Search Results

< News MediSecure hack Australia’s worst so far 19 July 2024 eScripts provider MediSecure has revealed that 12.9M Australians had their data stolen in a hack earlier this year, making it one of the largest cyber breaches in Australian history. MediSecure, which facilitates electronic prescriptions and dispensing, confirmed in May it was the victim of a ransomware attack, following an earlier theft of data which continued until November 2023. The company went into voluntary administration in June after the federal government ruled out a financial bailout. Sensitive Patient Data Lost In a statement released late Thursday afternoon, MediSecure gave details about the kinds of data stolen, including full names, phone numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, Medicare numbers, and Medicare card expiry dates. The 6.5 terabytes of data also included some sensitive health information, such as which medications people were prescribed, the name of the drug, dosage, the reason for their prescription, and instructions for taking the medication. Inadequate Protection MediSecure said it was unable to identify specific impacted individuals “due to the complexity of the data set" and that doing so would have come at a "substantial cost that MediSecure was not in a financial position to meet". A tiny sample of the data was published on a dark web forum following the hack, and the larger data set was listed as being for sale, for $50,000. It's not clear whether the data was sold, but it's considered likely. Vigilance Urged Cyber security experts have urged Australians to remain vigilant for signs of fraud being committed using their medical data. Said one: "If contacted by someone claiming to be a medical or other service provider, including financial service provider, seeking personal, payment or banking information, you should hang up and call back on a phone number you have sourced independently." Avoiding becoming the Next MediSecure Now in liquidation, MediSecure is an example of how not to protect the sensitive customer data entrusted to your organisation. One of your best defences against hackers is to centrally control the flow of data into and out of your organisation. Managed File Transfer (MFT) software does that for you. But MFT does more than just provide centralised control. It also offers encryption, efficiency boosts and auditing capabilities. Using enhanced security protocols, it ensures data privacy during transmission and storage. And it also provides detailed audit-ready logs which detail which data has been accessed and by who. Expert Local Advice At Generic Systems Australia , we’re the Asia-Pacific’s experts on the world’s #1 MFT, GoAnywhere . If you’d like an obligation-free discussion about how we could help you keep your organisation safe from cyber thieves, please feel welcome to get in touch . Attribution: This article was largely sourced from Australia’s ABC News service Previous Next

< News The Missing Link in Your Cyber Security Strategy? 22 Apr 2025 Is Secure Managed File Transfer a “missing link” in your company’s cyber security strategy? Protect Your Data, Not Just Your Network The increasing frequency of hacks and other cyber incursions suggest that the cyber security measures being employed by Australian and New Zealand organisations are not keeping pace with cyber threats. As Forbes observes, “Companies keep pouring tons of money into protecting their network… but the real crown jewels are in the data that sits behind the network walls. That data is often not protected." “Locking the door” through corporate network protections is a good start. But it’s not enough. An organisation’s crown jewels should also be kept in a vault. This ensures that, even if a hacker gets inside, they won’t be able to exploit the data they find. Encrypting your data keeps it in the vault. And the security guard that puts your data in that vault is Managed File Transfer (MFT). How MFT Secures Your Data To be truly secure, data must be protected not only when it’s stored, but also while it’s enroute to and from storage . MFT solutions such as the class-leading GoAnywhere MFT encrypt data at rest and in transit, complying with the highest data security standards across the US and Europe, such as HIPAA, HITECH, PCI DSS, SOX, and the GDPR. MFT manages inbound and outbound file transfers across an organisation, using industry-standard file transfer protocols such as SFTP, FTPS, and AS2 to send files securely, and encryption standards such as Open PGP and AES to protect data in transit and at rest. The "Managed" in MFT MFT software automates and streamlines the exchange of data for you, reducing manual processes and eliminating the need for any legacy tools and scripts you might currently be using. Data (including documents, images, videos, and other files) can also be exchanged via MFT across your private networks, systems, applications, partners, and cloud environments from a single point of administration. More than Transfers MFT software isn’t only for sending files between users and systems. It can also automate business processes, ensure secure connections, track file transfer activity, and more. File Encryption GoAnywhere MFT employs integrated encryption technologies to secure sensitive data. It also includes a key manager which enables you to create, import, export, and manage your keys and certificates within the product. Automation User errors and manual processes can also cause data breaches. By automating the encryption and exchange of sensitive files, processes and workflows can run without user intervention — especially useful when dealing with a high volume of file transfers. Email