Search

How to protect yourself from cyber-scammers over the festive period

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachael-medhurst-1408437">Rachael Medhurst</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> The festive season is a time for joy, family and festive cheer. However, it’s also a prime target for cybercriminals. As online shopping ramps up, so does the risk of falling prey to cyber-attacks. That’s why it’s crucial to be extra vigilant about your <a href="https://blog.tctg.co.uk/12-cyber-security-tips-of-christmas">cybersecurity</a> during this time. Here are some essential tips to safeguard yourself and your data during the festive period: <h2>Phishing</h2> Phishing is when criminals use scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims. Their <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams">goal</a> is often to make you visit a certain website, which may download a virus on to your computer, or steal bank details or other personal data. This type of scam tends to <a href="https://www.egress.com/blog/phishing/holiday-phishing-scam-guide">increase</a> at this time due to the amount of people having bought or received new gadgets and technology. Look out for there being no direct reference to your name in any communications, with wording such as “Dear Sir/Madam” or other terms such as “valued customer” being used instead. Grammar and spelling mistakes are also often present. Be wary of any suspicious links or attachments within emails too, and don’t click them. It’s better to contact the company directly to check if the message is genuine. You can also <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams">report</a> suspicious messages and phishing scams to the government’s National Cyber Security Centre. <h2>Shopping safely online</h2> The convenience of online shopping is undeniable, especially during the festive season. However, it’s crucial to prioritise your security when buying online. Before entering your personal and financial information on any website, ensure it’s legitimate and secure. Look for the “https” in the address bar and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-vast-majority-of-us-have-no-idea-what-the-padlock-icon-on-our-internet-browser-is-and-its-putting-us-at-risk-216581">padlock</a> icon, which indicates a secure and encrypted connection. When creating passwords for online shopping accounts, use strong, unique combinations of letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts, as a breach on one site could compromise all your others. As with shopping in the real world, be cautious when encountering offers that are significantly below usual prices or which make extravagant promises. Always conduct thorough research on the seller and product before making a purchase. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if you are out shopping in towns or city centres, there will often be a large number of public wifi options available to you. However, criminals can intercept the data that is transferred across such open and unsecured wifi. So, avoid using public wifi where possible, especially when conducting any financial transactions. <h2>Social media</h2> While social media platforms provide people with a means to keep in touch with family and friends over the festive period, they are often a goldmine for <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a-social-media-scam-aMtwF3u1XKGt">scams</a> and malware (software designed to disrupt, damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer). In the spirit of the festive season, people often share an abundance of personal information on social media, often without considering the potential consequences. This trove of data can make people vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Scammers can exploit this information to gain unauthorised access to social media accounts, steal personal information, or even commit identity theft. To protect yourself, be mindful of what you share. Be wary when interacting with posts and direct messages, especially if they contain suspicious links or attachments. Before clicking on anything, hover over the link to verify its destination. If it shows a website you don’t recognise or seems unrelated to the message, do not click on it. If you receive a message from someone you know but the content seems strange or out of character, contact them directly through a trusted channel to verify its authenticity. Likewise, be wary of messages containing urgent requests for money or personal information from businesses. Genuine organisations will never solicit sensitive details through social media. There are many buy and sell platforms available on social media. But while such platforms can be a great place to find a unique gift, it is also important to remember that not all sellers may be legitimate. So, it’s vital that you don’t share your bank details. If the seller sends a link to purchase the item, do not use it. When meeting to collect an item, it’s generally safer to use cash rather than transferring funds electronically. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aO858HyFbKI?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Advice for staying safe online.</figcaption></figure> <h2>Package delivery scams</h2> As well as being a time for giving and receiving gifts, the festive season is also ripe for cybercriminals to exploit the excitement surrounding <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/about-us1/media/press-releases/scams-linked-to-parcel-deliveries-come-top-in-2023/">package deliveries</a>. Scammers often pose as legitimate delivery companies, sending emails or text messages claiming that a delivery attempt was unsuccessful or requiring additional fees for processing, or even customs clearance. Typically, these messages contain links or phone numbers that, when clicked or called, lead to fake websites or automated phone systems designed to collect personal information or payments. To protect yourself, always verify the legitimacy of any delivery notifications you receive. Check the sender’s email address or phone number against the official contact information for the delivery company. If the information doesn’t match or seems suspicious, don’t click any links or provide personal details. Legitimate delivery companies will never ask for upfront payment or sensitive information through unsolicited messages or calls. Remember, cybercriminals are skilled at manipulating the festive spirit to their advantage. Stay vigilant, exercise caution, and don’t let your excitement for gifts and deliveries compromise your cybersecurity.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218294/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachael-medhurst-1408437">Rachael Medhurst</a>, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security NCSA, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-cyber-scammers-over-the-festive-period-218294">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

How household gas leaks affect your home in Adelaide

<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're an Adelaide local, you'll know the city is as notorious for its hot summers as it is for its icy winters. One common necessity across all seasons is the reliance on gas. Be it for the central heating in winter or that gas oven whipping up a delightful roast, we can't really do without it. However, any discussion about gas and electricity supply here would be incomplete without addressing household gas leaks in Adelaide. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Silent Stalker: Gas Leaks <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often undetected and woefully underestimated, gas leaks can become a real concern if not addressed promptly. The main culprit in residential settings usually boils down to faulty gas appliances. An incorrectly installed gas appliance or ageing unit can develop leaks over time, silently emitting gas into your living space. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Signs of a Gas Leak <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, what are the <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://cyberairconditioning.com.au/blog/what-do-gas-leaks-smell-like/"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">indicators of a gas leak</a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? In the absence of an instinctive warning, we might unknowingly be dealing with a perilous scenario right at our fingertips. Luckily, nature offers us a clear heads-up: our sense of smell. Indeed, that rotten-egg-like aroma you sniff is likely due to the addition of a chemical called Mercaptan to your natural gas supply, which serves as a leak alert. Thus, if your nose detects something unpleasant in the air, it's a credible signal that a gas leak is present. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/12/GasLeaks02.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apart from the smell, other signs include a higher-than-usual gas bill, dead patches on your lawn, or the persistent sound of a hissing near gas lines. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what do you do if you suspect a gas leak? Well, common sense and caution are your top mates here. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When a Gas Leak Occurs <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start by making sure you're not creating an ignition source. This means avoiding lighting matches or using a cigarette lighter inside your home. Similarly, don't operate electrical equipment close to the suspected leak area. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ensuring good air circulation is paramount in such situations, so swing open your doors and windows to facilitate the diffusion of the gas. If the odour is overpowering, promptly guide your loved ones and pets to a secure location outdoors. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/12/GasLeaks03.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once you're in a safe position, immediately dial emergency services. And remember, attending to a gas leak isn't a task you just anyone can do. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Happens If a Gas Leak Goes Unnoticed <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A frequently unobserved gas leak can pose significant dangers in your home. While it's crucial to heed the signs, smell gas, and call in professional help, it's also vital to understand what can happen if a gas leak goes unnoticed. As Adelaide homeowners, it's our responsibility to remain well-informed on the consequences of an ignored gas leak and be prepared to take swift action. <span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Health Hazards <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The primary danger of an unnoticed gas leak is its potential health impacts. Being exposed to leaking gas—from devices like stoves, heaters, or your gas water heater—can induce an array of symptoms, including <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/6-ways-to-combat-headaches-without-painkillers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headaches</a>, dizziness, nausea, and weariness. These minor symptoms could potentially worsen to more critical health conditions, such as breathing difficulties, memory impairment, and in severe situations, unconsciousness. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Furthermore, carbon monoxide, an invisible and odourless hazardous gas that occurs from malfunctioning gas or electrical appliances, can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. This condition can display symptoms resembling flu but can escalate to chronic neurological impairment or even prove fatal in the long run. <span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fire or Explosion Risk <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A more immediate danger of an unnoticed gas leak is the potential for a fire or explosion. When the concentration of leaked gas in the air reaches a threshold level, even the smallest spark or open flame can ignite it. This might result from someone lighting a match or a cigarette lighter or inadvertently switching on an electrical device near the gas leak source. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consequently, the ignited gas can cause a destructive fire or explosion, leading to significant property damage, serious injuries, or fatalities. <span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Environmental Impact <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Say, for example, your outdoor gas metre is damaged or the gas pipes buried in your garden develop leaks. The escaped gas can cause harm to your plants and lawn, creating dead patches of grass, discoloured vegetation, or stunted growth. Furthermore, prolonged leaking of natural gas can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, aggravating the issues of air pollution and climate change. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Call in the Experts: Licensed Gas Fitter <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it comes to gas leaks, it's critical not to mess with things you're not licensed to handle. In Adelaide, turn to a licensed gas fitter for gas leak repairs. Your gas fitter is trained in gas leak detection and repair gas leaks to ensure the safety of your home. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/12/GasLeaks04.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Further, regular inspections and proper installation of gas appliances can prevent gas leaks in the first place. If you've been regularly revamping your home with advanced gas installations and didn't already know this, well, you've been living under a rock, mate. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Proactive steps in your gas supply system, like the installation of carbon monoxide detectors and reviewing your gas metre's location, can help identify potential leaks and prevent dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning, exhibiting your perfect gumption. <span style="font-size: 17pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wrapping Up <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As part of the Adelaide community, it's essential to be aware of the potential hazards that household gas leaks can introduce into our homes. A gas leak can spell disaster, from health risks to damage to our property. Being alert for the signs and knowing when to call in the professionals is our best defence against these leaks. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secure your home from gas leaks with trusted <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://cyberairconditioning.com.au/locations/sa/air-conditioning-adelaide/"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Air Conditioning Services in Adelaide</a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Remember, it's always better to have a professional tend to leaks or complications with your plumbing gas system, rather than trying to be a hero and tackling it yourself. Prevent gas leaks, save lives, Adelaide! Images: Supplied. This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Cyber Air Conditioning.

