The Ultimate Guide to Cybersecurity
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Cybersecurity.
What to know about Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a critical and evolving field dedicated to protecting individuals, businesses, and governments from online threats. Amid transformative advancements such as AI, cloud adoption, quantum computing, and fluctuating geopolitical risks, organisations are navigating an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape.
Recent developments across the cybersecurity sphere highlight crucial topics including ransomware surges, deepfake scams, API security lapses, identity management complexities, and the growing importance of Zero Trust frameworks. These trends underscore the need for proactive strategies, comprehensive threat detection, agile responses, and a strengthening of human and technological defenses.
With expanding attack surfaces driven by remote work, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and digital transformation, there is a paramount focus on integrating AI-powered solutions, enhancing data protection, and addressing skills shortages. Initiatives promoting diversity, education, and collaborative partnerships continue to be essential in fortifying cyber resilience.
Exploring these themes through the latest stories and expert insights encourages readers to deepen their understanding of contemporary cybersecurity challenges and solutions, emphasizing actionable knowledge to help safeguard digital futures in an interconnected world.
Kiwi Cybersecurity News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
New Zealand cyber agency warns firms to patch PHP flaws
Businesses using WordPress and other PHP-based services face outages or defacement if they fail to install the latest security updates.
Trade Me dominates NZ cyber awards with triple win
Trade Me's security work has been recognised for helping keep its platform safer, as judges honoured its team, leader and AI project.
Half of New Zealand PHP servers run unsupported versions
Supported releases are now the minority on exposed New Zealand servers, after a scan found 560 of 991 disclosed PHP versions were out of security support.
Deel launches security tool to spot fake remote hires
Employers can now flag fake applicants earlier as concern grows over deepfakes, stolen identities and forged documents in remote hiring.
Division Zero launches continuous cyber testing platform
New Zealand firms are under pressure to spot vulnerabilities sooner as cyber attacks accelerate and annual audits leave long gaps unchecked.
WitFoo offers UC student first Christchurch role
Christchurch's tech ecosystem gets a boost as WitFoo turns a sponsored UC project into a job offer and expands its local footprint.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Cybersecurity
Four Steps CISOs Can Take To Secure AI-driven Software Development
Fortinet lifts full-year outlook after strong third quarter
Collins urges new thinking on cybersecurity decisions
Tanium joins OpenAI cyber programme for threat research
Deel launches security tool to spot fake remote hires
Featured News
AI success takes more than a promising pilot project
Without stronger governance and clear accountability, most AI pilots will struggle to reach production or deliver real business value.
Palo Alto Networks: AI hunting vulnerability in legacy systems
Critical infrastructure operators are being urged to merge IT and OT security as AI speeds up attacks on ageing industrial systems.
Sectigo targets ANZ growth as certificate lifespans shrink
Shorter certificate lifespans are pushing Australian and New Zealand firms to automate renewals, or face higher security and outage risks.
Netskope launches Catalyst program: Facilitate, secure and get out of the way
Netskope's revamped Catalyst MSP/SP Program and Partner Orchestrator aim to have MSP customers flexibly provisioned within 15 minutes.
Transform your business with Telstra Adaptive Networks
Businesses facing outages and surging demand can now reroute traffic, scale bandwidth and cut IT admin as Telstra's network adapts in real time.
AI attacks demand operational change in the post Mythos era
Only 5% of Australian companies are ready for AI-driven attacks, leaving most exposed as threat actors move at machine speed.
UST: Businesses must rethink how AI returns are measured
Australian firms risk spending increasing resources on AI pilots that ultimately fail to prove gains in revenue, efficiency or customer service.
Data sovereignty is a strategic imperative in the AI era
AI is pushing boards to weigh local control against cloud convenience, with 80% of respondents saying sovereignty matters more in vendor selection.
Organisations need a strategic approach to skills in the AI world
Companies are missing out on returns from AI and other new tools because staff training and change management are lagging behind.
Interview: Cloudera says AI agents reshape zero trust
Enterprises must update identity controls as software agents generate more requests and need tightly time-limited access to sensitive systems.
VAST Data targets AI data sovereignty with DataEnclave
Enterprises and governments could run AI on sensitive data without exposing it, as the technology targets sovereignty rules across APAC.
