Kiwis reported losses of $6.8 million to cybercrime in the second quarter of 2024, according to new numbers from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
According to NZSC, financial losses increased in the quarter, which took place from April 1 to June 30.
It said most of the $6.8 million came from 11 reports that were over $100,000 and collectively totalled $5.5 million.
The amount lost from incidents involving “unauthorised access” also increased, costing Kiwis $3.6 million.
“Unauthorised access is a serious type of incident,” NCSC director of mission enablement Michael Jagusch said.
“Because attackers are inside your systems and can potentially commit crimes without being detected.”
The total number of reports received dropped 22% from the first three months of the year to 1203 – which was also a 38% drop from the second quarter of last year.
The most commonly reported incidents were phishing and credential harvesting at 484 reports, scams and fraud at 434 reports, and unauthorised access at 167 reports.
Jagusch urged organisations to visit OwnYourOnline.govt.nz for guidance and steps to mitigate attacks.
“Bad actors will try to exploit every tool to their advantage,” Jagusch said.
“They’re always coming up with new and inventive ways to steal money and information, and it’s our job to help you stay one step ahead of them with simple steps and guidance.”
