Hacking and Terrorist World

NextGov.com: “The group of hacktivists, Anonymous, claimed in a tweet on Wednesday they hacked the Census Bureau and leaked employee details online. The hack was in protest of TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), which is an agreement being negotiated between the U.S. and E.U. critics say would increase corporate power and make it more difficult to regulate markets. The leaked Census Bureau data includes names, emails, phone numbers, positions and password hashes of employees.”

Mt. Gox head arrested over loss of 650,000 bitcoins ars technica. As we’ve said, Bitcoin = prosecution futures.

Hackers for hire: How online forums make cybercrime easier than ever
Washington Post, 16/7/15. A major cybercrime forum was just taken down by coordinated action between law enforcement agencies in nearly 20 countries. But that site, called Darkode, is just one of many forums that have become the primary hub for criminal hackers.

'Cybercrime as a service is likely' to increase as criminals continue to find it easier to purchase malware rather than developing their own, according to the first report of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

“Malware used for cybercrime is now readily available through the online marketplace, often with ongoing technical support, making it accessible to people with minimal ICT knowledge,” states the report (PDF). 

Among tens of thousands of records in the Grams data, we were able to identify more than 60 listings for individual identities—some including credit card information, others without. The listings ranged in price from less than $1 to about $450, converted from bitcoin. The median price for someone’s identity was $21.35. Here’s what your stolen identity goes for on the internet’s black market Quartz 

"Tampering with an individual's phone like this is illegal," she said.

"Why is the department being so secretive about the case? I have written to the AFP and asked them to investigate." Professor Michael Fraser, the director of the Communications Law Centre at UTS, said unless there was some lawful reason – which needs to be given – the department needed to justify why the phone was used. Customs officer confiscates passengers phone and then uses it to secretly text

The NSW government will launch a digital profile service before the end of the year, chasing the same sort of ‘single view’ online transaction capability established by the Commonwealth’s myGov service. NSW to build its own myGov

A MELBOURNE man who allegedly planned to travel overseas and fight for Kurdish forces against Islamic State has faced court sporting a “war dog” T-shirt.

In-depth: Melbourne man from Epping charged over attempt to fight Islamic State in Iraq

The New South Wales (NSW) government will audit public school prayer groups because of concerns students are being exposed to violent ideologies.NSW school prayer groups audited for extremist ideology

“As part of the International Open Data Conference (IODC) on May 28-29, 2015, a group of experts, officials, and advocates in the open data field committed to join forces in a multi-stakeholder international partnership for open data. This group will support the development, launch, and implementation of a new International Open Data Charter, articulating global open data principles and best practices. We believe that a first step in achieving the benefits of open data is taking deliberate action, starting with public commitments to the core principles of transparency, accountability, and openness. We’re proud that Canada is a member of that partnership, and we’d like to invite you, on behalf of the members, to review and provide feedback into the International Open Data Charter until July 31, 2015. You can read more on the charter website or on our blog: Help Create the International Open Data Charter.” [Darlene Fichter]

More than 25,000 public servants around Australia will be put out of work by government digital advances in the next 10 years, according to Deloitte Access Economics. The private consultancy predicts the Commonwealth and states will have to find new jobs for 2500 of their workers, or make them redundant, each year as increased digitisation transforms the way governments conduct their business.

For the Tax Office, results could be even more dramatic with Deloitte predicting a $543 million saving each year if the Tax Office used technology to bring in 80 per cent of late tax revenues within three months of their falling due.
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