceptance criteria for evaluating the risks.

More than one-quarter of the reported fires in 2015–2019 (26 percent) occurred in home environments. In addition, three-quarters of the civilian fire deaths (75 percent) and almost three-quarters of the reported civilian fire injuries (72 percent) during that time period were caused by home structure fires.

The facts and figures uncovered in the ongoing Grenfell Tower inquiry and other investigations, continue to shock. An initial key finding of the inquiry’s first report in 2019 was that the external cladding that surrounded Grenfell Tower was largely responsible for the fire spreading so quickly.

Since the fire, over 400 other high rise buildings surveyed around the country have been found to have external wall materials similar to those used on Grenfell Tower. Several more recent tower block fires also show serious fire hazards in high-rise buildings remain.

This study tested whether a police-led initiative providing a CPTED (Crime Prevention by Environmental Design) intervention to residential burglary victims reduced revictimisation.

The Pueblo Fire Department is partnering with the American Red Cross to install more than a thousand smoke alarms in homes in Pueblo, which has been selected as the main city for this year's nationwide Sound the Alarm home fire safety campaign.

The two organizations are looking for around 100 volunteers to help install smoke detectors in homes and spread fire safety information around Pueblo in May.

A former teacher says he has been left "heartbroken" by the destruction of a historic school building that was once the home of pioneering pastoralist Sir Sidney Kidman, but has now been gutted by fire.

The former mansion at Kapunda in South Australia's lower north dates back to 1879, and was purchased about 20 years later by Kidman.

The Victorian planning minister has approved a 33-turbine wind farm in the state's south-east despite community concerns it may pose a fire risk.

Osmi Australia will start building the wind farm next year among pine tree plantations near Delburn in the Strezlecki ranges, which borders three Gippsland shires.

Surveillance cameras have an identity problem, fuelled by an inherent tension between utility and privacy. As these powerful little devices have cropped up seemingly everywhere, the use of machine learning tools has automated video content analysis at a massive scale — but with increasing mass surveillance, there are currently no legally enforceable rules to limit privacy invasions.

A parked Ola S1 Pro electric scooter caught fire in Pune late last week, raising concerns over the safety of electric vehicles. The company said it has launched an investigation to understand the “root cause”.

“We are aware of an incident in Pune that happened with one of our scooters and are investigating to understand the root cause and will share more updates in the next few days,” Ola Electric said in a statement.

NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts scrapped a requirement to consider the risks of floods and fires before building new homes only two weeks after it came into effect and while the state was reeling from a deadly environmental disaster.

Mr Roberts last week revoked a ministerial directive by his predecessor Robert Stokes outlining nine principles for sustainable development, including managing the risks of climate change, a decision top architects have branded “short-sighted” and hard to understand.

Whether you live in a single-family home, a condo, or an apartment, when CPTED principals are used together they can provide an effective defence mechanism. Criminals do not like to be seen or heard; so when you reduce places to hide, light-up dark areas, and reduce opportunities for easy access, you've successfully hardened your target.

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more prevalent, the chances of encountering an EV (or late-model hybrid) fire incident increase. Many challenges lie in store when an EV that has a high-voltage (HV) lithium-ion (li-ion) battery is involved in fire.

When HV batteries utilized nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) for their internal cells, as all of the early hybrids did, fire suppression was rather similar to what we expect from a burning internal combustion engine vehicle. For more than 10 years’ worth of hybrid vehicle fires, these original small, accessible HV batteries responded well to our conventional vehicle fire attack techniques.

The school security landscape has dramatically shifted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Video surveillance remains a critical tool in protecting the K-12 community, with U.S. schools investing over $360 million in physical security equipment in 2020.

Are you fire safe in the home?

The fire services recommend this simple safety checklist to assist in keeping your home fire safe.