Enhancement GoAnywhere MFT offers a secure email module which allows users to send one-off file transfers securely, through a HTTPS connection. Cloud Connections MFT can help you build better connections between your network and web/cloud applications. GoAnywhere MFT offers built-in cloud integrations with applications such as Dropbox, SharePoint, and JIRA, and popular cloud services including Amazon, Google and Azure. Auditing & Reporting GoAnywhere MFT provide audit reports to meet compliance needs. All file transfer and administrator activity is stored and easily searchable. For organisations that need to report on file transfer activity to remain compliant with regulations and laws, the audit logs can be automatically generated and distributed as PDF reports. These are just some of the many MFT features which can help you protect your files. Add the Missing Link The rise in the rate of cyber crime suggests it’s a case of “when” – not “if” – your organisation will be targeted. So now is the time to get ahead of the hackers and explore how MFT can enhance your data’s security. Why not arrange a free trial and see how MFT can work in your organisation? The benefits are immediate, from file transfer automation to solid data encryption. I’m always happy to have an obligation-free discussion, explain how quickly and easily my team of technical experts can transition your organisation to the world’s best MFT solution, and offer you a zero-cost Proof of Concept. Previous Next

< News Five Indications Your Organisation Could Benefit from an MFT 20 May 2025 Data is the lifeblood of a modern business. Your ability to safely store and move data is fundamental to your daily operations. Your efficiency in moving and using data determines the overall speed at which your business operates. So it’s worth taking a few moments to consider how to potentially improve the way your team currently stores, protects and moves your valuable organisational data. Are they still relying on outdated file transfer protocols like FTP? Are they trusting your data to a hodge-podge of risky ad-hoc cloud dropbox-style services? Are they relying on years-old hand-coded file transfer scripts? There’s a better – safer, more robust, faster, more efficient, fully automated – way: Managed File Transfer (MFT). Here are five key indicators that your business may be ready to benefit from an MFT solution. Using Outdated Ways to Send Data? A surprising number of organisations still rely on outdated protocols and clunky scripts to move precious data around. However, these legacy methods increase the risk of human error, take time away from more critical tasks, and are difficult to maintain. An MFT is easy to use, easy to audit, requires little maintenance, and removes manual tasks from your stretched IT team’s To Do list. Increasingly Targeted by Cybercriminals? Your IT team can tell you how many cybercrime incursions they’re seeing daily. The number may shock you! With hackers escalating their efforts to extort your business and customers, it’s more essential than ever to secure your data and maintain a ‘circle of trust’ with your supply chain partners. An MFT solution, such as GoAnywhere MFT, employs the latest encryption algorithms to reduce the risk of data breaches during transit. Features like Access Controls, and Multi-factor Authentication, safeguard sensitive information from unauthorised access. New Government Regulations? In response to the impacts of escalating cybercrime on businesses and citizens, governments are imposing ever greater requirements on businesses to ensure they protect consumers’ personal data. From health data (hospital records, test results), to banking data (debit and credit card numbers, bank account details), to identity data (home address, government id), businesses that fail to take responsible measures to protect sensitive data face growing sanctions. Worse, a breach may not only cost your organisation time and money to remediate, it may also ruin your reputation. An MFT solution helps ensure your file transfers comply with regulatory requirements. Features such as auditing, reporting, role-based access, secure protocols, centralised security controls, encryption, and key management protect employee and consumer data from security mishaps. Cloud Dependencies? Many organisations have moved business processes to the cloud, and regularly exchange files with trading partners there. But transfers to and from the cloud – especially those over public telecommunications networks – require extra protection. From streamlining and automating cloud file transfers to platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, to integrating with popular web and cloud services like SharePoint and Google Drive, using an MFT makes working with partners in the cloud smooth, reliable and safe. Evolving Network Conditions? Research shows that a single hour of system downtime can easily cost a medium-sized business a six-figure sum. As organisations and trading partners become increasingly integrated, it’s critical that file transfers are performed without delay or disruption. Whereas a document containing a batch of important transactions may once have been delivered over several hours, today’s fast pace of business requires it to take mere seconds. An enterprise-calibre file transfer solution should have a high availability plan in place. The right solution will provide active-passive and active-active (i.e. clustering) methods for organisations who need to keep their processes running no matter the situation at hand. Clustering provides the best high availability by running multiple servers simultaneously. Therefore, if one goes down, file transfers