AI demands network agility and better operational governance
Governance gaps are leaving most organisations exposed as AI traffic surges and networks struggle to keep pace with machine-speed demands.
Zscaler takes zero trust beyond the corporate network
Critical infrastructure operators are using cellular links to secure distributed assets as outages and spoofing raise the stakes for resilience.
Workiva: The secret compliance and reporting arms race
Driven by improved tooling, finance teams are meeting higher standards as regulators and analysts scrutinise disclosures faster.
Filigran: Does your CISO know enough?
CISOs are under pressure to answer boardroom questions on exposure in minutes, as Filigran pushes CTEM and open-source validation tools.
Genetec: Open platforms key as physical security evolves
Businesses are prioritising hybrid, open security systems to protect existing hardware investments while adopting cloud and AI tools more gradually.
AI transforming physical security into enterprise data solution
AI and cloud tools are turning cameras into live operational data sources, helping firms cut costs, spot errors and manage fleets centrally.
QBE: Mooted critical infrastructure penalties hint at cyber regulatory future
Proposed fines of up to $5 million pushes more New Zealand firms to consider cyber cover as regulatory certainty emerges.
Governance controls are crucial for AI adoption and modernisation
Trusted partners and tighter guardrails are becoming essential as AI agents expand the attack surface and put data sovereignty on the line.
Exclusive: Cloudera builds Hadoop-free future platform
Existing customers get six years of support as Cloudera shifts new AI and analytics workloads to a Hadoop-free platform due in November.
Datadog targets enterprise risk with AI and automation
Australian enterprises are under pressure to tame AI-driven complexity, compliance risk and rising technology costs as Datadog broadens its platform.
Mimecast CEO: Agentic AI threat novel but not entirely new
Hidden AI risks are already widespread in workplaces, with Mimecast saying users are driving shadow tools and most exposure still starts with people.
The internet times are a'changing Fastly
Bot traffic is forcing Fastly to adapt its edge cloud tools as publishers and AI firms battle over caching, access and data protection.
Trusted identity cuts across physical and logical systems
Unified identity systems can cut admin overhead and shrink attack surfaces as remote work and cyber threats blur physical and digital access.
Rimini Street offers AI magic without the forced ERP migration
CIOs can keep existing ERP systems and still adopt agentic AI, as Rimini Street pitches a cheaper path away from vendor-led migrations.
Jamf launches AI Governance to enhance visibility, security
IT teams can now track AI models on Apple fleets to curb data leaks and token spend as businesses wrestle with shadow AI.
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AI models expose new attack surfaces through misconfiguration
Misconfigured models are giving attackers a fresh route into cloud systems, raising the risk of data theft and service compromise.
Thermomix moves HQ to Melbourne to capture Aussie kitchens
The shift will bring the appliance maker closer to eastern customers, as Australia and New Zealand now account for most of its sales.
Schrodinger's ERP both dead and alive, says Rimini Street
Businesses can avoid costly ERP rip-and-replace projects by layering AI and automation onto existing systems, Rimini Street says.
AI adoption races ahead of governance in businesses
Only one in six staff are getting enough AI training, leaving firms exposed to poor decisions, shadow tools and weak returns.
Network segmentation - you can't attack what you can't see
Fast-moving exploits are shrinking patch windows to hours, making network segmentation vital for protecting cameras, medical devices and other connected assets.
Reviews
Hands-on review: Avast Ultimate Business Security verdict
Hands-on review: Kensington VeriMark NFC+USB-C security key
Hands-on review: Norton VPN (Standard)
Hands-on review: Avast Deepfake Guard and Scam Guardian
Hands-on Review: Norton 360 Advanced security suite
Expert Columns
Shifting Enterprise Security from Reactive Defence to Proactive Resilience
Six questions to ask your MDR provider
The AI Era Is Transforming Cyberattacks - Australian Businesses Need a New Defence
ASD Essentials Raises the Bar for Third-Party Risk to Focus on Outcomes
Securing the AI Systems of Tomorrow
2027 Predictions: The race to AI readiness exposes true cost of effective enterprise data management
Security Learnings from the Open Source Front Line
Cyber security now starts at the job interview
Who Really Pays When a Supplier Payment Is Hijacked? Leveraging Your Procurement Software to Combat Fraud
Cybersecurity Awareness: The Importance of Getting the Basics Right
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the network
AI success takes more than a promising pilot project
Palo Alto Networks: AI hunting vulnerability in legacy systems
Sectigo targets ANZ growth as certificate lifespans shrink
Netskope launches Catalyst program: Facilitate, secure and get out of the way
Transform your business with Telstra Adaptive Networks
Recent Cybersecurity News
AlgoSec wins AWS infrastructure protection security badge
It gives cloud security buyers a new signal of validated expertise as more firms try to keep policy consistent across hybrid AWS environments.
