The Ultimate Guide to Cybersecurity
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Cybersecurity.
What to know about Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a critical and evolving field dedicated to protecting individuals, businesses, and governments from online threats. Amid transformative advancements such as AI, cloud adoption, quantum computing, and fluctuating geopolitical risks, organisations are navigating an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape.
Recent developments across the cybersecurity sphere highlight crucial topics including ransomware surges, deepfake scams, API security lapses, identity management complexities, and the growing importance of Zero Trust frameworks. These trends underscore the need for proactive strategies, comprehensive threat detection, agile responses, and a strengthening of human and technological defenses.
With expanding attack surfaces driven by remote work, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and digital transformation, there is a paramount focus on integrating AI-powered solutions, enhancing data protection, and addressing skills shortages. Initiatives promoting diversity, education, and collaborative partnerships continue to be essential in fortifying cyber resilience.
Exploring these themes through the latest stories and expert insights encourages readers to deepen their understanding of contemporary cybersecurity challenges and solutions, emphasizing actionable knowledge to help safeguard digital futures in an interconnected world.
Kiwi Cybersecurity News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Division Zero launches continuous cyber testing platform
New Zealand firms are under pressure to spot vulnerabilities sooner as cyber attacks accelerate and annual audits leave long gaps unchecked.
WitFoo offers UC student first Christchurch role
Christchurch's tech ecosystem gets a boost as WitFoo turns a sponsored UC project into a job offer and expands its local footprint.
AI boosts value of experienced developers, says Lancom CTO
AI has made prototypes cheap, but production failures remain costly, putting a premium on experienced developers who can spot hidden risks.
Police say they're assessing how to use emerging technology after report of 'risky' AI use
Police used unapproved AI workarounds to speed up criminal probes, but officials say tighter controls are needed to protect privacy and evidence.
Police AI: Investigator uploads 350,000 lines of audio in risky workaround
Pressure on investigators drove them to use unsecured AI tools, risking confidential police evidence and exposing major gaps in oversight.
Sovereignty by design: Building New Zealand's digital resilience
A mix of local and global systems could shield New Zealand services from cyberattacks and natural hazards while preserving control over critical data.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Cybersecurity
Check Point launches AI-scale security orchestrator 200
Island named only Gartner Customers' Choice for browsers
Saviynt recognised in Gartner PAM report for third year
BeyondTrust named leader in Gartner PAM report again
Check Point launches firewall subscription for AI security
Featured News
Palo Alto Networks: AI hunting vulnerability in legacy systems
Critical infrastructure operators are being urged to merge IT and OT security as AI speeds up attacks on ageing industrial systems.
Sectigo targets ANZ growth as certificate lifespans shrink
Shorter certificate lifespans are pushing Australian and New Zealand firms to automate renewals, or face higher security and outage risks.
Netskope launches Catalyst program: Facilitate, secure and get out of the way
Netskope's revamped Catalyst MSP/SP Program and Partner Orchestrator aim to have MSP customers flexibly provisioned within 15 minutes.
Transform your business with Telstra Adaptive Networks
Businesses facing outages and surging demand can now reroute traffic, scale bandwidth and cut IT admin as Telstra's network adapts in real time.
AI attacks demand operational change in the post Mythos era
Only 5% of Australian companies are ready for AI-driven attacks, leaving most exposed as threat actors move at machine speed.
UST: Businesses must rethink how AI returns are measured
Australian firms risk spending increasing resources on AI pilots that ultimately fail to prove gains in revenue, efficiency or customer service.
Data sovereignty is a strategic imperative in the AI era
AI is pushing boards to weigh local control against cloud convenience, with 80% of respondents saying sovereignty matters more in vendor selection.
Organisations need a strategic approach to skills in the AI world
Companies are missing out on returns from AI and other new tools because staff training and change management are lagging behind.
Interview: Cloudera says AI agents reshape zero trust
Enterprises must update identity controls as software agents generate more requests and need tightly time-limited access to sensitive systems.
VAST Data targets AI data sovereignty with DataEnclave
Enterprises and governments could run AI on sensitive data without exposing it, as the technology targets sovereignty rules across APAC.