and workflows will continue to run on other servers so communication with your trading partners won’t be interrupted. The Leading MFT If any of these indicators ring true for you, it may be time to consider upgrading to an MFT solution. The acknowledged leading MFT, GoAnywhere, is an all-in-one solution, automating and encrypting file transfers from a centralised dashboard. GoAnywhere saves businesses time, money, and reputation. Local Expert Help At Generic Systems Australia we have decades of experience installing and customising MFT solutions to suit the needs of Australian and New Zealand businesses. If you’d like to explore how MFT can boost your organisation’s security and efficiency, please feel welcome to get in touch . I’m always ready to have a broad-ranging, no-obligation discussion. If you’d like, I can even organise a quick proof-of-concept to demonstrate how MFT can be easily tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in Managed File Transfer. Previous Next

< News A New Year's Resolution? 17 Mar 2024 Having enjoyed some personal downtime over the festive season, business leaders often see January as a good month for planning operational priorities for the year ahead. If this is you, consider whether 2024 is the year to 'get your house in order' in the core area of Managed and Secure File Transfer. A surprising number of businesses still rely on risky, outdated, ad-hoc data transfer practices, from email attachments to legacy scripts. Not only are they 'sitting ducks' for cyber-crime, but they're also wasting valuable time and money. They could also be dependent on the people that have written complex Scripts who decide to up and leave. It happens all the time…. If you'd like to discuss how a Managed File Transfer solution can inexpensively improve your cyber-security and business bottom line, please feel welcome to contact me for an obligation-free discussion and demo. Previous Next

< News GenAI Cyber Attacks on the Rise: Gartner 30 Sept 2025 Attacks using Generative AI (“GenAI”) for phishing, deepfakes and social engineering have become mainstream, and attacks on GenAI application infrastructure and prompt-based manipulations are emerging. These are among the troubling findings of a recent survey of cyber security leaders by Gartner, the technology insights company. GenAI is a form of artificial intelligence designed to create original content—such as text, images, music, video, or code—based on patterns it learns from existing data. Unlike traditional AI which classifies or predicts, GenAI generates new data that mimics human creativity. Rise of the Machines 62% of organisations experienced a deepfake attack involving social engineering or exploiting automated processes. These attacks included: deepfake videos used against automated face biometrics or identity verification (29%); deepfake audio clips used against automated voice biometrics (32%); social engineering with deepfake during video calls with an employee (36%); and social engineering with deepfake during audio calls with an employee (44%). In addition, 29% of cybersecurity leaders reported that their organisations had experienced an attack on enterprise GenAI infrastructure in the last 12 months. 32% said they experienced an attack on AI applications that leveraged the application prompt during the last 12 months. Gartner said that chatbot assistants are vulnerable to a variety of adversarial prompting techniques, such as attackers generating prompts to manipulate large language models (LLMs) or multimodal models into generating biased or malicious output. Emerging Threats Speaking at a Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit in London, Akif Khan, Gartner’s specialist VP in identity and access management, said: “As adoption accelerates, attacks leveraging GenAI for phishing, deepfakes and social engineering have become mainstream, while other threats — such as attacks on GenAI application infrastructure and prompt-based manipulations — are emerging and gaining traction.” While 67% of cybersecurity leaders said emerging GenAI risks demand significant changes to existing cybersecurity approaches, Gartner said a more balanced strategy is warranted. “Rather than making sweeping changes or isolated investments, organisations should strengthen core controls and implement targeted measures for each new risk category,” Khan said. MFT vs GenAI One such core control is a Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution, such as GoAnywhere MFT . It should be among an organisation’s first lines of defence. Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions play a critical role in defending organisations against deepfake phishing and social engineering by enforcing secure, authenticated channels for data exchange. Unlike ad hoc file sharing methods that can be easily exploited, MFT platforms integrate multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption, and access controls to ensure that only verified users can initiate or receive transfers. This mitigates the risk of attackers impersonating trusted individuals using deepfake audio or video to trick employees into sharing sensitive files. Additionally, robust MFT systems include audit trails and automated alerts which help security teams detect anomalous behaviour — such as unusual file requests or access patterns — that may indicate social engineering attempts. By centralising and securing file movement, MFT reduces the attack surface and strengthens organisational resilience against increasingly sophisticated deception tactics. Local Expertise Available At Generic Systems Australia we’re Australia’s and NZ’s experts in deploying Managed File Transfer solutions. We’ve assisted businesses of all sizes to protect their customer data and secure their file transfers, while keeping their operations running smoothly. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you, please feel welcome to contact me . I’m always happy to have an obligation-free chat and explain how simply we can help you maintain your customers’ trust. Previous Next

