12 March 2025
From 1 October to 31 December 2024, there were 17 reports of incidents with losses over $100,000. They accounted for $4.7m of the total $6.8m in financial loss reported to the National Cyber Security Centre during the period.
“This is the largest number of high-loss incidents we have seen in a quarter," NCSC Threat and Incident Response team lead Tom Roberts said. “These incidents are also quite varied — ranging from cyber attacks on computers and accounts, to cyber-enabled scams.”
“Interestingly, many of these incidents started with a phone call from someone impersonating a well-known organisation, and led to the compromise of computers and accounts.”
While overall financial losses are up from the last quarter, the number of incidents reported through the NCSC’s online tool has dropped 34%. There was a significant decrease (54%) in reports of phishing and credential harvesting compared to the previous quarter.
"A decrease in numbers doesn't mean there’s less cybercrime,” Roberts said. “We know cybercrime is underreported and we need your reports to better understand and respond to the threats New Zealand faces.”
“When you report to us, we can alert other New Zealanders and help protect them from cyber attacks and scams.”
Read the Quarter Four Cyber Security Insights 2024 | CERT NZ