AI demands network agility and better operational governance
Governance gaps are leaving most organisations exposed as AI traffic surges and networks struggle to keep pace with machine-speed demands.
Zscaler takes zero trust beyond the corporate network
Critical infrastructure operators are using cellular links to secure distributed assets as outages and spoofing raise the stakes for resilience.
Workiva: The secret compliance and reporting arms race
Driven by improved tooling, finance teams are meeting higher standards as regulators and analysts scrutinise disclosures faster.
Filigran: Does your CISO know enough?
CISOs are under pressure to answer boardroom questions on exposure in minutes, as Filigran pushes CTEM and open-source validation tools.
Genetec: Open platforms key as physical security evolves
Businesses are prioritising hybrid, open security systems to protect existing hardware investments while adopting cloud and AI tools more gradually.
AI transforming physical security into enterprise data solution
AI and cloud tools are turning cameras into live operational data sources, helping firms cut costs, spot errors and manage fleets centrally.
QBE: Mooted critical infrastructure penalties hint at cyber regulatory future
Proposed fines of up to $5 million pushes more New Zealand firms to consider cyber cover as regulatory certainty emerges.
Governance controls are crucial for AI adoption and modernisation
Trusted partners and tighter guardrails are becoming essential as AI agents expand the attack surface and put data sovereignty on the line.
Exclusive: Cloudera builds Hadoop-free future platform
Existing customers get six years of support as Cloudera shifts new AI and analytics workloads to a Hadoop-free platform due in November.
Datadog targets enterprise risk with AI and automation
Australian enterprises are under pressure to tame AI-driven complexity, compliance risk and rising technology costs as Datadog broadens its platform.
Mimecast CEO: Agentic AI threat novel but not entirely new
Hidden AI risks are already widespread in workplaces, with Mimecast saying users are driving shadow tools and most exposure still starts with people.
The internet times are a'changing Fastly
Bot traffic is forcing Fastly to adapt its edge cloud tools as publishers and AI firms battle over caching, access and data protection.
Trusted identity cuts across physical and logical systems
Unified identity systems can cut admin overhead and shrink attack surfaces as remote work and cyber threats blur physical and digital access.
Rimini Street offers AI magic without the forced ERP migration
CIOs can keep existing ERP systems and still adopt agentic AI, as Rimini Street pitches a cheaper path away from vendor-led migrations.
Jamf launches AI Governance to enhance visibility, security
IT teams can now track AI models on Apple fleets to curb data leaks and token spend as businesses wrestle with shadow AI.
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AI models expose new attack surfaces through misconfiguration
Misconfigured models are giving attackers a fresh route into cloud systems, raising the risk of data theft and service compromise.
Thermomix moves HQ to Melbourne to capture Aussie kitchens
The shift will bring the appliance maker closer to eastern customers, as Australia and New Zealand now account for most of its sales.
Schrodinger's ERP both dead and alive, says Rimini Street
Businesses can avoid costly ERP rip-and-replace projects by layering AI and automation onto existing systems, Rimini Street says.
AI adoption races ahead of governance in businesses
Only one in six staff are getting enough AI training, leaving firms exposed to poor decisions, shadow tools and weak returns.
Network segmentation - you can't attack what you can't see
Fast-moving exploits are shrinking patch windows to hours, making network segmentation vital for protecting cameras, medical devices and other connected assets.
SAS Innovate: New era of scams requires novel solutions
Australians are losing billions as AI-driven fraud pushes banks, telcos and platforms to share scam data faster and stop payments earlier.
Reviews
Expert Columns
Cyber security now starts at the job interview
Who Really Pays When a Supplier Payment Is Hijacked? Leveraging Your Procurement Software to Combat Fraud
Cybersecurity Awareness: The Importance of Getting the Basics Right
The crown jewels of cybersecurity: What can your business not afford to lose
Shadow AI Is Creating an Unmanaged Identity Crisis Across APAC
It's time to embrace our robot overlords
Singapore's 2035 Quantum-Safe Target Starts With Identity
AI moves fast: are you training your people to use it wisely?