< Case Studies Global Insurer Uses GoAnywhere to Replace Legacy File Transfers Instead of copying and piecing together scripts for file transfers - a process which took 30-60 minutes per script – this global insurance company now uses GoAnywhere to automate and make secure its file transfer task in less than five minutes. Discovering the many other ways they could leverage GoAnywhere’s advanced features was a bonus. Decades of experience helping Asia-Pacific customers have established Generic Systems Australia as our region’s local experts in secure managed file transfer. In this case study, we share how a global insurance company is saving time and money – and avoiding headaches – by using GoAnywhere MFT , the world’s leading MFT solution . For one global insurance company, having file transfer processes that work seamlessly is non-negotiable. Between needing to share data with the company’s national office, running a collaboration with a car rental company, and catering to more than a million customers, they need their file transfers to run smoothly and securely. However, the legacy systems and processes they had in place prior to 2018 were frustrating, to say the least. One of the company’s applications engineers couldn’t believe the file transfer processes they had to deal with before switching to managed file transfer software. "We had a server where a bunch of batch scripts ran and transferred files to vendors," he said. "We wrote manual scripts — 50 or 60 of them — that all ran from Task Scheduler." Because their setup lacked security and encryption features, critical information wasn’t always protected during batch transfers. Their setup didn’t have alerting or reporting abilities either. It quickly became clear that better cybersecurity strategies were needed to protect their file transfers. Convoluted Clustering The engineer’s team also wanted to cluster their systems, so the bank files they exchanged wouldn’t be interrupted by system failure or downtime. But making Task Scheduler cluster aware required knowledge of PowerShell. "It was this huge, long convoluted process," he said. "And with security in mind, we had to implement a DMZ secure gateway server to go along with a new file transfer server. Jobs would have to be scheduled on two different sets of task schedulers." The design files they created to make clustering work were crazy. There had to be an easier way. Back to Basics For this insurance company, it was time to unravel their processes and systems and go back to the basics that mattered: encryption, automation, alerting, and reporting. If they could find a solution that did all these things simply and efficiently… that would be a win. And win they did. After evaluating several managed file transfer (MFT) solutions, the engineer tried GoAnywhere MFT, the class-leading cybersecurity solution. More than Transfers The engineer and his team discovered many additional benefits during their trial of GoAnywhere: Ease of Use: GoAnywhere was powerful but not overly technical. The software was a breeze to install and easy to use. Focused on What Matters: The team was pleased to see GoAnywhere support extra functionality, like user-to-user collaboration, but even more pleased to find that GoAnywhere never lost sight of their bread-and-butter requirements: automation, auditing, and secure file transfers. Out-of-the-Box Project Designers: GoAnywhere included a drag-and-drop project designer for workflows and automation. This eliminated the need for scripting and programming. Affordability: Finally, the cost beat out the competition. GoAnywhere offered the insurance company a positive ROI that they could achieve quickly and efficiently with less of a learning curve—while still boasting all the features and functionality of other comparable solutions. A Fresh Start with MFT Once GoAnywhere was fully implemented, the global insurance company couldn’t imagine life without it. Now they meet requirements and complete key projects via several of GoAnywhere’s features: PCI DSS Compliance: The insurance company is PCI DSS certified. To ensure their member information is protected as much as possible, they are required to go above and beyond PCI DSS requirements to ensure their file transfers are compliant. GoAnywhere MFT supports PCI DSS compliance efforts through encryption, secure, industry-standard file transfer protocols, access controls for sensitive data, and detailed logging/reporting. Google Integration: After implementing GoAnywhere, the insurance company installed GoAnywhere’s Google Cloud Storage Connector. This cloud integration allows them to pull data from the cloud from two vendors they’ve partnered with. Each month, GoAnywhere transfers a file generated in-house to a Google storage bucket. Once the files are in the bucket, two of their vendors apply logic to the data for marketing purposes. The file finishes processing using the Google compute engine before GoAnywhere pulls the file back into the company’s enterprise data warehouse (EDW) system. AWS Integration: GoAnywhere’s Amazon AWS integration fulfills an important project in their environment. "We’ve used [the Amazon AWS integration] since day one," explained the company’s engineer. "It was one of the selling features for us." Improved Visibility & Centralisation Before