The early concepts of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) were considered in the U.S. in the early 1960s and helped form a new construct for criminologists and architects to work together to create and maintain safer communities. Consistent with this new idea of managing the built environment, architect Oscar Newman set into motion the concept of “defensible space” in the late 1960s. In 1971, building upon the work of Newman, Jane Jacobs, and others, Florida State University criminologist C. Ray Jeffery, originated the term CPTED in his definitive book Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

The BCA Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) Provisions stipulate that for Class 9a healthcare and 9c aged care buildings, and for all buildings above an effective height of 25m, the doors from fire-isolated exits must not be locked from the inside. This requirement to allow re-entry into the building from the fire isolated exit imposes considerable challenges with regard to security risks, where re-entry from fire isolated exits could allow anyone to enter any space within these buildings once they have entered the fire isolated exit.

On 1 January 2022 two new regulations were implemented to replace the existing NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Reg 2000) which has been utilised by the building industry for more than 20 years.

The proliferation of building defects and issues that owners and owners’ corporations had to deal with culminated in the Shergold Weir Building Confidence Report in 2018, and the subsequent response from the NSW Government led to the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020. With the introduction of a statutory duty of care, the Design and Building Practitioners Act and Regulation, amongst its other objectives, aims to ensure that suitably qualified designers were signing off on the job.

Ransom is an old crime that has taken on a new form in ransomware. The Australian Cyber Security Centre defines ransomware as “a type of malicious software (malware)” that gets onto your device and makes it unusable (ACSC). How it works is not too far off the television and movie depiction of the concept of ransom. On an otherwise uneventful morning, you wake up to see that you have lost access to all your data.

A side effect of the pandemic was the mass migration of meetings to online exchanges and the era of back-to-back Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet calls. Meetings can be time consuming and, in many instances, unproductive and distracting from your core job function. But meetings can be where the magic happens, where creativity is sparked, ideas built upon and outcomes achieved. This is where this concept of interthinking can become a powerful tool for managers to employ.

The average business receives 10,000 alerts every day from the various software tools it uses to monitor for intruders, malware and other threats. Cybersecurity staff often find themselves inundated with data they need to sort through to manage their cyber defences.

The stakes are high. Cyberattacks are increasing and affect thousands of organizations and millions of people in the U.S. alone.

The government gave no consideration to life safety when publishing “confusing” new guidance for cladding systems in the early 2000s, the Grenfell Inquiry has heard.

Tuesday's hearing was told how ministers had started to introduce tougher European standards into British guidance in 2002 with a planned transition period of three years.

Situational crime prevention focuses on the settings where crime occurs, rather than on those committing specific criminal acts. The emphasis is on managerial and environmental change that reduces opportunities for crimes to occur (Clarke, 1997). Situational crime prevention is based on two related theories.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today that the hack disclosed last month against its servers was a targeted attack likely coordinated by a state-backed hacking group.

During the incident, the attackers gained access to the personal information (names, locations, and contact information) of over 515,000 people in the "Restoring Family Links" program that helps reunite families separated by war, disaster, and migration.

A good night's sleep has always been linked to better mood, and better health. Now, scientists have even more evidence of just how much sleep – and more specifically our circadian rhythm, which regulates our sleep cycle – is linked to certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. A team of researchers from the United States have found further evidence that the cells which help keep the brain healthy and prevent Alzheimer's disease also follow a circadian rhythm.

The government “hobbled” a group of fire safety experts appointed to spot flaws in building regulations because of a culture of deregulation, the Grenfell Inquiry has heard.

Ministers gave the Building Research Establishment (BRE) “investigation of real fires project” a “contractual requirement” not to make any policy recommendations.

David Crowder, former head of fire investigation at the BRE, told Wednesday’s hearing that the group's reports were limited to pointing out “implications” raised by building fires.

The NSW Cladding Taskforce was established to identify buildings with potentially combustible cladding and support local councils to address the use of non-compliant cladding materials. The Taskforce audited 185,000 building records and to date 4182 buildings have been inspected.

Not all cladding is dangerous. There are a number of factors which are considered when determining whether cladding on a building may pose a higher risk including the total coverage, vertical coverage, positioning around balconies, windows or doors, as well as the types of building and the way it is used.