Home & Garden

“Turn your phone off”: The simple reason behind Albanese’s warning

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a clear warning to the public, advising them to "turn their phones off" as a safety measure to avoid potential dangers. Albanese delivered this cautionary message last week while announcing the appointment of Australia's first national cybersecurity coordinator, Air Commander Darren Goldie of the Royal Australian Air Force. Goldie was quick to echo the Prime Minister's sentiments, emphasising the importance of mobilising both the private sector and consumers in the fight against cyber threats. "We all bear responsibility in this matter. Simple actions, such as turning off your phone every night for five minutes, can make a significant difference. "I encourage everyone watching to adopt this practice once every 24 hours, perhaps while engaging in daily routines like brushing your teeth," stated Albanese during the press conference. While rebooting your device on a daily basis may seem like a basic precaution, it can greatly enhance your protection against cybercriminals. Often, various applications and processes continue running in the background of your phone or computer, even when you're not actively using them. If unauthorised individuals gain access to these apps and processes, they can monitor your activities and collect your data, including financial information and identification documents, and even hijack your webcam or phone camera. By rebooting your phone, you force the closure of all background applications and processes, effectively evicting anyone attempting to track your virtual movements. Priyadarsi Nanda, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Technology Sydney, supported Albanese's advice, emphasising the importance of periodically turning off one's phone. "Considering how extensively we use smartphones in our daily lives, there have been cases where individuals haven't turned off their phones for an entire year," Dr. Nanda told The Guardian. "If there is a malicious process running, switching off the phone breaks the chain. While it may only provide protection while the phone is off, it undoubtedly frustrates potential hackers. Although not foolproof, rebooting can make it more challenging for hackers to compromise your device." It is crucial to note that this measure does not safeguard against all forms of cybercrime. If your password has been stolen or you are being repeatedly and strategically targeted, for example, a simple reboot is unlikely to deter the most persistent hackers. Image: Wikimedia / Australian Government

Technology

Put your Star Wars knowledge to the test

While May 4 is not a public holiday, for passionate Star Wars fans around the world, it may as well be. Whether you prefer to dress-up with friends and celebrate with a mega movie marathon - after hours spent deciding which trilogy to begin with, of course - or scroll your favourite forums to find that next snippet of news about any upcoming projects, it’s fun to have the odd fun fact to drop into conversation, whether or not your present company particularly wants to hear it. And now’s the time to put your knowledge to the test, with some Star Wars trivia to challenge and to impress - especially if you get that perfect 15/15. So, “may the Force be with you”, and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for the answers! 1. What was the false working title used to mask production for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1982? A: Blue Moon B: Blue Harvest C: Force Squadron D: Galaxy’s Edge 2. The term ‘Ewok’ was never said aloud in the original trilogy. A: True B: False 3. Who delivered the line “congratulations, you are being rescued” in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? A: Cassian Andor B: C-3PO C: K-2SO D: Orson Krennic 4. How many actresses have portrayed (in the live action films) the leader of the Rebel Alliance, Mon Mothma? A: 4 B: 3 C: 2 D: 1 5. Which movie features the most stop-motion animation? A: The Phantom Menace B: Empire Strikes Back C: Return of the Jedi D: A New Hope 6. Why are porgs so prominent in The Last Jedi? A: Director Rian Johnson was asked by a crew member’s child to include the feathered friends B: The marketing team had requested something small and fuzzy for the younger audience C: Porgs were inspired by early concept art for BB-8 that they didn’t want to toss aside completely D: The island on which they filmed was home to puffins and it was easier just to tie them in 7. Yoda shares a voice actor with which iconic Muppet? A: Miss Piggy B: Kermit C: Gonzo D: Swedish Chef 8. How many films does the Rebel Alliance’s Blue Squadron appear in? A: 1 B: 2 C: 3 D: 4 9. Which phrase can be heard in every Star Wars movie? A: “There’s no such thing as luck.” B: “Rebellions are built on hope.” C: “I have a bad feeling about this.” D: “Never underestimate a droid.” 10. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn used which common household item as his communicator? A: A lint brush B: A torch C: A tin of shoe polish D: A razor 11. How many Sith can there be at any one time? A: 8 B: 6 C: 4 D: 2 12. What was Luke Skywalker originally going to be called? A: Luke Stardestroyer B: Luke Starkiller C: Luke Skykiller D: Luke Lars 13. The noise from passing which object served as the inspiration for lightsaber sounds? A: A radio B: A microwave C: A television D: A racecar 14. Which quote is correct? A: “No, I am your father.” B: “Luke, I am your father.” 15. Who built C-3PO? A: Luke Skywalker B: Jar Jar Binks C: Shmi Skywalker D: Anakin Skywalker Images: Getty ANSWERS: <blockquote> 1: A, 2: A, 3: C, 4: C, 5: B, 6: D, 7: A, 8: A, 9: C, 10: D, 11: D, 12: B, 13: C, 14: A, 15: D </blockquote>

Movies

The Galactica AI model was trained on scientific knowledge – but it spat out alarmingly plausible nonsense

Earlier this month, Meta announced new AI software called <a href="https://galactica.org/">Galactica</a>: “a large language model that can store, combine and reason about scientific knowledge”. <a href="https://paperswithcode.com/paper/galactica-a-large-language-model-for-science-1">Launched</a> with a public online demo, Galactica lasted only three days before going the way of other AI snafus like Microsoft’s <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/3/24/11297050/tay-microsoft-chatbot-racist">infamous racist chatbot</a>. The online demo was disabled (though the <a href="https://github.com/paperswithcode/galai">code for the model is still available</a> for anyone to use), and Meta’s outspoken chief AI scientist <a href="https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1595353002222682112">complained</a> about the negative public response. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Galactica demo is off line for now. It's no longer possible to have some fun by casually misusing it. Happy? <a href="https://t.co/K56r2LpvFD">https://t.co/K56r2LpvFD</a> — Yann LeCun (@ylecun) <a href="https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1593293058174500865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></blockquote> So what was Galactica all about, and what went wrong? What’s special about Galactica? Galactica is a language model, a type of AI trained to respond to natural language by repeatedly playing a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/magazine/ai-language.html">fill-the-blank word-guessing game</a>. Most modern language models learn from text scraped from the internet. Galactica also used text from scientific papers uploaded to the (Meta-affiliated) website <a href="https://paperswithcode.com/">PapersWithCode</a>. The designers highlighted specialised scientific information like citations, maths, code, chemical structures, and the working-out steps for solving scientific problems. The <a href="https://galactica.org/static/paper.pdf">preprint paper</a> associated with the project (which is yet to undergo peer review) makes some impressive claims. Galactica apparently outperforms other models at problems like reciting famous equations (“Q: What is Albert Einstein’s famous mass-energy equivalence formula? A: E=mc²”), or predicting the products of chemical reactions (“Q: When sulfuric acid reacts with sodium chloride, what does it produce? A: NaHSO₄ + HCl”). However, once Galactica was opened up for public experimentation, a deluge of criticism followed. Not only did Galactica reproduce many of the problems of bias and toxicity we have seen in other language models, it also specialised in producing authoritative-sounding scientific nonsense. Authoritative, but subtly wrong bullshit generator Galactica’s press release promoted its ability to explain technical scientific papers using general language. However, users quickly noticed that, while the explanations it generates sound authoritative, they are often subtly incorrect, biased, or just plain wrong. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I entered "Estimating realistic 3D human avatars in clothing from a single image or video". In this case, it made up a fictitious paper and associated GitHub repo. The author is a real person (<a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertPumarola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlbertPumarola</a>) but the reference is bogus. (2/9) <a href="https://t.co/N4i0BX27Yf">pic.twitter.com/N4i0BX27Yf</a> — Michael Black (@Michael_J_Black) <a href="https://twitter.com/Michael_J_Black/status/1593133727257092097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></blockquote> We also asked Galactica to explain technical concepts from our own fields of research. We found it would use all the right buzzwords, but get the actual details wrong – for example, mixing up the details of related but different algorithms. In practice, Galactica was enabling the generation of misinformation – and this is dangerous precisely because it deploys the tone and structure of authoritative scientific information. If a user already needs to be a subject matter expert in order to check the accuracy of Galactica’s “summaries”, then it has no use as an explanatory tool. At best, it could provide a fancy autocomplete for people who are already fully competent in the area they’re writing about. At worst, it risks further eroding public trust in scientific research. A galaxy of deep (science) fakes Galactica could make it easier for bad actors to mass-produce fake, fraudulent or plagiarised scientific papers. This is to say nothing of exacerbating <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/28/ai-students-essays-cheat-teachers-plagiarism-tech">existing concerns</a> about students using AI systems for plagiarism. Fake scientific papers are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00733-5">nothing new</a>. However, peer reviewers at academic journals and conferences are already time-poor, and this could make it harder than ever to weed out fake science. Underlying bias and toxicity Other critics reported that Galactica, like other language models trained on data from the internet, has a tendency to spit out <a href="https://twitter.com/mrgreene1977/status/1593649978789941249">toxic hate speech</a> while unreflectively censoring politically inflected queries. This reflects the biases lurking in the model’s training data, and Meta’s apparent failure to apply appropriate checks around the responsible AI research. The risks associated with large language models are well understood. Indeed, an <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3442188.3445922">influential paper</a> highlighting these risks prompted Google to <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/google-timnit-gebru-ai-what-really-happened/">fire one of the paper’s authors</a> in 2020, and eventually disband its AI ethics team altogether. Machine-learning systems infamously exacerbate existing societal biases, and Galactica is no exception. For instance, Galactica can recommend possible citations for scientific concepts by mimicking existing citation patterns (“Q: Is there any research on the effect of climate change on the great barrier reef? A: Try the paper ‘<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0041-2">Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages</a>’ by Hughes, et al. in Nature 556 (2018)”). For better or worse, citations are the currency of science – and by reproducing existing citation trends in its recommendations, Galactica risks reinforcing existing patterns of inequality and disadvantage. (Galactica’s developers acknowledge this risk in their paper.) Citation bias is already a well-known issue in academic fields ranging from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1447395">feminist</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqy003">scholarship</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01770-1">physics</a>. However, tools like Galactica could make the problem worse unless they are used with careful guardrails in place. A more subtle problem is that the scientific articles on which Galactica is trained are already biased towards certainty and positive results. (This leads to the so-called “<a href="https://theconversation.com/science-is-in-a-reproducibility-crisis-how-do-we-resolve-it-16998">replication crisis</a>” and “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-edit-science-part-2-significance-testing-p-hacking-and-peer-review-74547">p-hacking</a>”, where scientists cherry-pick data and analysis techniques to make results appear significant.) Galactica takes this bias towards certainty, combines it with wrong answers and delivers responses with supreme overconfidence: hardly a recipe for trustworthiness in a scientific information service. These problems are dramatically heightened when Galactica tries to deal with contentious or harmful social issues, as the screenshot below shows. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498098/original/file-20221129-17547-nwq8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Screenshots of papers generated by Galactica on 'The benefits of antisemitism' and 'The benefits of eating crushed glass'." /></a><figcaption>Galactica readily generates toxic and nonsensical content dressed up in the measured and authoritative language of science. <a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/mrgreene1977/status/1593687024963182592/photo/1">Tristan Greene / Galactica</a></figcaption></figure> Here we go again Calls for AI research organisations to take the ethical dimensions of their work more seriously are now coming from <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26507/fostering-responsible-computing-research-foundations-and-practices">key research bodies</a> such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Some AI research organisations, like OpenAI, are being <a href="https://github.com/openai/dalle-2-preview/blob/main/system-card.md">more conscientious</a> (though still imperfect). Meta <a href="https://www.engadget.com/meta-responsible-innovation-team-disbanded-194852979.html">dissolved its Responsible Innovation team</a> earlier this year. The team was tasked with addressing “potential harms to society” caused by the company’s products. They might have helped the company avoid this clumsy misstep.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195445/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Aaron J. Snoswell and Jean Burgess. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-galactica-ai-model-was-trained-on-scientific-knowledge-but-it-spat-out-alarmingly-plausible-nonsense-195445" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Australia’s approach to cyber security lacks citizen engagement

