How curiosity, community and customer focus will keep us resilient against cybercrime
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, a timely reminder that in today’s digital world, everyone has a role to play in keeping our communities, customers, and organisations safe online. This year’s theme, ‘Building our cyber safe culture’, highlights the importance of curiosity, community, and customer focus in staying ahead of cybercrime. We spoke to Suncorp’s Executive General Manager, Cyber Security and Risk, Keith Howard, about why embedding a culture of cyber safety matters now more than ever.
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Following a near 30-year career in technology, with roles in Australia, Asia, Europe, and the UK, Mr Howard has seen the transition of cyber security from being a ‘back-office IT issue’ to a Board-level priority. This has naturally brought with it a significant cultural shift.
He explained: “Cyber security is often seen as a complex, technology challenge. While advanced security tools and protocols remain essential in safeguarding our operations, today’s interconnected world means everyone has a role to play in keeping organisations, customers, and communities safe, making cyber security as much a human issue as it is a technological one."
The threat landscape is constantly evolving, stretching from our homes and workplaces to the global stage. Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly creative, targeting not just technological weaknesses, but also exploiting human behaviour and third-party relationships. Social engineering is an increasingly popular tactic where cyber criminals deceive people to gain access to data, systems or money.
Encouraging curiosity
Human error remains one of the leading causes of security breaches, whether through weak passwords, falling for phishing scams, or mishandling sensitive data. A single click on a malicious link, or being manipulated into disclosing sensitive information, can open the door to cyber criminals, potentially compromising entire networks.
"When it comes to education about the risks, curiosity is encouraged.
This means challenging and reporting anything that doesn’t look or feel right and probing our third-party providers with important questions about where data is stored, the security measures in place, and ensuring confidential and customer data is managed appropriately,” Mr Howard said.
Protecting our customers' trust
“Our customers place their trust in us, not only to protect their homes, cars, and businesses, but to also safeguard their most sensitive personal information. This is always front of mind when it comes to cyber security,” he said.
Scams are constantly changing and are more organised, and Suncorp has invested in advanced data analytics and fraud detection technology to ensure we can intervene early and disrupt criminal activity before it impacts our customers.
In addition, Suncorp has prioritised ongoing employee and customer education programs around cyber risks to help humanise a problem that touches so many of us.
Suncorp Executive General Manager, Cyber Security and Risk, Keith Howard
We’ve focussed on helping our people understand not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ when it comes to cyber security, so they’re aware of their responsibilities and own their actions and behaviour.
“And, in the unfortunate circumstance where a Suncorp customer does fall victim to a scam, we strive to provide care and support though Suncorp’s own Customer Advocate, with specialised team members trained to support customers experiencing vulnerability."
Community is a cornerstone of effective cyber security
Australia's cyber security community is defined by its strong spirit of collaboration. Professionals from government agencies, the private sector, and not-for-profit organisations regularly come together to share knowledge and intelligence, develop best practices, and respond to emerging threats.
The community is a powerful tool in cyber security, and it’s one of the things I love about being part of this industry.
“We have a big community out there and it’s non-competitive. I talk to my counterparts regularly and we learn from each other. It’s quite often through that community that I learn of breaches before hearing them from anywhere else,’ Mr Howard said.
This collective approach enables the community to continually learn from each other and contribute to national cyber security efforts.
At Suncorp, cyber security is everyone’s responsibility. Our cyber safety awareness focuses on everyone playing their part – recognising that while our cyber team maintains strong detection and prevention measures, it’s the everyday awareness and actions of our people that truly help keep the organisation safe. Every report of a suspicious email or unusual activity makes a difference in protecting our customers, our data and each other.
Together, by staying curious, supporting each other, and embracing a culture of cyber safety, we can build a safer digital future for all.
Top tips for staying cyber safe at home
Use multi-factor authentication for email and important apps.
Keep your software up to date by setting up automatic updates on your devices.
Keep your data backed up in a secondary location like a drive to protect you from ransomware.
Use strong passwords and passphrases. Never reuse passwords.
Be cautious when it comes to phishing emails and know how to identify red flags.
