15 February 2016

Trans-Tasman allies extend agreement to fight spam

The trans-Tasman fight against the scourge of spam has been bolstered following a renewed and expanded alliance between the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs.

Under a revamped memorandum of understanding, the two organisations have committed to assisting each other in their respective Anti-Spam responsibilities. This includes sharing intelligence about phishing activity and malware.

“Spam, phishing and malware are problems that don’t pay attention to national borders. Increasingly, the only way to tackle these problems is through cooperation between countries,” ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman said.

“The new agreement lifts the already close cooperation between New Zealand and Australia on spam and cyber security matters to a new level.

The Department of Internal Affairs’ General Manager of Regulatory Services, Maarten Quivooy, said phishing campaigns and malware delivered through spam continues to be an increasing challenge for regulatory authorities.

“Enabling the agencies to share intelligence, techniques and tools for combatting spam, as well as sharing information on phishing and malware delivered through spam demonstrates the close working relationship between the two regulators.”

Malware is malicious software that gives unauthorised access to a computer, or causes damages or disruption to computer-based systems. Spam is one of the main methods used to propagate malware, and malware is also frequently used to send spam around the globe. The Australian Cyber Security Centre reported that malware was the predominant cybercrime threat affecting Australians in 2014.

Phishing uses fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate businesses to fool recipients into divulging personal information. Scammers may use victims’ information to steal money from their accounts, impersonate their identity, extort money from them and undertake other criminal activities. In 2015, Australian victims of phishing scams have reported financial losses of over $850,000 to Scamwatch. New Zealand’s online safety organisation, NetSafe reports monthly on common digital challenges that cause financial and emotional harm to New Zealanders.

Under the revamped agreement, the ACMA and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs will also share techniques and tools for countering spam. The ACMA already shares its own Spam intelligence Database enforcement and analytical software with the Department.
The ACMA and NZDIA have a long-established history of successful collaboration in enforcing the spam legislation of both countries.

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