Australia’s cyber security strategies advocate for a ‘whole-of-society’ response to countering foreign interference threats, but policy experts say efforts to engage the public are largely tokenistic. Researchers from Flinders University surveyed 1500 Australians and undertook in-depth focus groups across three states in late 2020 to assess public attitudes to institutional trust, digital literacy and perceptions of cyber threats. The research findings, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14702436.2022.2138349" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in Defence Studies, highlight a gap between policy rhetoric and action. The authors characterise Australia’s response as “top-down”, “technocratic” and “elite-driven”. According to the study, citizens’ attitudes and engagement are the key to resilience in the face of cyber threats, given foreign interference often seeks to undermine trust in democracy, manipulate public opinion, sow distrust and emphasise society’s underlying divides. Cyber-enabled foreign interference can come in many forms including disinformation, hacking, doxing, ransomware attacks, trolling, and the use of bots. Co-author Associate Professor Robert Manwaring says, “there’s generally little meaningful strategic effort to engage citizens in government-led responses, overlooking what’s often called the ‘social layer’ of cybersecurity.” <div class="advert ad-in-content"> <div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca" style="display: none;"></div> </div> The research finds Australia’s policy approach largely regards the public as passive, rather than as engaged and empowered to combat cyber threats. The paper highlights key areas where public attitudes about democracy, institutions and cyber threats are potential fodder for foreign actors. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p225801-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/australia/cyber-security-citizen-engagement/#wpcf7-f6-p225801-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> Survey responses indicate Australians lack confidence in the integrity and honesty of public officials, influence over policy making, transparency and accountability. For instance, around 80% of survey respondents consider public officials not using public office for private gain as a fundamental feature of democracy, yet only 39% see this practice upheld in Australia. In addition, while the public service and security institutions of the police and armed forces enjoy high levels of trust, respondents overwhelmingly agree that Australia’s institutions are out of touch with regular people and run by “big interests.” <div class="advert ad-in-content"> <div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca" style="display: none;"></div> </div> The paper says such disillusion is ripe for exploitation and can hamper state-led responses to cyber threats. The survey results also show Australian citizens lack confidence in their ability to identify mis and dis information online, with only 20% “very confident” in their own media and digital literacy skills. Australia’s cyber defences would be bolstered by a stronger focus on understanding citizens’ concerns and narratives, the researchers conclude. Manwaring says, “we need to encourage a genuinely whole-of-society approach – something which, like Sweden and Finland, are making considerable inroads.” <div class="advert ad-in-content"> <div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca" style="display: none;"></div> </div>  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=225801&title=Australia%E2%80%99s+approach+to+cyber+security+lacks+citizen+engagement" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/australia/cyber-security-citizen-engagement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Petra Stock. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Just 25% of businesses are insured against cyber attacks. Here’s why

In the past financial year, the Australian Cyber Security Centre received <a href="https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/reports-and-statistics/acsc-annual-cyber-threat-report-july-2021-june-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">76,000 cyber-crime reports</a> – on average, one every seven minutes. The year before, it was a report every eight minutes. The year before that, every ten minutes. The growth of cyber crime means it is now arguably the <a href="https://www.aon.com/2021-global-risk-management-survey/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top risk facing any business</a> with an online presence. One successful cyber attack is all it takes to ruin an organisation’s reputation and bottom line. The estimated cost to the Australian economy in <a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/newsroom/news/cybercrime-estimated-42-billion-cost-australian-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 was $42 billion</a>. To protect itself (and its customers), a business has three main options. It can limit the amount of sensitive data it stores. It can take greater care to protect the data it does store. And it can insure itself against the consequences of a cyber attack. Cyber-insurance is a broad term for insurance policies that address losses as a result of a computer-based attack or malfunction of a firm’s information technology systems. This can include costs associated with business interruptions, responding to the incident and paying relevant fines and penalties. The global cyber-insurance market is now worth an estimated US$9 billion (A$13.9 billion). It is tipped to grow to <a href="https://www.munichre.com/content/dam/munichre/contentlounge/website-pieces/documents/MunichRe-Topics-Cyber-Whitepaper-2022.pdf/_jcr_content/renditions/original./MunichRe-Topics-Cyber-Whitepaper-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US$22 billion by 2025</a>. But a big part of this growth reflects escalating premium costs – in Australia they increased more <a href="https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/cyber/whats-driving-up-cyber-insurance-premiums-in-australia-417542.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than 80% in 2021</a> – rather than more business taking up insurance. So coverage rates are growing slowly, with about 75% of all businesses in Australia having no cyber-insurance, according to 2021 figures from the <a href="https://insurancecouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cyber-Insurance_March2022-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insurance Council of Australia</a>. Challenges in pricing cyber-insurance With cyber-insurance still in its infancy, insurers face significant complexities in quantifying cyber risk pricing premiums accordingly – high enough for the insurers not to lose money, but as competitive as possible to encourage greater uptake. A 2018 assessment of the cyber-insurance market by the <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/20_0210_cisa_oce_cyber_insurance_market_assessment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency</a> identified three major challenges: lack of data, methodological limitations, and lack of information sharing. Lack of historical loss data means insurers are hampered in accurately predicting risks and costs. Because of the relative newness of cyber crime, many insurers use risk-assessment methodologies derived from more established insurance markets <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP67850.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">such as for car, house and contents</a>. These markets, however, are not analogous to cyber crime. Companies may be hesitant to disclose information about cyber incidents, unless required to do so. Insurance carriers are reluctant to share data pertaining to damage and claims. This makes it hard to create effective risk models that can calculate and predict the likelihood and cost of future incidents. So what needs to be done? Deakin University’s <a href="https://cybercentre.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation</a> has been working with insurance companies to understand what must be done to improve premium and risks models pertaining to cyber insurance. Here is what we have found so far. First, greater transparency is needed around cyber-related incidents and insurance to help remedy the lack of data and information sharing. The federal government has taken two steps in the right direction on this. One is the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/consumer-data-right-cdr-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumer Data Right</a>, which provides guidelines on how service providers must share data about customers. This came into effect in mid-2021. The other is the government’s proposal to amend <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">privacy legislation</a> to increase penalties for breaches and give the Privacy Commissioner new powers. Second, insurers must find better ways to measure the financial value and worth of the data that organisations hold. The primary asset covered by cyber insurance is the data itself. But there is no concrete measure of how that data is worth. The recent Optus and Medibank Private data breaches provide clear examples. The Optus event affected millions more people than the Medibank Private hack, but the Medibank Private data includes <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/privacy-fallout-from-medibank-hack-will-be-widespread-20221023-p5bs75" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sensitive medical data</a> that, in principle, is worth far more than data regarding just your personal identity. Without an accurate way to measure the financial value of data, it is difficult to determine the appropriate premium costs and coverage. Cyber insurance is a new, specialised market with significant uncertainty. Given the ever-increasing risks to individuals, organisations and society, it is imperative that insurers develop robust and reliable risk-based models as soon as possible. This will require a consolidated effort between cyber-security experts, accountants and actuaries, insurance professionals and policymakers.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193533/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Jongkil Jay Jeong and Robin Doss. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/just-25-of-businesses-are-insured-against-cyber-attacks-heres-why-193533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

“So tone deaf”: Karl loses it over Medibank bosses' massive bonuses

Karl Stefanovic has slammed the top bosses at Medibank after it has been revealed they will be taking home millions in bonuses amid the company’s cyber attack crisis. While ten million of Medibank’s customers are learning whether their personal data has made it onto the dark web - and fork out cash to keep themselves safe - bosses will still be collecting a total of $7.3 million in bonuses. Joel Andrews, one customer whose data has been stolen, told Today that “it’s disgusting” that bosses aren’t willing to give up their bonuses despite affected customers facing financial losses. “I’m furious,” Andrews said. “To think that it’s taken them a month to get this information out to us and say what’s been released, I understand it takes time to find these things out but it’s taken them that long. “They promised early on that they would act quickly because it’s such a time-sensitive issue, and it feels like they have just left it up to them, on their timing.” “I mean you’ve got the Medicare boss getting $1.5 million in bonuses last financial year,” co-host Ally Langdon said. “He also receives 150 percent of his fixed salary in shares … it’s pretty tone deaf, isn’t it?” “It’s disgusting,” Andrews replied. "To think that all of the customers out there, ten million customers, if each of them have to pay for their own software to do data protection, losses to them are around $100 each,. "That's a significant loss to each person and they are not willing to give up their bonuses." Stefanovic, who found out he was also a victim of the attack just two days ago, said he had “no sympathy” for the company as it faces declining share prices and hefty costs as a result of the attack and agreed the bonuses were “disgusting”. “It’s a failure across the board and they’re giving themselves bonuses,” the Today Show host said. “It’s unbelievable. "This is so tone deaf, it is one of the most tone deaf things I have seen a corporation do in Australia for a long, long time.” The health insurance company has come under fire for how it handled the cyber attack, with customers’ data being leaked onto the dark web after it refused to pay a ransom and affected customers finding out if they’ve been targeted more than a month later. As the Australian Federal Police continue their investigation into the attack, they have promised to take swift action against anyone who accesses the private data shared on the dark web. Affected customers who aren’t happy with Medicare’s actions or its handling of the situation have also begun proceedings to file a lawsuit against the company. Image: The Today Show