Commvault names top partner award winners at SHIFT 2026
Partners across storage, cloud and security were recognised as demand grows for cleaner recovery and stronger resilience around AI projects.
Microsoft patches 1,092 flaws as Outlook bug was hit
Outlook users face a live theft risk from one exploited flaw, while Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday fixes 1,092 vulnerabilities overall.
Rockwell launches PanelView Pro for easier HMI upgrades
It could cut downtime and revalidation costs for factories upgrading ageing HMI systems by letting them reuse existing FactoryTalk View ME applications.
Huntress launches global cyber recovery partner programme
Businesses hit by breaches may get 60 days of free protection as Huntress tries to close the gap between incident response and recovery.
Rubrik expands AWS cyber recovery tools for cloud apps
The update is aimed at cutting recovery times after cloud attacks by helping security teams spot deletions, assess blast radius and restore AWS apps.
Datadog flags fourfold rise in cloud vulnerabilities
The report says cloud teams are exposing more systems to attack, with high or critical vulnerabilities rising from four to about 16 in nine months.
WatchGuard survey finds employees trust digital messages
Many workers still act on sensitive digital requests without checking the sender, raising the risk of AI-driven impersonation scams.
Rubrik extends Google Cloud backup to BigQuery & Storage
The move gives organisations a separate recovery path for analytics and AI data, after attacks on cloud backups and identity systems have risen.
Linux Foundation launches Agent Name Service for AI
The open standard aims to let organisations verify AI agents before they are trusted to act across networks, systems and services.
Illumio joins WWT's AI resilience framework for containment
The move places Illumio in a vendor-neutral model that helps organisations judge how to contain breaches in increasingly connected AI systems.
Rubrik adds cyber recovery tools for GitHub & Azure
Security teams can now spot suspicious repository activity and restore only malicious changes in GitHub and Azure DevOps after identity-based attacks.
BlackBX launches partner programme for website support
Partners can now offer clients clearer oversight of website patching and uptime, with BLACKBX filling a gap left between IT contracts and hosting.
Capture The Bug wins CREST AI security testing accolade
The recognition gives New Zealand a foothold in a new AI assurance market as businesses face rising risks from prompt injection and data exposure.
Google Cloud launches IAM Helper for agent access tasks
That could cut deployment delays for firms using autonomous agents, while keeping higher-risk access changes behind human approval and audit trails.
Kong launches Token Vault to secure AI agent access
It aims to curb credential sprawl and reduce the risk of compromised AI agents using persistent secrets to move across enterprise systems.
Forrester warns of shadow AI governance gap in Asia Pacific
One in three large Asia Pacific enterprises will struggle to govern shadow AI agents as staff-built tools outpace internal controls, Forrester says.
WitFoo says filtering data cuts AI security costs 79%
Filtering security logs before they reach AI models could save organisations 79% on annual costs, according to WitFoo's paper.
Australian MSPs face rising demand for AI security advice
Nearly six in 10 prospective customers are worried about AI-related threats, pushing Australian MSPs to explain cyber risk in plain language.
Google Cloud launches new security tools for AI agents
The rollout aims to help companies patch AI-driven systems faster, as Google adds identity, perimeter and detection controls across its cloud security stack.
Job Moves
Ingram Micro names Becs Paterson to New Zealand role
Securecom appoints Head of Cyber Security & promotes Kolver
Equinox IT appoints Victoria MacLennan as director
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
One New Zealand names CFO, CTO in executive succession
HP New Zealand appoints Daniel Roberts as Head of Enterprise
Spectrum Consulting names Darryl van Rensburg for AI drive
Gallagher Security names Josh Arnold Chief Product Lead
