Movers and Shakers

EY bolsters ranks with appointment of former AustCyber CEO

EY is proud to announce Michelle Price will join as Partner in the Oceania cyber security, privacy and trusted technology practice, starting May 2.

Michelle joins EY having recently served as CEO for AustCyber since 2018 inception and having been with the company since its inception in 2017.

Richard Bergman, EY Oceania cyber security leader: “We are thrilled to have someone of Michelle’s calibre in the cyber security sector join us at EY.

“Michelle has a distinguished career as an instrumental figure responsible for the growth of Australia’s cyber security entrepreneurial talent, and assuring a diverse pipeline of people and technology capabilities for the industry and wider economy.

“Michelle will be leading the Government and Public Sector team within EY Oceania cyber security, practice and primarily focused on protecting Digital Government and essential services. Michelle will also grow EY’s cyber security ecosystem and the Industry including working with start-up and the private equity community.

“EY is really excited Michelle is joining our growing cyber practice to apply and expand her reach and impact with our clients who will benefit from her deep experience.

“The depth of cyber talent in the EY ranks continues to ensure that clients across all sectors and service lines are well served by leading professionals who understand the ever-changing threat environment,” said Mr Bergman.

Michelle Price said: “I’m very excited to be joining EY; it’s a perfect cultural fit with its transformational approach to tackling cyber security challenges with clients, and a global network of leading practitioners and resources to continue my passion for the cyber security sector and protecting Australia.”

LogRhythm appoints new ANZ country manager

LogRhythm has announced the appointment of Michael Bovalino as Australia and New Zealand Country Manager.

Based in Melbourne, Bovalino has more than 20 years of experience in sales, business development and customer account management in the IT industry. He will be responsible for accelerating customer and revenue growth, overseeing account management and working closely with LogRhythm’s channel partners to ensure the delivery of robust security posture for end user enterprise and public sector organisations.

Bovalino originally joined LogRhythm more than three years ago as Regional Sales Manager in Melbourne during which time he has been responsible for accelerating LogRhythm’s market presence in Victoria, Western and South Australia.

Prior, he worked at CyberArk as Regional Sales Manager and as Finance Services and Insurance Major Account Manager with Check Point Software Technologies. He also previously worked in the telecommunication industry having held account management positions at both Optus and Primus Telecom.

Jerry Tng, Vice President of Sales APJ, LogRhythm, said, “LogRhythm has experienced robust growth and demand for our solutions across the region continues to flourish. In order to continue to support ongoing demand and innovation, we are committed to building out a team in APAC with unmatched experience and talent. Michael Bovalino has a proven track record in customer growth and channel partner service excellence, and his experience will be instrumental for our growth in Australia and New Zealand.

LogRhythm was recently recognised as a leader in the Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for Security Information and Event Management for the ninth consecutive time. The company gives organisations full visibility of their environment in a single pane of glass so SOC teams can efficiently identify potential threats and minimise risk.

Bovalino added, “LogRhythm delivers a winning formula for security operations centre solutions in Australia and New Zealand. With the combination of our industry leading portfolio of solutions and the support of our valued partners, LogRhythm is an indispensable partner for organisations requiring optimal detection and response capabilities to manage their daily operations as well as compliance and risk reporting obligations.

“LogRhythm is a special place with a strong reputation and culture, and I am looking forward to leading the Australia and New Zealand business through its next phase of growth. We’ve got industry-leading technology and we are focused on continuing to enhance the security analysts experience through continued product and feature enhancements.”

ACCC Slaps Down Meta

The ACCC has instituted Federal Court proceedings against Facebook owner Meta Platforms, Inc. and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (together: Meta) alleging that they engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by publishing scam advertisements featuring prominent Australian public figures.

The ACCC alleges that this conduct was in breach of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) or the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act (ASIC Act).

It is also alleged that Meta aided and abetted or was knowingly concerned in false or misleading conduct and representations by the advertisers.

The ACCC alleges that the ads, which promoted investment in cryptocurrency or money-making schemes, were likely to mislead Facebook users into believing the advertised schemes were associated with well-known people featured in the ads, such as businessman Dick Smith, TV presenter David Koch and former NSW Premier Mike Baird. The schemes were in fact scams, and the people featured in the ads had never approved or endorsed them.

The ads contained links which took Facebook users to a fake media article that included quotes attributed to the public figure featured in the ad endorsing a cryptocurrency or money-making scheme. Users were then invited to sign up and were subsequently contacted by scammers who used high pressure tactics, such as repeated phone calls, to convince users to deposit funds into the fake schemes.