Money & Banking

Shifting seasons: using Indigenous knowledge and western science to help address climate change impacts

Traditional Owners in Australia are the creators of millennia worth of <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/native-knowledge-what-ecologists-are-learning-from-indigenous-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traditional ecological knowledge</a> – an understanding of how to live amid changing environmental conditions. Seasonal calendars are one of the forms of this knowledge best known by non-Indigenous Australians. But as the climate changes, these calendars are being disrupted. How? Take the example of wattle trees that flower at a specific time of year. That previously indicated the start of the fishing season for particular species. Climate change is causing these plants to flower later. In response, Traditional Owners on <a href="http://www.archerpoint.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yuku Baja Muliku</a> (YBM) Country near Cooktown are having to adapt their calendars and make new links. That’s not all. The seasonal timing of cultural burning practices is changing in some areas. Changes to rainfall and temperature alter when high intensity (hot) burns and low intensity (cool) burns are undertaken. Seasonal connections vital to Traditional Owners’ culture are decoupling. To systematically document changes, co-author Larissa Hale and her community worked with western scientists to pioneer a Traditional Owner-centred approach to climate impacts on cultural values. This process, <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kw7z2c9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published last week</a>, could also help Traditional Owners elsewhere to develop adaptive management for their Indigenous heritage. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467324/original/file-20220606-15930-59oyt9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Wattle flower" /></a><figcaption>A YBM Traditional Owner showing the wattle flower which used to be an indicator species for good fishing. Author provided</figcaption></figure> Climate change threatens First Nations - their perspectives must be heard Australia’s First Nations people face many threats from climate change, ranging from impacts on food availability to health. For instance, rising seas are already <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/torres-strait-islanders-plead-for-climate-action-as-government-builds-seawall-20220401-p5aa13.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flooding islands</a> in the Torres Strait with devastating consequences. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on impacts and adaption noted in the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FinalDraft_Chapter11.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australasia chapter</a> that climate-related impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their country and cultures are “pervasive, complex and compounding.” While it is important these impacts are recorded, the dominant source of the data is academic literature based on western science. Impacts and pressures Traditional Owners are seeing and managing on their country must be assessed and managed from their unique perspective. Traditional Owners have survived and adapted to climatic shifts during their 60,000+ years in Australia. This includes sea-level rise that flooded the area that is now the Great Barrier Reef and extreme rainfall variability. As a result, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ancient-knowledge-is-lost-when-a-species-disappears-its-time-to-let-indigenous-people-care-for-their-country-their-way-172760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they have developed</a> a fine-tuned sense of nature’s variability over time. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467327/original/file-20220607-20-y7p3ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Drone shot of Annan river" /></a><figcaption>YBM Traditional Owners and scientists surveying freshwater mussel populations on Annan River near Cooktown. Author provided</figcaption></figure> So what did we do? Worried about the changes they were seeing on their Land and Sea Country around Archer Point in North Queensland, the YBM people worked with scientists from James Cook University to create a new way to assess impacts on cultural values. To do this, we drew on the values-based, science-driven, and community-focused approach of the <a href="https://cvi-heritage.org/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate vulnerability index</a>. It was the first time this index had been used to assess values of significance for Indigenous people. YBM people responded to key prompts to assess changes to their values, including: <ul> <li>What did the value look like 100 years ago?</li> <li>What does it look like now?</li> <li>What do you expect it will look like in the climate future around 2050?</li> <li>What management practices relate to that value and will they change?</li> </ul> We then discussed what issues have emerged from these climatic changes. Using this process, we were able to single out issues directly affecting how YBM people live. For instance, traditional food sources can be affected by climate change. In the past, freshwater mussels in the Annan River were easy to access and collect. Extreme temperature events in the last 10 years have contributed to mass die-offs. Now mussels are much smaller in size and tend to be far <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311066114_Freshwater_mussel_surveys_from_the_Annan_River_Yuku_Baja_Muliku_Country_-_project_findings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fewer in number</a>. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467325/original/file-20220607-16-b1ny4a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Freshwater mussels Annan River" /></a><figcaption>Freshwater mussels used to be more common. Author provided</figcaption></figure> Through the process we also documented that changes to rainfall and temperature have altered the time when some plant foods appear. This is particularly true for plants that depend upon cultural burns to flower or put up shoots. This in turn has meant that the timing of collecting and harvesting has changed. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467328/original/file-20220607-12-61cmu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="bushfoods found on YBM country" /></a><figcaption>The timing of when some bushfoods appear is changing. Author provided</figcaption></figure> These climate-linked changes challenge existing bodies of traditional knowledge, altering connections between different species, ecosystems and weather patterns across Land and Sea Country. A key part of this process was developing a mutually beneficial partnership between traditional ecological knowledge holders and western scientists. It was critical to establish a relationship built on trust and respect. Walking the country first – seeing rivers, mangroves, beaches, headlands, bush, wetlands, and looking out at Sea Country – helped researchers understand the perspectives of Traditional Owners. Honouring experience and knowledge (especially that held by Elders and Indigenous rangers) was important. Indigenous cultural and intellectual property <a href="https://www.artslaw.com.au/information-sheet/indigenous-cultural-intellectual-property-icip-aitb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protocols</a> were recognised and respected throughout the assessment. <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Respecting</a> and working collaboratively with Traditional Owners as expert scientists in their own knowledge system was critical for success. Any effort to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge in climate change assessments must protect sensitive traditional knowledge. As climate change will continue and accelerate, we must work together to minimise resulting impacts on the cultural heritage of First Nations peoples.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183229/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/karin-gerhardt-1350288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karin Gerhardt</a>, PhD student, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cook University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jon-c-day-142416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon C. Day</a>, PSM, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cook University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/larissa-hale-1346434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Larissa Hale</a>, Yuku Baja Muliku Traditional Owner, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indigenous-knowledge-4846" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indigenous Knowledge</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/scott-f-heron-256521" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott F. Heron</a>, Associate Professor in Physics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cook University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/shifting-seasons-using-indigenous-knowledge-and-western-science-to-help-address-climate-change-impacts-183229" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Yuku Baja Muliku Land and Sea Rangers (Facebook)

Domestic Travel

Ancient knowledge is lost when a species disappears. It’s time to let Indigenous people care for their country, their way

Indigenous people across Australia place tremendous cultural and customary value on many species and ecological communities. The very presence of a plant or animal species can trigger an Indigenous person to recall and share knowledge. This is crucial to maintaining culture and managing Country. But as species disappear, ancient knowledge built up over thousands of years also fades away – and fragments of our culture are lost forever. For years, Indigenous groups have pushed for the right to partner with government authorities to “co-manage” culturally significant species and communities. Such recognition of Indigenous rights would require amendments to environment and land management laws. Unfortunately, changes to Australia’s federal environment laws currently underway fall short of what’s needed. To protect Australia’s imperilled species, the law must chart a new course that allows Indigenous groups to manage their Country, their way. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434938/original/file-20211201-25-189bdrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434938/original/file-20211201-25-189bdrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A woman welcomed to Country" /></a> Ngurrara Ranger Mary is welcomed to Paruku Country in the Great Sandy Desert. A meeting between many groups discussed threatened and culturally significant species. Nicolas Rakotopare/Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation <h2>Managing the Indigenous estate</h2> Australia’s <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/68385-indigenous-estate-ilc-chairperson-eddie-fry-garma/">Indigenous estate</a> takes in about <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0173876">51% of the range</a> of the nation’s threatened vertebrate species. The Indigenous estate refers to the assets held, or reasonably likely to be held, by or for the benefit of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. It includes land and sea held through such means as traditional ownership, native title and land rights organisations. It also includes intangible values such as cultural rights, practice and expression, as well as Indigenous knowledge and traditional management. A range of state and federal programs involve Indigenous participation in land and sea management, offering invaluable protection to the Indigenous estate. These include Indigenous Protected Areas and the successful <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/environment/indigenous-ranger-programs">Indigenous Ranger program</a>. And many governments and other groups recognise that species and ecological communities can have significant cultural, spiritual and customary value to Indigenous Australians. But often, no legal mechanism exists to protect these entities. Some species and other entities of significance to Indigenous Australians are listed as threatened under Australia’s federal environment law, known as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. But authorities are not required to engage Indigenous Australians in the listing, management or recovery of these species. Indigenous Australians have successfully managed this continent’s landscapes and seascapes for tens of thousands of years. Their approach is holistic and integrated – considering the whole cultural landscape with a deep understanding of the interconnected relationships between species and Country. In contrast, management actions under federal environment law focus on the outcomes of the listed species instead of the overall health of Country. All this has left Indigenous groups underfunded and at the mercy of national-level management decisions, as opposed to place-based Indigenous-led action. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434940/original/file-20211201-25-b87h6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434940/original/file-20211201-25-b87h6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Men sitting around a map" /></a> Ngurrara Rangers map potential night parrot habitat. The meeting was hosted by Paruku Rangers and Traditional Owners in the Great Sandy Desert. Nicolas Rakotopare/Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation <h2>‘Surprising and disappointing’</h2> The EPBC Act was recently reviewed by Professor Graeme Samuel, who was commissioned by the federal government. His <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/resources/final-report">final report</a> in 2020 found the law was failing in many ways. Samuel recommended a suite of reforms. Among other goals, they aimed to “respect and harness the knowledge of Indigenous Australians”. One year on and <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7591429/a-year-on-from-a-landmark-report-nature-and-law-reform-is-floundering/">progress</a> on implementing the 38 recommendations is slow. Among the recommendations were that the EPBC Act adopt a set of legally enforceable “national environmental standards” – clear rules that protect the environment and enable sustainable development. The standards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/28/australia-urged-to-overhaul-environment-laws-and-reverse-decline-of-our-iconic-places">would cover</a> matters such as threatened species, compliance, environmental data and <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/resources/final-report/appendix-b2-indigenous">Indigenous engagement</a> and participation in decision-making. It was both surprising and disappointing that Indigenous knowledge was not embedded across all proposed environmental standards. The omission means Indigenous perspectives will continue to be relegated to a stand-alone standard of “participation”. In particular, the national standard pertaining to threatened species made no reference to Indigenous knowledge or the Indigenous estate. And proposed <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/44b768d8-75ad-417d-84cc-dfb0e069e97e/files/national-environmental-standard-mnes-2021-draft.pdf">interim standards</a> completely omit Indigenous engagement, participation and values. Without a mandate to include Indigenous people in threatened species planning and recovery, biodiversity will remain at risk. What’s more, significant gaps in the application of Indigenous Knowledge and protection of the Indigenous estate will continue. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434973/original/file-20211201-27-tg1guw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434973/original/file-20211201-27-tg1guw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="hands with green turtle eggs" /></a> Rangers collecting green turtle eggs on Yanyuwa Country in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Nicolas Rakotopare <h2>A new kind of recognition</h2> During the submission process of the review, <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-06/ANON-QJCP-UGT1-F%20-%20Indigenous%20Working%20Group%20-%20Threatened%20Species%20Recovery%20Hub.pdf">many</a> Indigenous and <a href="https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/news/esa-response-to-epbc-interim-report/">non-Indigenous</a> organisations <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/submissions/anon-qjcp-ugt1-f">lobbied</a> for the recognition of “culturally significant entities”. These groups include the government’s own <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/submissions/bhlf-qjcp-ug3c-z">Indigenous Advisory Committee</a> and <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/submissions/anon-k57v-xf2u-j">Threatened Species Scientific Committee</a>. “Culturally significant entities” are species and sites of great or exceptional cultural importance to Indigenous Australians. They might be a source of identity, a medicine, lore, an important traditional food or required for cultural practices. They usually feature prominently in Indigenous knowledge, language and ceremonies. Submissions to the review called for these entities to be formally recognised under the EPBC Act and afforded a far higher level of protection. They also called for the mandatory participation of Indigenous Australians in threatened species nominations, listings, policy and management. Many Indigenous Australians were disappointed this measure was not mentioned in Samuel’s final report. Without proper legal protection, culturally significant entities will not be assessed and can be damaged by threats such as climate change, inappropriate land management and poorly conceived development proposals. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434970/original/file-20211201-13-1b11i3o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Man holds lizard" /> A yellow-spotted monitor – a culturally significant bush tucker species – on Karajarri Country. Sarah Legge <h2>From engagement to empowerment</h2> It’s time for governments and conservation groups to recognise the enduring value of the Indigenous estate and knowledge in curbing Australia’s parlous record of biodiversity loss. While many of Samuel’s recommendations attempted to address issues raised by Indigenous Australians, they fall short of true empowerment and global best practice. As the size and scale of the Indigenous estate continues to <a href="https://minister.awe.gov.au/ley/media-releases/australia-signs-international-biodiversity-declaration">grow</a>, so to does the opportunity to arrest biodiversity decline. Rather than sitting in the back seat, Indigenous Australians must be up front in managing the recovery of Australia’s unique and precious environment. The authors acknowledge and thank the following people for their contributions to this work and article: Oliver Costello, a Bundjalung man; and Cissy Gore-Birch, a Jaru, Nyikina and Balanggarra woman, and Executive Manager Aboriginal Engagement at Bush Heritage Australia.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172760/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/teagan-goolmeer-1288819">Teagan Goolmeer</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/assoc-prof-bradley-j-moggridge-400729">Assoc Prof Bradley J. Moggridge</a>, Associate Professor in Indigenous Water Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/professor-stephen-van-leeuwen-1289086">Professor Stephen van Leeuwen</a>, BHP / Curtin Indigenous Chair of Biodiversity & Environmental Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ancient-knowledge-is-lost-when-a-species-disappears-its-time-to-let-indigenous-people-care-for-their-country-their-way-172760">original article</a>. Image: Nicolas Rakotopare/Karajarri Traditional Lands Association