GoAnywhere came into the picture, the engineer and a co-worker relied on Task Scheduler and batch file transfers to send and retrieve sensitive data. Their legacy setup did not have alerting, notifications, or reporting functionality. They’d need to spend precious time tracking down issues or digging into different data sources to regain some visibility. This lack of clarity was a source of frustration. A big selling point for this insurance company was GoAnywhere’s ability to provide visibility into all areas of their file transfer processes, including the data movement happening on-premises, within their cloud environment, and to their web applications. Not only does this visibility help the engineer’s team know when and where files are sent, it gives them flexibility to train new employees if needed. "Say I need more help and we’re hiring someone else," he explained. "I can say [to that new hire,] ‘Everything’s in GoAnywhere. All our jobs, anything that’s incoming, all the users. You can see who has access, you can see the agents we have deployed and what they’re doing.’ Having that [data] in a central place is just so much easier than what we’ve used in the past." Remote MFT Agents GoAnywhere’s MFT Agents module allows admins to remotely control automated file transfers and file processing from a central GoAnywhere server. With MFT agents in place, this insurance company has improved its overall security posture. They can move sensitive files between restricted servers without having to rely on insecure methods or window transfers. All of these transfers are automated, secured, and can be audited. Set for Success Instead of copying and piecing together scripts to send new file transfers (a process that took 30-60 minutes per script before), GoAnywhere can create a job in under five minutes. The team has utilised several areas of the software in a short amount of time and have exciting use cases in mind for the future. Of his favourite thing about GoAnywhere, the engineer said: "I love that I’m not on a batch file trying to deduce what’s going on. I can just visualise something [the workflow] and say ‘oh, this is what it needs.’ I can just set up a job and my coworker knows about it because now we get an email notification if it fails... Compared to what we had before, [our file transfer process] is where we need it to be." Previous Next

< News GoAnywhere MFT: the duct tape in your IT Toolbox 11 Sept 2025 There are few modern inventions more versatile than duct tape. It can patch a leaky pipe, hold together a broken car bumper, or even fashion a makeshift wallet. GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer (MFT) is to enterprise data workflows what duct tape is to the physical world: a versatile inclusion in your IT toolbox, which you’ll find useful in a pinch, and in all kinds of unexpected ways. GoAnywhere MFT quietly binds together the jagged edges of digital infrastructure. It secures, automates, and streamlines file transfers across disparate systems—whether you're dealing with legacy mainframes, cloud APIs, or finicky partner protocols. Reliable Under Pressure Duct tape earned its reputation by reliably working under pressure, across materials, without drama. GoAnywhere MFT operates in a similar spirit: it’s the IT team's go-to when compliance deadlines loom, when FTP scripts fail at 2 a.m., or when a new vendor insists on AS2 transfers with custom encryption. It may be not flashy, but it’s indispensable—quietly enforcing governance, logging every transaction, and adapting to whatever format the situation demands. Just as importantly, both duct tape and GoAnywhere MFT are trusted because they scale to the size of the problem. You can use a strip of duct tape to seal a lunchbox or wrap an entire canoe. Likewise, GoAnywhere can handle a single secure upload or orchestrate thousands of transfers across hybrid environments, all while maintaining audit trails and access controls. In a world of IT that’s increasingly complex and interconnected, having a tool on hand that’s both rugged and adaptable isn’t just useful—it’s essential. And that’s why so many IT departments choose to keep GoAnywhere MFT handy. Add GoAnywhere to your Toolbox At Generic Systems Australia we’re experts in helping Australian and NZ organisations take advantage of GoAnywhere MFT’s versatility. In fact, we’ve assisted businesses of all sizes to protect their customer data and secure their file transfers, keeping their operations running smoothly. If you have an hour to spare, we can easily demonstrate the power and ease of use of GoAnywhere’s many capabilities. Simply contact me and I’ll be happy to set up an obligation-free chat. Previous Next

< News Huge Average Cost of Data Breaches Revealed 22 Jan 2024 Cost of a Data Breach A$6.77 million! That was the average cost globally of a data breach in 2023, according to research by IBM. An all-time high, and a 15% increase over the last 3 years, the astonishing number was calculated through in-depth analysis of real-world data breaches experienced by 553 organisations globally – including 112 in the Asia and Pacific regions – in the 12 months prior to March 2023. Alarmingly, only a third of studied breaches were detected by an organisation's own security team. 27% were disclosed by an attacker, and the remainder came from customers, trading partners, law enforcement and other third parties. Nearly 40% of breaches were compounded by the loss of data across multiple environments including public cloud, private cloud, and on-prem. IBM recommended company security teams focus on where cyber criminals are most successful and concentrate their efforts on stopping them before they achieve