“The essence of our case is that Meta is responsible for these ads that it publishes on its platform,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

“It is a key part of Meta’s business to enable advertisers to target users who are most likely to click on the link in an ad to visit the ad’s landing page, using Facebook algorithms. Those visits to landing pages from ads generate substantial revenue for Facebook.”

It is alleged that Meta was aware that the celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads were being displayed on Facebook but did not take sufficient steps to address the issue. The celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads were still being displayed on Facebook even after public figures around the world had complained that their names and images had been used in similar ads without their consent.

“We allege that the technology of Meta enabled these ads to be targeted to users most likely to engage with the ads, that Meta assured its users it would detect and prevent spam and promote safety on Facebook, but it failed to prevent the publication of other similar celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads on its pages or warn users,” Mr Sims said.

“Meta should have been doing more to detect and then remove false or misleading ads on Facebook, to prevent consumers from falling victim to ruthless scammers.”

“Apart from resulting in untold losses to consumers, these ads also damage the reputation of the public figures falsely associated with the ads. Meta failed to take sufficient steps to stop fake ads featuring public figures, even after those public figures reported to Meta that their name and image were being featured in celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads,” Mr Sims said.

Facebook failed to prevent the publication of fake ads even after the celebrities reported similar false, misleading or deceptive ads to Meta.”

“In one shocking instance, we are aware of a consumer who lost more than $650,000 due to one of these scams being falsely advertised as an investment opportunity on Facebook. This is disgraceful,” Mr Sims said.

The ACCC is seeking declarations, injunctions, penalties, costs and other orders.

What to do if you think you have been scammed

People who think they’ve been scammed should contact their bank or financial institution as soon as possible. They can also contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 or via www.idcare.org if they suspect they are a victim of identity theft. IDCARE is a free, government funded service that will support individuals through the process.

The ACCC encourages people to report scams on the Scamwatch website, follow @ scamwatch_gov(link is external) on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts.

The Federal Court may consider that the alleged conduct involved financial services, which are excluded from the scope of the ACL and are dealt with under the ASIC Act. ASIC has delegated certain powers and functions to the ACCC for the purposes of commencing and conducting these proceedings.

In November 2019, Andrew Forrest published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg criticising Facebook for allowing cryptocurrency scam ads using his identity onto the platform. He then commenced criminal proceedings against Meta Platforms in February 2022. While these proceedings concern similar advertisements to those in the ACCC’s case, the ACCC’s case is separate and concerns different questions of law.

The ACCC’s proceedings have been instituted against Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly Facebook Inc) and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (formerly Facebook Ireland Limited) (together, Meta Platforms).

Meta Platforms generates the majority of its revenue from selling ads displayed to users on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. In 2021, Meta Platform’s global advertising revenue was US$115 billion.

Scamwatch figures show that in 2021, consumers reported losses of $99 million to cryptocurrency investment scams.

Cyber Mayday and the Day After, arrives in Australia

Shamane Tan launching her latest book in Sydney

Two time, cybersecurity author and founder of Cyber Risk Meetup, Shamane Tan proudly launched her latest book in Sydney this week. Cyber Mayday and the Day After, co-authored with the former CSO with the State of Michigan, Dan Lohrmann, provides an important roadmap for C-level executives in preparing and responding to dramatic cybersecurity emergencies.

Held at the Hilton Hotel and supported by publisher Wiley, Recorded Future, Cyber Risk Meetup and MySecurity Media, Shamane provided an important background to her first book, Cyber Risk Leaders and how it lead her to her latest ‘chapter’ in her cybersecurity journey. Shamane continues to gather and encapsulate valuableSecuronix, and Fenwick & West LLP is acting as legal counsel. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Vista. insights from around the world, from former FBI agents to Chief Information Security Officers, and other leaders who have led their companies and agencies through the worst of times and prepared to share their hands-on wisdom.

Allan Liska, a ransomware specialist provided an entertaining insight into several ransomware case studies and was then joined by a panel of CISOs from Tyro Payments, Sekuro and Optus. Brad Busch, Prashant Haldankar and Dr. Siva Sivasubramaniam, with Allan outlined a number of recommendations, personal experiences and challenges in providing enterprise Cyber-Crisis readiness and leadership programs.

The event concluded with a book signing and networking lunch.

Available in Australia at local bookstores Dymocks & Kinokuniya, Cyber Mayday and the Day After, published by Wiley, is a must-read experience that offers managers, executives, and other current or aspiring leaders a firsthand look at how to lead others through rapidly evolving crises.

Pictured above L-R: Dr. Siva Sivasubramaniam, Prashant Haldankar, Shamane Tan, Brad Busch and Allan Liska