Domestic Travel

A new artistic call for us to recognise the connections of Country is a testament to the power of Aboriginal knowledge

Wilam Biik (Home Country) is a multi-layered conversation between Country, people and ancestors that surges with the power of Aboriginal connectivity. The first major exhibition curated by Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung woman Stacie Piper in her role as Tarawarra’s <a href="https://artguide.com.au/stacie-piper-appointed-as-yalingwa-first-peoples-curator-at-tarrawarra-museum-of-art/">2019 Yalingwa Curator</a>, it is a generous offer to see Wurundjeri biik (Country) the way Wurundjeri see it — not as a “natural resource” to be exploited, but a life-sustaining force interconnected with all things. It is an important call to those who live on Wurundjeri biik to uphold Wurundjeri people’s principles of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy3020023">relationality</a>: to live in reciprocity with all life, including land, animals, water, sky and people. The exhibition embodies the Wurundjeri concept of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/awaye/features/word-up/mandy-nicholson/12116926">layers of biik</a>: country extends from below the ground to above in the sky, all interconnected through water country. Piper gathered artists by following the “waterlines” and “bushlines” which connect Wurundjeri to the 38 Aboriginal groups throughout south east Australia. These artists offer a different way to look at Country. Not by the roads we travel, but by the relationships embedded in it. <h2>Care for Country</h2> Piper developed her curatorial practice at <a href="https://museumsvictoria.com.au/bunjilaka/">Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre</a>after working for many years with her Elders at Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. The vision for Wilam Biik came from Piper’s sovereign responsibility to care for Country, and her despair at the unsustainable logging of old growth forest in the <a href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/logging-breaches-catalyst-new-indigenous-led-alliances">Warburton ranges</a> not far from Tarrawarra on Wurundjeri biik. Climate trauma and relationship to country was the starting point for Stacie’s curatorial vision. Wilam biik embodies the rich knowledge of Country that holds the answers to recovering from this trauma. The exhibition is grounded in land and ancestors. Audiences are welcomed by a wall-sized historical photograph of Wurundjeri biik and baluk (people) at Corranderrk. “Ancestor tools”, such as Barak’s carved parrying shield, a boomerang and basket – on loan from Melbourne Museum – are displayed in the way they would be held: close to the people. Eel trap by Wurundjeri Elder Kim Wandin underlines the continuing connection between generations. In conversation with the sepia image of their ancestors, their living descendants — the Djirri Djirri dancers — are projected dancing on Wurundjeri country in the upper reaches of the Birrarung. <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-importance-of-william-baraks-ceremony-60846">Ceremony</a> (c1895) by Wurundjeri painter <a href="https://www.wurundjeri.com.au/our-story/ancestors-past/">Ngurungaeta Wiliam Barak</a> has been brought to wilam biik by Wurundjeri people for the first time since they were made. The painting details ceremonial adornment, as referenced by the Djirri Djirris today. <h2>Water, land, sky</h2> Following the water sources that start in Country shared with Gunnai and Taungurung Peoples, Gunnai and Gunditjmara artist Arika Waulu’s matriarchal Digging Sticks are carved wood adorned in gold, set against a wallpaper showing layers of country and the cycle of plant life. In this, Waulu speaks of women’s interconnectivity with Country. Of the Earth, an installation by Taungurung artist Steven Rhall, places a photograph of a boulder on a sound platform, animating the image in a contemplation of the deep time written into Taungurung Country, or in what Alexis Wright has called <a href="https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/essay/the-ancient-library-and-a-self-governing-literature">the ancient library</a>. The water connection flows through Dhunghula (Murray River) to Yorta Yorta, Waddi Waddi, Wemba Wemba, and all the way to Ngarrindjeri Country as well as into Kolety (Edwards River) and the Baaka (Darling River). In Drag Net, a woven net incorporating river mussel shell, Waddi Waddi, Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri artist Glenda Nicholls evokes this connection to the river and “water country”. In Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara artist Paola Balla’s intergenerational work, Murrup Weaving in Rosie Kuka Lar with Rosie Tang, Balla builds a camp house made from cloth imbued with bush dyes in the landscape of her grandmother’s painting of country. Through these bush dyes, Balla brings the smell of “on ground country” directly into the gallery. Barkindji artist Kent Morris’ Barkindji Blue Sky – Ancestral Connections is a stunning photographic series, embodying water connections to the Baaka as well as “sky country”. <h2>Many varied relationships</h2> Waterlines like the Birrarung and the Werribee River, marking connections and boundaries with the Boonwurrrung, Wathaurong and Tyereelore, are mapped with kelp baskets by Nannette Shaw and paintings by Deanne Gilson. These artists reference the transition from freshwater to saltwater and the relationships that exist amongst the Kulin, across to Tasmania and all life forms within Country. Wilam Biik speaks of the powerful connections between artists, Peoples and Country. It is also a testament to the power of Aboriginal knowledge in Aboriginal hands, and the centring of south east artists and curators as the experts of their knowledges, practices and Country. Importantly, it is also a call to learn how to live in good relationship with Wurundjeri biik and baluk. Image credit: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-artistic-call-for-us-to-recognise-the-connections-of-country-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-aboriginal-knowledge-169102" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Art

What is ransomware and how is it dealt with?

