Stories by Hamish Barwick

My Vodafone bill payment service down

Vodafone Hutchinson Australia, the company that operates the Vodafone brand in Australia, has reported another outage - this time with its My Vodafone bill payment service.

Spear phishing leads cyber attack wave: IBM

Targeted attacks against enterprise networks are on the increase as cyber criminals change tactics, according to security experts.

Queensland smartcard rollout hampered by security limitations

Australian state governments and even departments within the Queensland Government are unlikely to adopt the state transport department's new smartcard licensing technology, with a former consultant for the $110 million project citing incompatible security standards, delayed smartcard reader deployments and a fast pace on technology as reasons behind the slowed rollout.

Stolen BP data a warning for Australian companies: Sophos

The revelation that oil giant BP experienced an information leak of 13,000 claimants' data in the Gulf of Mexico trial, due to the theft of a laptop, should serve as a reminder for Australian companies to step up encryption advises a local security expert.

No remorse for telcos in ACMA customer complaint crackdown

While telecommunication companies have improved at customer service, they still have a long way to go, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has claimed.

NBN will stifle competition: Turnbull

Shadow communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has warned the National Broadband Network (NBN) legislation will lead to complexity for future governments and prevent competition.

IIA lends tentative support to Australian cyber security czar

The Internet Industry Association (IIA) has come out in support of an industry-led proposal to create a cyber security czar or ombudsman.

MasterCard Australia outlines card security roadmap

International card provider, MasterCard, has outlined a five-year plan for making its Australian network more secure through the use of card security measures, such as the Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) standard.

Vodafone customers left hanging on the phone

Vodafone Hutchinson Australia (VHA) customers wanting to phone customer care services have been left on hold as the telecommunications company was unable to answer incoming calls.

Hackers steal portion of TripAdvisor email list

A Web security expert has warned members of international travel website, TripAdvisor.com including its Australian subsidiary, that their email details may be in the hands of spammers following a hack this week.

ACMA takes on computer virus telemarketers

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has threatened telemarketers attempting to pass off fraudulent virus protections schemes with fines of up to $110,000.

AFACT v iiNet: Case moves to High Court

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) will lodge an appeal with the High Court as part of its ongoing allegation that Perth-based internet service provider iiNet had allowed its users to infringe on the copyright of the film studios the body represents.

iPad 2 launch primes explosive Australian tablet growth: IDC

The imminent Australian launch of Apple's iPad 2 together with other second generation tablets later in 2011 are expected to stimulate growth in the tablet market by 85 per cent this year, according to IDC.

Prime Minister and Cabinet scolded for Gmail, Hotmail use

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has vowed to block access to public Cloud-based email websites on work computers it administers, after the auditor-general found use of Gmail and Hotmail accounts by staff risked internal information.

Smart transport research centre revs up in Queensland

The quest to improve Australian road systems received a boost this week with the opening of a research centre at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane.