ADIA LAUNCHES NEW INDUSTRY INFORMATION SECURITY PROGRAM TO HELP COMBAT CYBERCRIME 

Open to ADIA member and non-member organisations  

With increased cybercrime and high-profile data breaches becoming ever more frequent, the Australian Data and Insights Association (ADIA) has developed a new industry-specific certification program that delivers greater reassurance and security to organisations and their clients.

Commencing via the ADIA Academy in August and delivered over 12 months, ADIA’s program supports the need to mitigate risk and maintain trust in a time of rising cybercrime activity. Designed for both small and large businesses, the certification program assists data, research, and insights organisations in preparing for certification to the global ISO 27001* standard.

Recognised as the gold standard in information and data security best practice, ISO 27001 helps organisations become risk-aware and proactively identify and address weaknesses in their information technology and security systems.

Over the past year alone, the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Signals Directorate (ASD) responded to more than 1,100 cybersecurity incidents from Australian entities. Separately, nearly 94,000 reports were made to law enforcement through ReportCyber – around one every six minutes, representing an increase of 23% from the previous year.

Furthermore, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) reports that malicious or criminal attacks, including ransomware, cyber extortion, scams, and digital theft, are the leading cause of privacy data breaches, with 91% of these involved in some form of email interaction with consumers.

Sarah Campbell, CEO of ADIA, said: “ADIA's program is a clear and accessible pathway to ensure a company’s information security system meets the ISO 27001 certification requirement. Our member organisations are already recognised as having the best quality practices and standards in the country, working under Australia’s only registered APP privacy code and the industry trust mark. This latest compliance program strengthens these practices and will help ensure members’ data security systems and processes are world-class.

“The research and insights industry relies on the goodwill of the Australian public and ADIA members remain committed to ensuring that continues to be a priority in their business. Protecting consumer respondents and sustaining the industry allows researchers to tap into public opinion and provide evidence-based research for critical social policy and commercial businesses on decisions that matter. In addition to launching this new program in 2024, the ADIA will also work closely with the OAIC on a new Privacy Code for member organisations once the legislation is passed later this year.”

Delivered via ADIA’s online Academy platform, the program, which is open to ADIA members and non-members, commences in August for 12 months and is available on demand. Certification to ISO 27001 is not mandatory and is separate from this program.