<div> <div class="copy"> <h3>What is ransomware?</h3> Ransomware is a type of malicious software – AKA malware – that infects and takes control of a device. It blocks access to files or even whole devices, and then sends a message demanding a ransom to grant access to those files. This is a common form of cybercrime that has recently affected <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/unisa-cyber-attack-hits-staff-email-20210519-p57td5" target="_blank">universities</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125294482/cyber-attack-waikato-dhb-counting-ransomware-cost-but-it-remains-to-be-tallied" target="_blank">hospitals</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-02/fbi-investigating-jbs-meatworks-ransomwear-cyber-attack/100183376" target="_blank">meatworks</a>. Because it blocks vital data from being accessed, it can <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-an-executive-guide-to-one-of-the-biggest-menaces-on-the-web/" target="_blank">massively disrupt</a> organisations that use the shared networks and/or the internet – which is, well, everyone at this point. <h3>How does ransomware work?</h3> Malware is infectious software that will download onto a computer, phone or other device. It can be shared though phishing emails, links in messages or other online locations, or fake download buttons. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a link or button is malicious in the first place. When the fake link is clicked, the malware automatically downloads and then hunts through the system or network to identify important data. The software can lock the device or files with a new password, or encrypt files with a secret key, preventing access. This can be exacerbated because malware can be accompanied by social-engineering tools that trick you into granting admin access, or it can exploit security holes to dive into the important files and software on the computer without even needing to get ‘permission’. There are <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/a-brief-summary-of-encryption-method-used-in-widespread-ransomware/#gref" target="_blank">many ways of encrypting files</a>, but the point is to prevent user access with computer algorithms. Without an up-to-date backup, this data is essentially lost. The user will then often see a ransom note in the form of a message demanding (usually) money to lift the password or encryption. Of course, paying the ransom doesn’t mean the cyber-criminal will actually lift the encryption, and if you have paid up once, there is incentive for the criminal to do it again. <iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/497805836" allowfullscreen="" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe> Credit: cyber.gov.au The real kicker here is that the infectious software can gain access to a whole network of connected devices, even if it has been downloaded on just one computer – which means businesses that have shared data can be completely prevented for accessing anything, including saved files, emails and user profiles. There is no simple explanation of how the programming works – it is complex software engineering that can be continuously updated, and there are <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.unitrends.com/solutions/ransomware-education" target="_blank">different examples</a> that can be spread and downloaded in ways the suit the attacker. <h3>What does ransomware look like?</h3> Because malware can pop up in almost anywhere, it is often hard to identify. A lot of ransomware is designed to look like something real, such as a casual email attachment, something shared via social media, or a website that looks almost like a real website you wanted to visit, but has a few different letters in the URL. in one sneaky approach, the attacker can even pretend to be somebody from law enforcement who is “stopping another cybercrime” that they accuse you of, and then demand a fine from you – but there are easier ways to get access to a device. The main thing to remember is that a lot of phishing can be prevented by not clicking suspicious links. Just a little life hack on how not to get hacked. <iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/MM0Jrc8BHKx3y" width="480" height="270" frameborder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <a rel="noopener" href="https://giphy.com/gifs/hacker-MM0Jrc8BHKx3y" target="_blank">via GIPHY</a> <h3>Who is committing ransomware cybercrimes?</h3> More seriously, this in an increasingly big business – between ransoms paid, loss of data and downtime, costs of recovery, and other security and investigations, ransomware attacks cost the world <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cybersecurityventures.com/ransomware-damage-report-2017-part-2/" target="_blank">$5 billion in 2017</a>. Cybercriminals are often individuals or work in teams or networks, but there are also <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/cybercrime-can-be-a-tough-game/" target="_blank">crimeware-as-a-service</a> groups that essentially operate as a business. <h3>What cybersecurity measures need to be in place?</h3> Technology develops so quickly that defenders and attackers can get stuck in an arms race, so cybersecurity and trained professionals are <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/ai/cosmos-briefing-intelligent-manufacturing/" target="_blank">absolutely essential</a> to an online world, especially as we begin to incorporate more AI and machine learning into our manufacturing. Once ransomware is in a network, it’s extremely hard to remove. <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" class="" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 551px; height: 389px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=CosmosMagazine&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1399844326855880704&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Ftechnology%2Fwhat-is-ransomware-and-how-is-it-dealt-with%2F&sessionId=1edacffebc49fba152bed8435892b99ad3545164&siteScreenName=CosmosMagazine&theme=light&widgetsVersion=fcb1942%3A1632982954711&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1399844326855880704"></iframe></div> First and foremost, keep backups. If all your files get encrypted but you have another offline backup, it’s simple to restore your data. Always keep your malware security up to date. Attackers obviously try to get around this security, but it is a whole lot better than having none at all. Many companies test their systems with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-emerging-threats-what-is-the-difference-between-black-white-and-grey-hat-hackers.html" target="_blank">white hat hackers</a>, who attempt to hack their systems to recognise – and fix – the security flaws. Teaching people to recognise <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams" target="_blank">phishing emails</a> and be cautious about suspicious sites and links is also necessary, but it can only go so far, because phishing material is constantly being ‘improved’ to blend in better. Don’t click on links or open attachments if you don’t know the sender of the email. A lot of these emails suggest you need to make a payment, have breached some sort of contract, or pretend to have blocked access to an account. Because ransomware secretly searches your device, there can be a delay between when a link is clicked and when files are encrypted. There is a rise in predictive analytics and machine learning to help detect this suspicious behaviour and shut it down early. And finally, if you do get attacked, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cyber.gov.au/ransomware#:~:text=Ransomware%20is%20a%20type%20of,to%20get%20back%20your%20access." target="_blank">don’t pay up</a>, because it’s likely to make you seem like an easy target in the future. <h2>Q&A with a cybersecurity expert</h2> We asked Diep Ngyuen, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS, for a little more depth. This is what they said <h3>How can a cyber-attack effect a whole network?</h3> Cyber attacks target either to bring down networks/systems (make them malfunction) or to compromise the information access authority or integrity. Although the former is often closer and easier to understand to most people, the latter is more popular and the major target of most daily life cyber attacks. For example, DoS (Denial-of-Service) attacks can make a network or service inaccessible for some time, disrupting corporates’ functioning or business. These types of attacks can be easily detected. However, cybercrimes often target high-value information and attempt to illegally access it or even alter the information. The information authority or integrity attacks are more difficult to be detected but their consequences can be very damaging, even much worse than the DoS attacks. <h3>What are some common cybersecurity precautions?</h3> To prevent or reduce risks from cyber attacks, IT core engineers/experts and daily users can take different approaches. However, these approaches all aim to early detect cyber threats, then effectively protect or cure the systems when the attacks really happen. One of the most common precautions [is] to avoid using services/websites, apps, hardware from non-certified or low-reputation sources/providers. These systems often have back doors or vulnerable loopholes that can be leveraged by cybercrimes. The second precaution would be to update and follow security recommendations from governments and experts, e.g., using multi-factor authentication methods, not to share or be cautious on sharing personal/private information like Date of Birth, photos, [etc] on open platforms (even social media). The last, but not least, is to become more aware of cyber threats/risks before deciding to take any action (e.g., do you understand the risk of using Apple pay or using activity trackers?). <h3>How has cyber security changed over the last decade?</h3> Cyber security landscape has been changing dramatically over the last 10 years. This is because of the penetration of IT to every corner of our daily life, from working, entertaining, to sleeping. This is also because of the ever-growing advances in attacks and their countermeasures. In comparison with 10 years ago, the number of connecting devices today has been increased by multiple times.On average, each person now would have more than a few connecting devices (e.g., phones, activity trackers, laptops, sensors at home). These devices, [while they] bring us lots of conveniences, are making us more vulnerable to cyber threats when they are attacked or compromised. More importantly, most of these newly added devices (e.g., in Internet of Things) are limited in computing and storage capability or referred to as low-end devices in cyber security. They are more susceptible to cyber threats. The advances in machine learning and AI also empower cybercrimes, allowing them to launch larger scale and more damaging attacks. Image credit: Shutterstock  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=154123&title=What+is+ransomware+and+how+is+it+dealt+with%3F" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/what-is-ransomware-and-how-is-it-dealt-with/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Deborah Devis. </div> </div>

Technology

Indigenous knowledge and the persistence of the ‘wilderness’ myth

<div class="copy"> According to the Oxford English dictionary, wilderness is defined as: <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large"> A wild or uncultivated region or tract of land, uninhabited, or inhabited only by wild animals; “a tract of solitude and savageness”. </blockquote> Aboriginal people in Australia view wilderness, or what is called “wild country”, as sick land that’s been neglected and not cared for. This is the opposite of the romantic understanding of wilderness as pristine and healthy – a view which underpins much non-Indigenous conservation effort. In a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/40/e2022218118" target="_blank">recent paper</a> for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, we demonstrate how many iconic “wilderness” landscapes – such as the Amazon, forests of Southeast Asia and the western deserts of Australia, are actually the product of long-term management and maintenance by Indigenous and local peoples. But this fact is often overlooked – a problem which lies at the heart of many of the world’s pressing environmental problems. Indigenous and local people are now excluded from many areas deemed “wilderness”, leading to the neglect or erasure of these lands. <h2>The Anthropocene and Indigenous people</h2> “Anthropocene” is the term scientists use to refer to the time period we live in today, marked by the significant and widespread impact of people on Earth’s systems. Recognition of this impact has sparked efforts to preserve and conserve what are believed to be “intact” and “natural” ecosystems. Yet, the Anthropocene concept has a problem: it is based on a European way of viewing the world. This worldview is blind to the ways Indigenous and local peoples modify and manage landscapes. It is based on the idea that all human activity in these conservation landscapes is negative. The truth is, most of Earth’s ecosystems have been influenced and shaped by Indigenous peoples <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2023483118" target="_blank">for many thousands of years</a>. The failure of European-based “western” land management and conservation efforts to acknowledge the role of Indigenous and local peoples is reflected in recent scientific attempts to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07183-6" target="_blank">define “wilderness”</a>. These attempts lay out a strict and narrow set of rules around what “human impact” is, and in so doing, act as gatekeepers for what it is to be human. The result is a scientific justification for conservation approaches that exclude all human involvement under the pretence of “wilderness protection”. The disregard for the deep human legacy in landscape preservation results in inappropriate management approaches. For example, fire suppression in landscapes that require burning can have catastrophic impacts, such as <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/15/4531" target="_blank">biodiversity loss</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/4/3/61" target="_blank">catastrophic bushfires</a>. <h2>Our case studies</h2> In the Amazon, forest management by Indigenous and local peoples has promoted biodiversity and maintained forest structure for thousands of years. Areas of the Amazon considered “wilderness” contain domestic plant species, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta" target="_blank">anthropogenic soils</a> and significant earthworks (such as terraces and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/8/1868" target="_blank">geoglyphs</a>), revealing a deep human legacy in the Amazon landscape. Despite playing a key role in maintaining a healthy and diverse Amazon forest system, Indigenous and local peoples struggle constantly against wilderness-inspired conservation agendas that seek to deny them access to their homelands and livelihoods in the forest. Similarly, the forests of Southeast Asia and the Pacific are some of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. These forests have been managed for thousands of years using rotational agriculture based on small-scale forest clearing, burning and fallowing. Scientific attempts to define the last remaining “wild places” falsely map these areas as wilderness. Rather than being wild places, agriculture has actively promoted landscape biodiversity across the region, while supporting the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of Indigenous and local peoples. In the central deserts of Australia, areas mapped today as “wilderness” are the ancestral homes of many Aboriginal peoples who have actively managed the land for tens of thousands of years. Removal of Traditional Owners in the 1960s had catastrophic effects on both the people and the land, such as uncontrolled wildfires and biodiversity loss. Unsurprisingly, a return of Aboriginal management to this region has seen a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/april/martu-burning-australia-042910.html" target="_blank">reduction in wildfires, a significant increase in biodiversity and healthier people</a>. Read more: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/although-we-didnt-produce-these-problems-we-suffer-them/" target="_blank">‘Although we didn’t produce these problems, we suffer them’</a> <h2>A way forward</h2> By framing landscapes created and managed by Indigenous and local peoples as wilderness, we are denying the land the care it requires. The effects of this neglect are evident in the catastrophic wildfires and environmental degradation occurring in Australia, northwest America and the Amazon – all lands invaded and colonised by Europeans. Climate change is now making these problems worse. Science alone has failed to solve these problems. Imposing land management approaches developed in Europe have failed. The idea of wilderness is destructive, and must be abandoned. We need new ways of engaging with the world around us if we’re to live sustainably on this planet. Indigenous and local peoples must be engaged in the full range of efforts that affect their lands. This includes developing and implementing environmental initiatives and policymaking, the production and execution of research, and environmental management. There are models that can be followed, such as developing Indigenous and community-conserved areas, Indigenous-protected and -conserved areas, or similar rights-based initiatives that merge the science and technology with the power of Indigenous and local knowledge. This is one way forward in effectively decolonising conservation and making the Earth healthy again. Read more: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/indigenous-stewardship-linked-to-biodiversity/" target="_blank">Indigenous stewardship linked to biodiversity</a> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-shawn-fletcher-99786" target="_blank">Michael-Shawn Fletcher</a>, Associate Professor in Biogeography, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-palmer-1166017" target="_blank">Lisa Palmer</a>, Associate Professor, School of Geography, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-hamilton-1006537" target="_blank">Rebecca Hamilton</a>, Postdoctoral Fellow, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/max-planck-institute-for-the-science-of-human-history-3416" target="_blank">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a>, and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wolfram-dressler-162824" target="_blank">Wolfram Dressler</a>, Senior Fellow, Development Geography, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-knowledge-and-the-persistence-of-the-wilderness-myth-165164" target="_blank">original article</a>.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=167769&title=Indigenous+knowledge+and+the+persistence+of+the+%E2%80%98wilderness%E2%80%99+myth" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></div>

Domestic Travel

Helen Mirren set to test your Harry Potter knowledge

In the first event of its kind, Dame Helen Mirren will be hosting a four-part television quiz event called Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses later this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary since the release of the first film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The four-part quiz, which will air later this year, will see fans of the Harry Potter franchise put their knowledge to the test and compete for the title of House Cup champion, much like the students at Hogwarts do each year. The quiz will feature hundreds of trivia questions, as well as special guest surprises and a play-along component for those watching at home. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Award-winning actor Dame Helen Mirren is joining the Wizarding World family to host an exciting four-part quiz competition, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses. Discover more: <a href="https://t.co/uemnzU9zoT">https://t.co/uemnzU9zoT</a> <a href="https://t.co/WW8ozPzU6y">pic.twitter.com/WW8ozPzU6y</a> — Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/wizardingworld/status/1438173666949443585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2021</a></blockquote> While Mirren never starred in any of the Potter films, she will “add some British grandeur” to the proceedings, according to Tom Ascheim, Warner Bros. president of global kids, young adults, and classics. Mirren herself said, “I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration. The films inspired such enchantment and wonder for so many of us, and it will be such a treat to reignite that magic for the countless fans who continue to revel in this spellbinding world.” Mirren, an Academy Award winner for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in 2013’s The Queen, was appointed a Dame for services to drama as part of the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours. She also played the Queen in the 2013 play The Audience, a role for which she won both a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. The event will tape later this month and be broadcast later this year. Better start studying now if you want to try and beat Ravenclaw! <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTMvaG-KvPr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTMvaG-KvPr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Helen Mirren (@helenmirren)</a> </div> </blockquote> Image: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

Nine Network hit with major cyber attack

The Nine Network is at the centre of the largest cyber attack on a media company in Australia's history, which has brought the network's news production systems around the country to a grinding halt for over 24 hours. Television and digital production systems have been offline since the early hours of yesterday morning. The site, <a rel="noopener" href="http://9news.com.au/" target="_blank">9news.com.au</a> has also been affected. The Today show aired this morning. The attack is currently being investigated and it's unclear whether it was criminal sabotage or the work of a foreign nation. It has been described as a sophisticated and calculated attack and has caused major disruptions. Nine has revealed that they will have a contingency plan set up in case anything like this occurs again. It is working alongside the Australian Cyber Security Centre in order to resolve the issue, but there are concerns it took weeks for it to go back o normal. In an email yesterday, Nine Entertainment's People & Culture Director Vanessa Morley instructed all employees to work from home indefinitely as the company deals with the cyber attack. "Our IT teams are working around the clock to fully restore our systems, which have primarily affected our Broadcast and Corporate business units. Publishing and Radio systems continue to be operational." While cyberattacks are common occurrence, one on this scale is unprecedented. "There are about 30 cyber gangs working in Russia and they do about $2 billion worth of business every year from these type of attacks," cyber security expert Paul Twomey told 9News. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg refused to be drawn on who could be behind such an attack, but said the threat is 'very real'. "We are as a government investing record amounts of money in ensuring that not only government systems are equipped to deal with this cyber threat but that we're working with the business community and the private sector more generally to ensure that their systems are best in class. Because this threat is not going away," he told Today. "Whether it's other governments or whether it's criminal organisations, cyber security is the new battle front. "It's the new front line. It's where there is a war every single day."

News

Can you pass this quiz of 4th grade spelling words?

Spelling can be tricky, even more so when you've realised it's been years since you've been tested on your ability to spell. No peeking at a dictionary or Google for this quiz of primary school level, but surprisingly tricky, words. Some of them are harder than you think, with some words sounding like others or spelt similarly. Scroll through the gallery for the questions and answers. Good luck! <div id="page29" class="slide-show"> <div id="test" class="slide"> <div class="slide-description"> Written by Meghan Jones. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/can-you-pass-quiz-4th-grade-spelling-words">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer</a>. <div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/can-you-pass-quiz-4th-grade-spelling-words"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Mind

How your grandkids can beat cybersecurity challenges head on

How well are we preparing the typical primary school kid for life when they graduate in 2032? Current attitudes to education around cybersecurity and online safety skew towards caution at all costs. We often <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/princyber.aspx">focus on schools’ duty of care</a> rather than fostering skills and <a href="https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2018.865">frameworks of digital ethics</a> which empower students. There is a danger we are letting kids down with a fear-driven mentality instead of engaging their challenges head on. Both parents and teachers can help kids in this capacity: let’s take a look at how (tips below). Fear can be a barrier We educational technologists often have cybersecurity discussions with students, parents and teachers with digital fluency levels ranging from expert to little-to-no knowledge. As parents and teachers we can understandably be fearful of the role of technology in kids’ lives, however this can sometimes be a barrier to student learning. Around six years ago, Wooranna Park Primary School in Victoria, Australia introduced new technologies that had an immediate positive influence on student outcomes. Yet some drew negative feedback from parents, due mainly to misconceptions and fear of the unknown. Communication is vital Sandbox video game Minecraft is a powerful tool for collaborative learning. It provides an infinite 3D space where students collaboratively learn just about anything you can think of: from numeracy and literacy, to 3D printing, coding, science, financial literacy and art. Many schools use Minecraft now. Yet it was met with a lot of trepidation from parents when first introduced as a learning tool at the school. One parent had specific fears about Minecraft (“isn’t it about murdering babies or something?”), taking these directly to the principal, who took the time to share the benefits and provide detailed information. This particular parent now plays Minecraft with their children. Likewise when YouTube was first allowed within the school, some parents and even staff were worried about it. However as a video sharing service where people can watch, like, share, comment and upload videos, it is now a core technology supporting self-directed learning. Today the school would feel like it was coming to a standstill without it. The pedagogic context is the key here — and it wasn’t until learning engagement data was communicated to the school community that overall negative opinion changed to a positive one. Now students aren’t just consuming content from YouTube, they are uploading their own work and sharing it with their parents. Personal responsibility, healthy conversations Minecraft and YouTube are examples of Web 2.0 technologies. We are now transitioning into the age of <a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4923/web-30">Web 3.0 </a> – the decentralised web, where personal responsibility is paramount. We’re at the cusp of the widespread adoption of a whole range of disruptive technologies that work less like curated gardens and more like ecosystems. These are based on new core technologies like blockchain and the distributed web (also known as Interplanetary File System, or <a href="https://ipfs.io/">IPFS</a>). These approaches effectively eschew the “platform”, and allow users to connect directly with each other to communicate, create and transact. These will benefit students in the long term, but will inevitably draw alarm due to misunderstanding in the short term. The way we can get ahead of this as a community is by introducing a culture of having healthy conversations at home and in school much more often. Start them young It is almost never too early to start teaching kids about cybersecurity. Students at Wooranna Park Primary School as young as five and six are learning about cutting edge technologies such as IPFS, cryptography, blockchain, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). The kids learn these topics within the context of active inquiry, giving them choices about the software and devices they use in order to empower them as technology-enhanced learners. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2018.865">recent study</a> of 1:1 classroom projects by researcher Theresa Ashford found a strongly regulatory culture in education focused on “filtering and monitoring”. This failed to instil a critically important framework of digital ethics, with students quickly finding ways to navigate around barriers. We can avoid this by not being fearful of technology use by children, but instead helping them navigate through the complexities. Tips on how to talk to your children about cybersecurity <ul> <li> talk to them about what they are doing online, what websites they visit, and what apps and online services they are using </li> <li> sit with them while they use technology and observe, then discuss what they think about and how they feel </li> <li> ask whether they think what they see online is always true, and how they would know if something wasn’t real </li> <li> encourage critical thinking and credibility evaluation skills (what Howard Rheingold calls “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHVvGELuEqM&feature=youtu.be">crap detection</a>”) as well as ethical engagement by talking through specific examples </li> <li> provide clear ways that kids can check primary sources, such as looking for credible primary sources (not just depending on the Wikipedia entries, but reading the primary sources linked by them) </li> <li> encourage kids to protect their personal data, and explain that when you put something online it will most likely be there forever </li> <li> brainstorm with them about possible online pitfalls, like bullying, scams, targeted advertising, child exploitation and identity theft </li> <li> commit to learning alongside your kids about the online worlds they inhabit. </li> </ul> Terms to search and explore with your child <ul> <li>password strength – the measure of the effectiveness of a password against attackers</li> <li>two-factor (or two-step) authentication (2FA) is a method of confirming a user’s claimed identity by utilising something they know like a password, with a second verification like an SMS or verification app</li> <li>encryption – the translation of data into a secret code instead of “plain text”</li> <li>blockchain – a distributed ledger technology that records transactions using many computers</li> <li>cyberbullying – the use of services such as text messages or social media to bully a person</li> <li>SSL – the “s” at the end of https:// when you visit a website, which means you can generally trust the site to transport your personal information in an end-to-end encrypted format</li> <li>virtual private network (VPN) ensures a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network</li> <li>virus and malware – software written expressly to infect and harm computer networks and devices</li> <li>IPFS – interplanetary file system, the decentralised web</li> <li>peepeth – blockchain-powered, decentralised social network</li> <li>hardware wallets – a device that stores the public and private keys which can be used to secure cryptocurrencies, and can also act as a means of two factor authentication.</li> </ul> Security tools to explore with your child <ul> <li><a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">haveibeenpwned.com</a> – check if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach</li> <li><a href="https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland">interland</a> – embark on a quest to become a confident explorer of the online world</li> <li><a href="https://myaccount.google.com/security-checkup">Google security check</a> – evaluate your security within the Google ecosystem</li> <li><a href="https://authy.com/">authy.com</a> – add two-factor authentication to common services</li> <li><a href="https://howsecureismypassword.net/">howsecureismypassword.net</a> – work out how long it would take a computer to crack your password.</li> </ul> <div class="grid-ten large-grid-nine grid-last content-body content entry-content instapaper_body"> This article was written with significant input from Kieran Nolan, a Melbourne-based educational technologist. </div> <div class="grid-ten grid-prepend-two large-grid-nine grid-last content-topics topic-list">Written by Matthew Riddle. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/skills-like-crap-detection-can-help-kids-meet-cybersecurity-challenges-head-on-113915">The Conversation.</a></div>