their goals. This is where an investment in a Secure Managed File Transfer solution has a key role to play. The interception of ad hoc file transfers – for example, email attachments, FTP transfers and other ad hoc methods of moving data within your organisation and between its trading partners – is a key exposure. A Secure Managed File Transfer solution such as the class-leading GoAnywhere MFT addresses the many risks of these ad hoc approaches through a holistic approach and complementary array of security features. Authentication & Encryption Automatically encrypt files on disk using AES 256 encryption Use Domains to create multiple security zones. Filter connections with IP blacklists and whitelists (Global and User level). Block Brute-Force and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks with an automatic IP blacklist. Authenticate SFTP connections with passwords and/or SSH keys. Authenticate FTPS and HTTPS connections with passwords and/or SSL certificates. Ability to accept or reject files with certain extensions. Run services under non-standard port numbers. Create and manage SSL certificates, SSH keys, and Open PGP keys through integrated screens. User Access & Controls Authenticate users against LDAP, Active Directory (AD), IBM i profiles, RADIUS, RSA SecurID, Google Authenticator, Duo Security, and other IAM (Identity and Access Management) solutions. Define administrator user permissions for separation of duties. SAML support for single sign-on and dual factor authentication. Restrict users to specific home directories and subfolders. Specify folder level permissions (upload, download, delete, rename, etc.) by user and group. Restrict user logins to certain days-of-week or times-of-day. Set password policies and expiration intervals. Authorise selected services (e.g. FTP, SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS and AS2) to certain users and groups. Disable user accounts after maximum login attempts. Disable user accounts automatically after a period of inactivity. Receive instant notifications on login failures. Disable anonymous login. View the active sessions for logged-in users with the ability to terminate (kick) sessions. Auditing & Reporting Generate full audit trails of all user events and file activity with reporting. Generate reports of file transfer activity, user statistics, and completed jobs from within the console. Feed audit log messages to a central SYSLOG server. Full Compliance GoAnywhere MFT secures your sensitive files and transmits data using the latest security standards, keeping your data secure and compliant with regulations, frameworks, and standards, including: Australia’s Consumer Data Right. Singapore’s PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act). PCI DSS, the global data security standard adopted by payment card brands. The EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) The US’s HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) & HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act). The US’s FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) & NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Cybersecurity Framework. Canada’s PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act). California’s Consumer Privacy Act. “An ounce of prevention…” As the old saying goes: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. To avoid becoming one of the cybercrime victims IBM studies in 2024 😉 please do explore how the world’s leading Managed File Transfer solution, GoAnywhere MFT can bolster your organisation’s Cyberdefences. Our Business Manager, Bradley Copson ( bradley@gensys.com.au ), is always happy to have an obligation-free discussion , and can offer you a no-cost trial or Proof of Concept. Previous Next

SECURE YOUR CLOUD DATA Whether you are already moving select pieces of your business to the cloud, just starting the cloud conversation, or are considering establishing a hybrid environment, you're in good company. Organisations move to the cloud in some fashion for its flexibility, scalability, and faster deployment. However, there is still hesitancy in adapting cloud technology due to security concerns as well as compliance requirements, and a lack of visibility and control. A 2023 Cloud Security Report, which surveyed the challenges and priorities of more than 750 cybersecurity professionals, found that 39% of respondents already have more than half of their workloads in the cloud, and 58% planned to get to that level in the next 12–18 months. However, Cloud security continues to be a significant concern, with 95% of surveyed organisations concerned about their security posture in public cloud environments. In this article, we explore how a robust Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution can help protect your data transfers, in transit and at rest, without compromising the convenience or cost-effectiveness of moving your business to a cloud-based environment. Cloud File Transfers Most organisations oversee dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of in-house file transfers a day. Whether it’s sending files to employees, transferring reports to trading partners, receiving data from third-party vendors, or collecting sensitive information from customers, it’s all part of the exchange of information that is regularly processed. Where do cloud-based file transfers fit in? Cloud infrastructure can give companies a lot of leeway. Some data can be managed in the cloud, or all of it can be — the choice is entirely up to you. Moving data to the cloud can be as simple as transferring files and folders to whatever storage platform you use with your provider. And with strong encryption