MEMBER LOGIN ERMS PORTAL
ARA Australian Retailers Association
ARA Australian Retailers Association
  • ABOUT
    ABOUT
    • About Us
    • Our History
    • Advisory Committees
    • Council
    • Leadership Team
    • Strategic Partners
    • Registered Training Organisation
  • JOIN THE ARA
  • SERVICES
    SERVICES
    • Advocacy & Policy
    • Employment Relations Advice
    • Human Resources (ERMS) Portal 
    • Legal Assistance
    • Tenancy Advice
    • Training & Education
    • Member Benefits Program
    • ARA Insurance
    • ARA Talent Registry
  • TRAINING
    TRAINING
    • Retail Ready Training
    • Career Upskilling
    • Leadership Training
    • Business Solutions
    • Industry Projects
    • Hire Talented Staff
    • Financial Literacy Education Program
  • RESOURCES
    RESOURCES
    • ARA Retail Review Report 2022
    • Business support
    • Covid-19 Resource Hub
    • Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
    • Media
    • News & Insights
    • Podcasts
    • Research Hub
    • Sustainability
  • EVENTS
    EVENTS
    • Upcoming Events
    • OnDemand Recordings
    • First Responders Day 2022
    • ARA Gala No.1
    • ARA Leaders Forum 2023
  • Contact Us
    Access our Covid-19 resource hub for up-to-date state and territory restrictions
    back to Retail News & Insights
    Emy Carr
    Emy Carr

    The New Risk for Businesses – Cloning

    • Tuesday 16 January 2018
    Technology Bricks-and-Mortar

    With the rapid rise of data hacking in the Australian business sector in recent months, a new risk has emerged – cloning an entire business to steal intellectual property and ultimately income.

    While many businesses are concerned about data being stolen, the new threat of ‘cloning’ has taken hacking to a new level.

    Jen Wells founder of Above Benchmark, a leading Mystery Shopping provider, was recently shocked to discover their website and intellectual property had been cloned and reproduced with a different trading name.

    “It’s absolutely gut wrenching to see your hard work and design being copied,” Mrs Wells said.

    The cloned site was paid for with Bitcoin, so it’s very difficult to trace the source. The imitation website was reported and shut down, but a few days later re-emerged on the internet.

    The message for the retailers is to be very careful with personal information they are providing on websites. It can’t be assumed that just because a site looks professional that it’s a legitimate business.

    The cost of cyber-crime to Australian business continues to rise, currently costing over $1 billion each year. 61 per cent of all data breaches in the last year occurred in businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees.

    Australian small businesses are often the most vulnerable to online scams and hacking, given a lack of resources and knowledge to protect themselves adequately against the threat.

    pexels-photo-177598.jpegMany small businesses feel they do not have the necessary budget for a sophisticated data management and cyber security plan, but the reality is that most hacks are easily defendable.

    Businesses could protect themselves from cloning and other data breaches by doing the following: 

    • 1. Create strong passwords and change them regularly: More than 80 per cent of hacking related breaches come from a weak or guessable password.

      • 2. Phishing emails continue to catch small business owners out:
        Hackers try to get owners to open emails that install malware or convince you to give them your password. Warning signs can include incorrect spelling, email addresses and links that look different from a regular URL.

        3. Use Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), the secure version of HTTP for websites. HTTPS means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted, protecting highly confidential online transactions like online banking and online shopping order forms.  

        4. Use a robust cloud service provider: By storing information offsite on a robust cloud server it not only secures data but also have access to data backup in case of a disaster event.

    All businesses need to be more data aware and have proper management processes in place. This includes identifying the sensitive data that is collected and stored, such as: any customer or employee personal information, credit card details, financial records, medical records, educational records and employment information.

    Businesses should also be encrypting data, the copies, backups so even if it’s stolen, the data is not easily jeopardised.

    EC Integrators is an information management consultancy with specialised expertise in Data Governance, Enterprise Data Management, Data Virtualisation and Business Intelligence.For more information relating to managing data in business visit www.ecintegrators.com.au

    SHARE THIS ARTICLE
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    back to Retail News & Insights

    FURTHER READING

    Retail Voice CEO Message: 18 May 2022
    Paul Zahra

    Retail Voice CEO Message: 18 May 2022

    The Federal Election is just three days away and the ARA has been keeping a close track of the policy announcements of the major parties.

    READ MORE
    Three benefits digital identity can offer retailers
    Mastercard

    Three benefits digital identity can offer retailers

    Every day, thousands of Australians need to prove eligibility or verify their identity to carry out everyday transactions and interactions. Whether...

    READ MORE
    Think you’ve got the green box ticked? Think again
    Retail Directions

    Think you’ve got the green box ticked? Think again

    Consumers are becoming increasingly in-tune with the environmental impacts of their buying habits.  

    READ MORE
    LOAD MORE

    Sign up for ARA newsletters

    Strategic Partners

    • Afterpay white logo-1
    • Amex-logo-2
    • Deloitte-1
    • Fabric-logo-2
    • Hitch Advisory - Logo - white-2
    • mastercard-logo-white-2
    • QUT_SQUARE_MONO_REV-2
    • Rest-logo
    • Salesforce-1

    Partners

    • 1200px-Amazon_Web_Services_Logo_edited_edited
    • good360 logo
    • Meta_lockup_mono_white_RGB-1
    • mst marguee_edited_edited_edited
    • Officeworks_Logo_White_RGB
    • RM

    Supporters

    • NRF-logp
    • Australian-CCI-logo
    • Associations-forum-logo
    • FIRA-logo-1280x500 (1)_edited
    • GS1_Australia_Full-Transparency_White_827x436

    About

    • About
    • Member Benefits
    • Membership Application
    • Membership Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Code of Ethics
    • ARA COVIDSafe Retail Plan

    Training

    • RTO Policies & Procedures
    • Compliance
    • Nationally Recognised Training Officer

    Contact us

    phone-icon.png

    1300 368 041

    envelope-icon.png

    info@retail.org.au

    place-icon.png

    Level 1,  112 Wellington Pde

    East Melbourne 3002

    Join our community

    The ARA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, learn and live. We pay our respects to their elders past and present, and also recognise Australia’s First Nations’ peoples as Australia’s first traders with a sophisticated network of trading paths that have facilitated the exchange of goods, knowledge and culture for millennia

    Copyright Australian Retailers Association 2021

    ALREADY AN ARA MEMBER?

    Login to view member-only content:

    Login

    NOT AN ARA MEMBER YET?

    Join us today to access ARA member-only content and events.

    Register Now