The International CPTED Association's 2021 Conference was held in Helsingborg Sweden, inviting guests from around the globe to attend both in person and virtually. While the Lote team was unable to physically attend the conference, we were thrilled to present our ideas virtually. Dr Maher Magrabi and Zachariah Reisch gave this presentation on CPTED and its role in the management of the Australian Development Approvals process - you can watch the full video via the button below.

The Fire & Security India Expo is an evolving platform which brings together parties interested in the development of passive, active, and organisational fire safety and security management solutions. Dr Amer Magrabi presented at the 2021 expo, strengthening vital international cooperation by providing an Australian legislative perspective to the discussion.

Online activity continues to grow in volume and sophistocation, with internet connectivity being a ubiquitous component of both our business and personal lives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the efficacy and ingenuity of abusers of the online space also continues to evolve to take advantage of this reality. So what can you do to protect your business and personal information?

You don't need to have a cybersecurity degree in order to keep your information safe - all you need is to be informed and follow basic computer safety practices. Previous columns have addressed issues such as Phishing (so take a look at those too), but this column will focus on effective and simple password management you can use in the coming year and beyond.

As some members will know, the NSW Government has recently released the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (the Regulation).

The Regulation is relevant for registered certifiers and will commence on 1 January 2022, and therefore it is important that all members are across the relatively minor changes made by the Regulation.

2022 is the year of the breach, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), but last year was no prize either, according to the group's 16th annual Data Breach Report for 2021.

The good news is that the number of individuals who were hit by security breaches in 2021 declined for the third year to 293 million, down from a record high of 2.2 billion in 2018.

The problem is that the percentage of breaches that included the theft of sensitive data like Social Security numbers was up from 80% to 83% year over year, though that was down from 2017's stunning 95%.

A scary backdoor is out there right now, targeting Windows, Linux, and macOS. This SysJoker malware is so frightening because it’s very good at evading detection, giving it the ability to do damage without the user noticing.

Basically, variants are designed to target either Linux, Windows, or MacOS. It creates a series of files and registry commands that eventually allows it to install other malware, run commands on the infected device, or command the backdoor to remove itself.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) Crime Prevention Programs Unit (CPPU) is pleased to launch updated crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) guidelines for Queensland.

The purpose of the guidelines are to address the changing needs of Queensland communities informing the work of councils, professions, and the development industry.

With IoT botnets continuing to cause problems and attacks on critical infrastructure an ongoing menace, Microsoft has conducted research to find out whether edge network devices are a threat to enterprise systems.

A survey of 615 IT, IT security and OT security practitioners across the United States found that 51% of OT networks are connected to corporate IT networks.

Some 88% of respondents said their business IoT devices are connected to the internet for things like cloud-printing services while 56% reported devices on their OT network were connected for remote access.

The two may seem to have little to do with each other, but deep in the bowels of the Lucas Heights nuclear facilities a team of scientists is building the firefighting uniform of the future, specifically for Australian conditions.

They have fashioned an ultra-light fireproof material that could revolutionise firefighting gear and protect household items with a simple coating, and after nearly six years of research are ready to commercialise their invention.

The continued rise of E-commerce, spurred on at least in part by COVID-19 lockdowns, is set to drive another record year of industrial property development – primarily storage warehouses and production facilities. At the same time, transport and storage of Dangerous Goods remains a risk; with these goods causing ~30% of international shipping incidents, and global calls for safety reform.

This article will cover concerns relating to security and fire safety design for industrial developments, including warehouses, as well as concerns arising from Dangerous Goods in these contexts, and considerations for their transport and storage.

The June 2021 release of Volume 1 of the Manchester Arena Inquiry Report presents an example of an attack on a crowded place, and with it a number of recommendations and lessons. This article aims to summarise some of these recommendations and draw out action points to asset owners, operators and event organisers.

A shift in the attack vectors utilised by malicious parties has occurred, from IT systems to the end user themself. The focus placed on the human element as a target has allowed these bad actors to tap into the power of social engineering – whereby the vulnerability in the system becomes exploitable features of human psychology, rather than technological channels. Businesses need to evolve to counter this threat, as every organisation is vulnerable to a certain extent – and many are critically ill-prepared.

