What is currently happening in Europe is frightening and disturbing.
Just because Australia is so far away, do not think that we are sitting pretty out of the action.
Australia has been quite vocal about what is happening and I would expect some repercussions such as DDoS (Denial of Service), hacking and ransomware attacks in the coming days and weeks. You can read more here: https://ia.acs.org.au/content/ia/article/2022/australia-faces-cyber-invasion-by-russia.html?ref=newsletter
Ascend 7 strongly recommends that you ensure your data is backed up to the cloud - uploaded to Teams/Sharepoint/One Drive - or to an external hard drive. Make sure that your devices are secure (with a strong password), and that all your online and other accounts are also protected by strong and varied passwords. Also, make sure your devices have the latest updates and if you don’t have a virus/malware service on your device let us know so we can help you get one. If you need convincing that this is important, think about how you'll conduct your business if your computer systems are hacked, locked or held to ransom, or if things just aren't operating reliably.
And on a personal note, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have some reserves of cash tucked under your mattress, just in case all things electronic don't work at any point.
It's a very strange time with the pandemic and now conflict. I am very grateful for my safe life in Perth (so far Covid-free) and the relative normality we live and work everyday. Let's hope we can all get through the next few months unscathed.
Rox Dawson