Small but mighty - micro data centres are the foundation of security and disaster recovery
Private 5G in Australia and New Zealand: a guide for industrial organisations
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the network
Palo Alto Networks: AI hunting vulnerability in legacy systems
Sectigo targets ANZ growth as certificate lifespans shrink
Netskope launches Catalyst program: Facilitate, secure and get out of the way
Transform your business with Telstra Adaptive Networks
AI attacks demand operational change in the post Mythos era
Recent Cybersecurity News
Mistral releases open-weight ML4 for coding & cyber
The open model is aimed at regulated sectors needing on-premise control over code and cyber work, while benchmarking atop open rivals.
Palo Alto Networks launches unified SaaS cloud security
Security teams may gain a clearer picture of connected threats as Palo Alto Networks folds SaaS, cloud, identity and AI risks into one platform.
Avocado Consulting buys AI Consulting Group in expansion
The tie-up adds 20 specialists and gives Australian clients a broader AI offer as demand shifts from trials to production and oversight grows harder.
Sweet launches virtual patching for cloud & AI workloads
Security teams can now block exploit attempts on live cloud and AI workloads while permanent fixes wait to clear testing and release processes.
Sectigo study: firms brace for post-quantum PKI shift
Most IT and security teams now expect public key infrastructure to need major changes as quantum-ready cryptography moves from planning to rollout.
Anglicare Victoria wins TrendAI cybersecurity award
It highlights rising pressure on care providers to protect sensitive client data as cyber incidents grow across Australia's social assistance sector.
F5 & Oracle plan OCI security tie-up for AI threats
Cloud customers could gain extra protection against automated attacks as Oracle and F5 plan to embed web application and API security into OCI.
Keeper adds on-device AI phishing warnings to browser
The browser extension now flags look-alike login pages locally, helping users block credential theft before passwords are submitted.
CrowdStrike uncovers China-linked AI cyber campaign
CrowdStrike has identified a China-linked cyber campaign using agentic AI to conduct simultaneous intrusions against more than 200 organisations across at least 14 countries.
Barracuda appoints Dan Fletcher as Chief Financial Officer
The cybersecurity company is bolstering its executive team as it pushes into a new growth phase and seeks to capitalise on demand for its platforms.
Cloudflare reports surge in smaller, shorter DDoS attacks
Businesses face more frequent disruption as Cloudflare says 96% of network-layer attacks now end in under 10 minutes and stay below 1 Gbps.
APAC firms race ahead on AI agents, but controls lag
Most APAC firms running AI agents still lack oversight, leaving systems that can access data and act autonomously exposed to security and compliance risks.
CISOs lag on AI governance as board oversight trails
Many large firms still lack clear AI oversight, with just 7% of CISOs at companies above USD $10 billion in revenue owning the governance brief.
Schneider Electric, NVIDIA & HPE launch industrial AI
Industrial operators could soon detect faults and cyber risks faster as Schneider Electric, NVIDIA and HPE move AI closer to plant data.
JFrog names nine winners of software supply chain awards
The inaugural prizes highlight a wider shift as large enterprises tighten oversight of code, AI models and other assets moving through development pipelines.
Microsoft adds security tools for AI agents in 365
Security teams will soon be able to limit and monitor AI agents in Microsoft 365 as the company treats them as potential insider risks.
Acronis warns awareness gap leaves users open to hacks
Basic cyber hygiene is still patchy, with 35% of people not backing up data regularly as phishing and AI-driven attacks keep rising.
Hexnode expands Linux patching & login controls in ANZ
The update aims to reduce manual work for IT teams by putting Linux patching and employee sign-in under the same controls as other devices.
Celigo launches MCP Management to govern AI access
IT and security teams can now track and approve AI actions one tool at a time, as Celigo targets growing governance gaps across enterprise software.
Oracle launches AI security mesh with OpenAI to fix flaws
The service aims to help enterprises spot and repair vulnerabilities faster across cloud and on-premises systems, while keeping human approval in place.
Job Moves
Ingram Micro names Becs Paterson to New Zealand role
Securecom appoints Head of Cyber Security & promotes Kolver
Equinox IT appoints Victoria MacLennan as director
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
One New Zealand names CFO, CTO in executive succession
HP New Zealand appoints Daniel Roberts as Head of Enterprise
Spectrum Consulting names Darryl van Rensburg for AI drive
Gallagher Security names Josh Arnold Chief Product Lead