Lote Consulting offers end to end risk management services for the lifecycle of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects during planning, design, construction as well as the operation and maintenance phase.

The challenge of managing quarantine requirements for overseas travellers or returning Australian citizens has created an urgent demand for purpose built COVID-19 quarantine facilities over the course of the pandemic. This article examines some of the Security and Fire Safety considerations necessary for the site, as well as implications for mandatory quarantine related to governmental duty of care responsibilities.

The upcoming National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 will impose significant changes to the current Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2019 Amendment 1. This article provides a brief summary for some of these changes which are expected to be adopted by 1st of September 2022.

This abstract outlines a study on the effectiveness of cavity barriers in multi-story buildings. The function of a cavity barrier is to provide a fire blocker in the cavities located within the external walls of multi-story buildings, which assist to mitigate vertical fire spread.

The main goal of the research referred to by this abstract is to determine if the installation of cavity barriers is effective in stopping vertical fire spread on buildings that incorporate combustible building elements along the facade, such as aluminium composite panels (ACP) with a combustible core.

This abstract identifies some of the benefits of conducting a probabilistic assessment of office spaces that are already compliant with the BCA, as well as outlining some shortcomings of this type of approach.

Ultimately the full paper will aim to highlight the value of combining probabilistic assessments with an evacuation analysis to more accurately determine the 'real-world' risk to life in the event of a fire, beyond simple 'yes or no' compliance with BCA Standards.

The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) has recently released a new Standard for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), ISO 22341:2021 - Security and resilience — Protective security — Guidelines for crime prevention through environmental design.

While we recommend that anyone involved in development review the information within themselves, we at Lote have gone through the Standard to provide an informal summary of key ideas within, as well as our thoughts on its overall effectiveness as a representative Standard for CPTED more generally.

Sustainability and Environmental Protection underlie massive shifts in the energy industry and waste management. This article explores these sectors and sheds light on security considerations that need to be taken into account during development projects. It also provides a summary of security and risk considerations for planners and project managers involved in renewable energy and waste management projects.

The Federal Government introduced the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 in early December 2020, banning the export of unprocessed waste overseas. This legislation is expected to provide a stimulus to reconfigure local infrastructure to reprocess and re-manufacture recyclables onshore in Australia. This article sheds light on fire safety considerations for the growing number of waste management facilities being established around Australia.

The National Construction Code (NCC) Building Code of Australia (BCA) puts significant emphasis on the fire and smoke separation in a Class 9c Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF). This article explores the Fire & Life Safety regulation surrounding aged Care developments.

The current Transport Access Program (TAP) is a NSW Government project to upgrade public train stations to meet the requirements of the federal Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT). The Standards set out the minimum requirements for accessibility on public transport and ensure that people with disability have appropriate access to those public transport services.

As NSW becomes more interconnected and densely populated, its needs for transport infrastructure will continue to grow. With numerous road, rail and airport projects being funded in the coming years, many are concerned with the cost, efficacy, or political buying-power of such undertakings. Amidst the storms around these projects lies an issue often overlooked – with an exponentially complex transportation system being developed over the coming years, how should their designers and operators best approach the issue of security?

Vehicle technology is evolving quickly, with autonomous cars now a reality, and with an increasing proportion of hybrid and electric vehicles on the road. Such innovation can bring many advantages in the management of traffic flow and the reduction of emissions. However, innovative vehicles can present significant risks to road users, particularly in tunnels. A good understanding of the sources of these risks, and how to mitigate them is essential for manufacturers, designers, tunnel owners and operators, as well as for the fire service.

As a part of Lote's ongoing commitment to the dissemination of information that makes our industry smarter and safer, we have developed a new informational video regarding the legal framework of security in NSW. This short video provides an understanding of the requirements for those providing security services and is useful for anyone who engages with security consultants, or indeed security consultants themselves who may be unclear about licensing requirements and the risks of operating without the appropriate accreditations.

