CERT NZ has released its first report on the New Zealand cyber security threat landscape, showing that 364 reports of cyber security incidents were made to the new cyber security agency in its first three months of operation.

“CERT NZ has received reports of a range of cyber security issues since we launched in April,” says CERT NZ Director Rob Pope.  

“The report released today shows that increasingly sophisticated phishing and malware attacks are taking advantage of unsuspecting Kiwis – accounting for more than 34% of the total reports submitted to CERT NZ.

“We need to be vigilant online. CERT NZ has seen reports of cybersecurity incidents ranging from threats that people have been able to mitigate, all the way through to people experiencing significant financial loss. In this first quarter alone, people have told us that they have lost more than $730, 000,” says Mr Pope.

The reports received so far create a baseline dataset that will be used to build CERT NZ’s understanding of the cybersecurity threats that affect New Zealanders from all walks of life.

Mr Pope encourages all New Zealanders affected by cyber security issues to report them to CERT NZ.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure exactly what type of issue you’re facing,” he says. “Our team is here to help people who have been affected by cyber security issues by giving them advice and assistance on how to avoid and overcome cyber security threats.”

CERT NZ encourages anyone who experiences a cyber security threat – or even if they suspect they may have been exposed to one – to contact CERT NZ via www.cert.govt.nz any time or call 0800 CERT NZ, Monday to Friday, 7am – 7pm.