Technology

7 ways the government can make Australians safer – without compromising online privacy

When it comes to data security, there is an inherent tension between safety and privacy. The government’s job is to balance these priorities with laws that will keep Australians safe, improve the economy and protect personal data from unwarranted surveillance. This is a delicate line to walk. Recent debate has revolved around whether technology companies should be required to help law enforcement agencies gain access to the encrypted messages of suspected criminals. While this is undoubtedly an important issue, the enacted legislation – the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act – fails on both fronts. Not only is it unlikely to stop criminals, it could make personal communications between everyday people less secure. Rather than focus on the passage of high-profile legislation that clearly portrays a misunderstanding of the technology in question, the government would do better to invest in a comprehensive cyber security strategy that will actually have an impact. Achieving the goals set out in the strategy we already have would be a good place to start. Poor progress on cyber security The Turnbull government launched Australia’s first <a href="https://cybersecuritystrategy.homeaffairs.gov.au/sites/all/themes/cybersecurity/img/PMC-Cyber-Strategy.pdf">Cyber Security Strategy</a> in April 2016. It promised to dramatically improve the online safety of all Australian families and businesses. In 2017, the government released the <a href="https://cybersecuritystrategy.homeaffairs.gov.au/sites/all/themes/cybersecurity/img/cyber-security-strategy-first-annual-update-2017.pdf">first annual update</a> to report on how well it was doing. On the surface some progress had been made, but a lot of items were incomplete – and the promised linkages to businesses and the community were not working well. Unfortunately, there was never a second update. Prime ministers were toppled, cabinets were reshuffled and it appears the Morrison government lost interest in truly protecting Australians. So, where did it all go wrong? A steady erosion of privacy Few Australians paid much notice when vested interests hijacked technology law reforms. The amendment of the Copyright Act in 2015 forced internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to sites containing pirated content. Movie studios now had their own version of China’s “Great Firewall” to block and control internet content in Australia. In 2017, the government implemented its data retention laws, which effectively enabled specific government agencies to spy on law-abiding citizens. The digital trail (metadata) people left through phone calls, SMS messages, emails and internet activity was retained by telecommunications carriers and made accessible to law enforcement. The public was assured only limited agencies would have access to the data to hunt for terrorists. In 2018, we learned that many <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-19/authority-creep-has-more-agencies-accessing-your-metadata/10398348">more agencies were accessing the data</a> than originally promised. Enter the Assistance and Access legislation. Australia’s technology sector strongly objected to the bill, but the Morrison government’s consultation process was a whitewash. The government ignored advice on the damage the legislation would do to the developing cyber sector outlined in the Cyber Security Strategy – the very sector the Turnbull government had been counting on to help rebuild the economy in this hyper-connected digital world. While the government focuses on the hunt for terrorists, it neglects the thousands of Australians who fall victim each year to international cybercrime syndicates and foreign governments. Australians lose money to cybercrime via scam emails and phone calls designed to harvest passwords, banking credentials and other personal information. Losses from some categories of cybercrime have <a href="https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-scamwatch/scam-statistics?scamid=29&date=2018">increased by more than 70%</a> in the last 12 months. The impact of cybercrime on Australian business and individuals is estimated at $7 billion a year. So, where should government focus its attention? Seven actions that would make Australia safer If the next government is serious about protecting Australian businesses and families, here are seven concrete actions it should take immediately upon taking office. 1. Review the Cyber Security Strategy Work with industry associations, the business and financial sectors, telecommunication providers, cyber startups, state government agencies and all levels of the education sector to develop a plan to protect Australians and businesses. The plan must be comprehensive, collaborative and, most importantly, inclusive. It should be adopted at the federal level and by states and territories. 2. Make Australians a harder target for cybercriminals The United Kingdom’s <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/">National Cyber Security Centre</a> is implementing technical and process controls that help people in the UK fight cybercrime in smart, innovative ways. The UK’s <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/active-cyber-defence">Active Cyber Defence</a> program uses top-secret intelligence to prevent cyber attacks and to detect and block malicious email campaigns used by scammers. It also investigates how people actually use technology, with the aim of implementing behavioural change programs to improve public safety. 3. Create a community education campaign A comprehensive community education program would improve online behaviours and make businesses and families safer. We had the iconic <a href="http://www.sunsmart.com.au/tools/videos/past-tv-campaigns/slip-slop-slap-original-sunsmart-campaign.html">Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign</a> from 1981 to help reduce skin cancer through community education. Where is the equivalent campaign for cyber safety to nudge behavioural change in the community at all levels from kids through to adults? 4. Improve cyber safety education in schools Build digital literacy into education from primary through to tertiary level so that young Australians understand the consequences of their online behaviours. For example, they should know the risks of sharing personal details and nude selfies online. 5. Streamline industry certifications Encourage the adoption of existing industry certifications, and stop special interest groups from introducing more. There are already more than 100 industry certifications. Minimum standards for government staff should be defined, including for managers, technologists and software developers. The United States Defence Department introduced minimum industry certification for people in government who handle data. The Australian government should do the same by picking a number of vendor-agnostic certifications as mandatory in each job category. 6. Work with small and medium businesses The existing cyber strategy doesn’t do enough to engage with the business sector. Small and medium businesses form a critical part of the larger business supply-chain ecosystem, so the ramifications of a breach could be far-reaching. The Australian Signals Directorate recommends businesses follow “<a href="https://www.acsc.gov.au/publications/protect/essential-eight-explained.htm">The Essential Eight</a>” – a list of strategies businesses can adopt to reduce their risk of cyber attack. This is good advice, but it doesn’t address the human side of exploitation, called social engineering, which tricks people into disclosing passwords that protect sensitive or confidential information. 7. Focus on health, legal and tertiary education sectors The health, legal and tertiary education sectors have a low level of cyber maturity. These are among the top four sectors reporting breaches, according to the <a href="https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy-law/privacy-act/notifiable-data-breaches-scheme/quarterly-statistics-reports/">Office of the Australian Information Commissioner</a>. While health sector breaches could lead to personal harm and blackmail, breaches in the legal sector could result in the disclosure of time-sensitive business transactions and personal details. And the tertiary education sector – a powerhouse of intellectual research – is ripe for foreign governments to steal the knowledge underpinning Australia’s future technologies. A single person doing the wrong thing and making a mistake can cause a major security breach. More than <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-welfare-services/workforce/overview">900,000 people</a> are employed in the Australian health and welfare sector, and the chance of one of these people making a mistake is unfortunately very high. Written by Damien Manuel. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/seven-ways-the-government-can-make-australians-safer-without-compromising-online-privacy-111091">The Conversation.</a>

Technology

Are you too smart to fall for an online scam? Take this quiz

Millions of people fall for scam emails every day. To respond to this problem, Google has launched a new quiz to test your ability to identify phishing emails. Phishing – or attempts to steal your sensitive information such as passwords, account numbers and credit cards – is “the most common form of cyberattack”, according to Google’s Jigsaw product manager Justin Henck. “One percent of emails sent today are phishing attempts.” To raise awareness about phishing and cyber security, Google’s technology incubator Jigsaw created the quiz with the help of about 10,000 journalists, activists and political leaders across the world. The questions were designed to teach people to spot the techniques that hackers use to trick them as well as the telltale signs of phishing emails. <img style="width: 500px; height: 210.9375px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822956/jigsawgoogle.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a8fc76888e0c46a2b25768e69c87b13a" /> Below are the tips that the quiz shares: <ul> <li>Be cautious about attachments and hyperlinks, including URLs designed to look like popular websites, which may send you to fraudulent login pages.</li> <li>Read the sender’s email domain carefully to make sure the email comes from a legitimate/official source.</li> <li>When opening PDF attachments, make sure you trust the sender and use a browser or an online service to open them safely.</li> <li>Approve account access requests only if you trust the developer. You can check this by evaluating the domain that is displayed and clicking on it for more details.</li> </ul> Apart from knowing the signs, Henck also recommended enabling two-step verification on your account. “When you have two-factor authentication enabled, even if an attacker successfully steals your password, they won’t be able to access your account,” said Henck. Take the quiz <a rel="noopener" href="https://phishingquiz.withgoogle.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Have you been the victim of any email scams? Share your story in the comments.

Technology

Test your knowledge: How much do you remember from history class?

From major conflicts to the significant world leaders, a new multiple choice quiz is testing player’s trivia on world history. The test, shared on <a href="https://www.playbuzz.com/codycross10/youll-never-score-10-10-in-this-confusing-mixed-history-quiz">Playbuzz</a>, challenges history buffs to recall notable dates, names and places. This quiz creator, Cody Cross, claims that the questions are so difficult that it will require more than one attempt to ace every question. So how well do you know your history? <div class="playbuzz" data-id="0eff6bab-0aa9-4995-aedf-33bb8e35c19b" data-show-info="false" data-comments="false" data-show-share="false"></div> How well did you score? Let us know in the comments below.

Mind

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

How to protect yourself from cyber-scammers over the festive period

How household gas leaks affect your home in Adelaide