Data centre security can be defined as the operational practices and technologies that are employed to safeguard the data centre from external threats and vulnerabilities. The growth of Cloud Computing, Software as a Service, and Platforms as a Service has driven the growth of physical data centres. Being a physical asset, on-shore data centres are also a critical component in national infrastructure. Data centres are the physical facility that houses Information Technology (IT) infrastructure comprising computing, storage, networking, and power resources. As these data centres store sensitive and/or proprietary information that may include customer data and valuable intellectual property, cyber and physical security is paramount to its operation. This article will focus on physical elements of data centre security.

The reliance on cloud-based data storage and increasing demand for supplying energy from alternative sources has seen a dramatic increase in the use of Lithium-Ion battery based Energy Storage Systems (ESS). One common application for ESS are data centres to help cater for the increased demand for cloud-based data storage. One of the fundamental requirements of a cloud-based data centre is business continuity via zero downtime requirements. ESS are mandatory, to provide continuous data centre operation during a power outage. Lithium-Ion based ESS are prone to thermal runaway leading to the production of flammable gases and subsequent uncontrollable combustion. The additional ESS fire risks are not readily covered by the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) provisions of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), Furthermore, ESS trigger the application of BCA Clause E1.10 - Provision for Special Hazards which prescribes that additional provision must be made if special problems of fighting fire could arise because of the nature or quantity of materials stored, displayed or used in a building or on the allotment; or the location of the building in relation to a water supply for fire-fighting purposes.

The past few months have seen an already teetering Australian aged care industry go from bad to worse as many RACFs were the site of deadly outbreaks - and given the negligence turned up in light of these outbreaks, it appears regulatory bodies have a long way to go before the industry is at an acceptable standard. This article explores the current state of Australian aged care in July 2020 and outlines a path forward that allows construction industry specialists to benefit from the work in this sector while also healing its broken core in the process.

Lote's commitment to maintaining our standards on deliverables has enabled us to evolve and maintain our service despite the circumstances. To this effect, Lote acted pre-emptively and decisively to implement measures such as social distancing and working from home, while remaining vigilant about our client projects, stakeholder engagement, site inspections and delivery timelines.

The planning system in New South Wales (NSW) includes building regulation and certification. A key part of this is sustainable development and ensuring that buildings are safe and meet all the performance expectations, both at the time of construction and throughout their effective life cycle.

Building Code of Australia 2019 (BCA) Clause C1.9 put an end to the use of combustible materials on building facades in an explicit fashion. Although this has been an implicit requirement since BCA 1996 or earlier. Recent cladding incidents such as the Grenfell Fire and the Lacrosse Fire have necessitated further clarification and a dedicated clause BCA C1.9. Clause C1.9 has generated considerable controversy and discussion due to its application retrospectively to existing buildings and current projects in construction.

Building Code of Australia 2019 (BCA) Clause C1.9 put an end to the use of combustible materials on building facades in an explicit fashion. Although this has been an implicit requirement since BCA 1996 or earlier. Recent cladding incidents such as the Grenfell Fire and the Lacrosse Fire have necessitated further clarification and a dedicated clause BCA C1.9. Clause C1.9 has generated considerable controversy and discussion due to its application retrospectively to existing buildings and current projects in construction.

The expansion in the use of Lithium Ion batteries has become a challenge for attending Fire Fighters. Battery Systems have been introduced into the Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2019 as a defined term with provisions based on a minimum size of system. However, based on the large-scale testing of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) undertaken by FM Global consideration should still be given to ESS containing banks of Lithium Ion batteries in the form of spacing, compartmentation and sprinkler operation. A holistic performance-based fire safety approach approach is warranted taking into consideration Building Code of Australia (BCA), Dangerous Goods Storage & Handling and Special Fire Hazard requirements.

Governments across the world are struggling to keep up with the growing threat of cybercrime and the evolving techniques used by its practitioners. Australian law enforcement faces numerous challenges in its response to the transnational nature of cybercrime, the evolution of technologies in encryption and the widespread distribution of computing and cloud computing.