Telstra, in conjunction with the Australian Cybersecurity Center (ACSC) and Services Australia, is boosting Australia’s cyber-resilience through the launch of a new security measure to block malicious text messages from reaching Telstra customers.
The new pilot program will identify and reject illegitimate phishing text messages that are impersonating myGov and Centerlink before they reach Telstra customers.
Minister for Defense, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the ACSC’s unique insights into the tradecraft and motivations of cybercriminals had been a key contribution to this pilot.
“Cybersecurity is a whole of community effort. This pilot program, which will eventually lead to industry-wide solutions, demonstrates how government and industry can work together to better protect Australians from cyberthreats.”
Telstra CEO Andy Penn said it is more important than ever to protect its customers.
“With so many Australians now working from home as well as relying on government assistance through Services Australia, it’s vital that we constantly evolve our approach in defending against malicious activity on our networks,” said Penn.
“Cybercriminals continue to target Australians through SMS phishing campaigns by sending them text messages that attempt to redirect them to malicious websites. Being able to stop these scammers in their tracks will go a long way to protecting our customers.”
