ParaFlare

To our valued customers, security partners, vendors, shareholders, Board members, staff and friends. On our last day as ParaFlare, our founders Adam McCarthy and Frank Santucci share this statement: "Today, 31 January 2024, will be our last day operating as ParaFlare. From tomorrow, our team will be joining with Deloitte and we couldn’t be happier. We get to continue our mission to protect business from cyber threats and offer our customers Deloitte’s advanced capabilities in areas like cyber threat intelligence. From the day we started our business in 2016, we relentlessly focused on our customers. We wouldn’t offer services they didn’t need, and we strived every day to exceed their expectations. This will not change when our team joins Deloitte. We chose to join Deloitte because we saw similarities in our values, our customer focus and our vision for cyber security in Australia. It's not possible to thank everyone who supported us along the way. But we’ve been fortunate to work with great staff, Board members, security vendors, customers, and shareholders. We made mistakes along the way and adapted quickly. But we never wavered in our belief that Managed Detection and Response had a future in Australia and would become the highest level of cyber protection for businesses. So it’s goodbye to the ParaFlare name, hello to our new Deloitte home, with thanks and gratitude for an incredible eight years." Adam and Frank 📸 1: Adam McCarthy and Frank Santucci when they started ParaFlare 📸 2: The ParaFlare team at BSides Canberra 2023 📸 3: The ParaFlare Board: David Wakeley, Marcus Thompson, AM, PhD, Mandy Ross, Adam McCarthy, Alexander Hone, David Fairman

This story is close to our hearts. Our team members Owen Walsh and Arnanth Srikanth are supporting the UNSW's Indigenous Pre-Programs for Business to encourage indigenous students to choose a cyber career. This is a pre-entry university experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students which offers an alternative pathway into university, and also helps prepare students for university life. Owen and Arnie designed and developed a course that focused on building security awareness among students, and helped them understand how cybersecurity professionals protect Australian organisations from threat actors on a daily basis. Students built a simulated organisation in Azure and then crafted a social engineering (credential harvesting) attack against the organisation. They also used security tools and technologies to identify the attack and defend against it. Well done to everyone involved. For any businesses interested in supporting this worthwhile program, visit the link: https://lnkd.in/epjagTwr

The mood of 80 business leaders was tested in The Australian's 2024 CEO Survey. It's no surprise leaders say the one thing keeping them awake at night is the threat of a cyber attack. We've seen first-hand the chaos that follows a cyber breach when there is no incident response plan or incident response provider in place. The minds of business leaders can be eased through good planning and preparation. We recommend: ▶️ A comprehensive approach to security that includes self-defence (everyone's responsibility); passive defence (networks and firewalls); and active defence (such as managed detection and response). ▶️ A well-rehearsed Cyber Incident Response Plan and Business Continuity Plan ▶️ An Incident Response Retainer, or an Incident Response team you can call on quickly. Don't plan for a crisis during a crisis!

🎅 LATEST GUIDE: 'Tis the season for festive cheer, and cyber vigilance! In our latest guide, experts Adam McCarthy (ParaFlare), Reece Corbett-Wilkins (Clyde & Co), Rachelle Koster and Rob Parker (Deloitte) share valuable insights for Incident Response partner selection. From questions you should be asking your current provider, to the crucial aspects of making the right choice, this guide empowers you with the knowledge to secure your business. Deloitte Clyde & Co ParaFlare Guide available here >> https://lnkd.in/g63nrGpH

This has been a significant week in cyber. Australia has a 2023-2030 National Cyber Security Strategy after 12 months of consultations on what it should include, and how to address our growing national cyber problem. Our Board Chair Marcus Thompson, AM, PhD, one of Australia's most experienced cyber security advisers, offers the following:   ✳ The emphasis on resilience and urgency is very welcome. ✳ The aspiration for Australia to become a world leader in cyber security by 2030 is admirable, but it will take everyone pushing in the same direction. ✳ The six shields provide a good framework (Strong businesses and citizens; Safe technology; World-class threat sharing and blocking; Protected critical infrastructure; Sovereign capabilities; Resilient region and global leadership). ✳ A seventh shield could have been included, breaking out “citizens” as a stand-alone. Every citizen has a responsibility to think about their own security and safety in cyberspace. ✳ The inclusion of “Sovereign Capabilities” as a shield is welcome, as is the inclusion of “World Class Threat Sharing”. Industry has been screaming for this for years. ✳ Threat sharing is also an important quid-pro-quo for industry, given the increased obligations on industry included in this strategy and related legislation. ✳ The initiative to 'professionalise the domestic cyber workforce' is long overdue!    Marcus shares his views in this article by the team at Cyber Daily ⬇

The Government has released it's 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy today, after almost 12 months of consultations and submissions. This is the plan Australia needs to tackle cybercrime head on, and focus our national effort on collective security and resilience. Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil wants to make businesses, government agencies and individuals more difficult targets for cybercriminals - and her work over the past 12 months leaves no doubt about that. ParaFlare was one of many organisations that made a submission during the consultation phase, and attended a roundtable with the Minister. We believe in home-grown cyber capabilities, in Australian businesses and solutions, and a coordinated effort to get after this growing problem. We look forward to getting across the detail of the strategy. https://lnkd.in/gEWaqJ-m

Great to catch up with some of the Deloitte team at MilCIS, and join the presentation on OSINT with Neil Ferrano and Steve Percotic. We’re excited about the deep specialist capabilities Deloitte has developed to protect businesses and contribute to national security. Adam McCarthy Rachelle Koster Marcus Thompson, AM, PhD Frank Santucci

Looking forward to today's webinar 'How to find the right Incident Response partner' with Rachelle Koster Adam McCarthy, Rob Parker, and Reece Corbett-Wilkins. It's not too late to register: https://lnkd.in/gZ8w9wVR

Don't miss out on our webinar 'How to find the right Incident Response provider' this Thursday, 9 November: https://lnkd.in/gZ8w9wVR Our expert panel includes: - Rachelle Koster, Cyber Partner at Deloitte (Moderator) - Adam McCarthy, CEO at ParaFlare - Rob Parker, Cyber Partner at Deloitte - Reece Corbett-Wilkins, Partner at Clyde & Co Our panel will discuss what to look for in an IR partner, what happens when a breach occurs, and how to determine if you have the right IR partner.