and security policies in place, you can control who has access to that business-critical, sensitive data in the cloud. Data that’s been entrusted to the cloud is kept in physical servers and data centres managed by cloud computing services. Almost all file movement between a business, its employees, its trading partners, and its remote locations can happen through the cloud. Sensitive information can move quickly and efficiently between the business and wherever it’s stored (even on servers around the world), which gives organisations the ability to operate smoothly and access their data from anywhere. Because everything is stored off-site, local outages and user errors are minimised, bettering the chances that important, scheduled transfers will complete successfully. The Current State of Cloud D ata Security For cloud computing platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, security of customer data is one of their highest priorities. They have a variety of resources in place to protect their clients’ privacy, but despite their best attempts, these measures don’t always stop data loss, compromised information, or unexpected cloud server outages. Cloud security is a two-way street. Researching each cloud provider’s cybersecurity methods and selecting the best one for your organisation is imperative — a positive step toward ensuring your data’s integrity. But it’s not the only step. IT teams are just as responsible for the security of their sensitive business data as the cloud platforms that hold it. Whether your organisation is thinking of deploying to the cloud or already has, you'll need to perform due diligence regarding your processes and policies. Start by asking questions like these: What are our top security considerations? How will our IT team processes change? What vulnerabilities have been introduced or addressed from moving to the cloud? Do we have points of failure that should be planned for? Are cloud file transfers properly encrypted to minimise risk of data breaches? Protecting Your File Transfers Many of these questions are subjective, of course. Each IT team is likely to answer them in different ways, based on your company policies and processes. But to achieve the best possible cloud security, don’t overlook the current state of your file transfers. Encryption is often the last line of defence between a malicious user or human error and sensitive information. If, however, data is properly secured with strong encryption protocols during transfers as well as when idle and sitting on a server, a cloud breach is far less likely to result in data exposure. For those who must comply with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, GLBA, PCI DSS, and SOX, following encryption requirements in the cloud comes with extra benefits — as long as the keys for encrypted data are safe, breached information can’t be read, preventing hackers from selling or otherwise exploiting your or your customers sensitive data. File Transfers and the Cloud When moving your data between your network and the cloud, it’s considered best practice to always encrypt your files and protect your communication using secure network protocols like SFTP, FTPS, or SCP. Your files, databases, and even entire folders should be encrypted at rest, too, whether or not the cloud platform you’ve chosen already secures it. A common dated (and not recommended) approach to file transfers uses custom scripts created by internal programmers. The scripts often include commands for encryption, which may or may not be simple to modify, depending on your team's given skillset. While this file transfer process "can" work for a while, as it addresses basic company needs initially, as the number of file transfers rise, so does the difficulty of maintaining a homegrown solution. And that’s not including other possible roadblocks, like an inability to handle logging capabilities or alerts when a file transfer fails. Managed file transfer solutions provide organisations with helpful, robust features that enable them to grow with their data exchange requirements –– especially beneficial when moving to a cloud environment. GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer GoAnywhere MFT eliminates the need for homegrown scripts and multiple programs by streamlining the file transfer process. It can be installed in a cloud-based environment (single or multi) or on-premises via a variety of platforms, giving you full control of your deployment. Transfers can be scheduled and automated with custom workflows (projects), and data can be sent securely between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners. Meanwhile, administrators are given a single point of control with extensive security settings, audit trails, and reports, greatly reducing the possibility of user errors and oversights. GoAnywhere also provides high return on investment by reducing the time spent on manual labour, improving the quality of file transfers, making security more cost-effective, and helping organisations meet a variety of requirements including PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and FISMA. MFT Security and Encryption All file transfers are protected with popular encryption protocols, including SFTP, FTPS, FTP, SCP, AS2, HTTPS, Open PGP, and ZIP with AES. In the GoAnywhere MFT solution. A built-in key manager allows administrators to create, import, export, and manage Open PGP keys, SSH keys, and SSL certificates. And for those who must comply with FIPS 140-2, validated encryption ciphers can be enabled for SSL and SSH protocols. GoAnywhere offers connections to a variety of servers and guarantees file delivery by using connection retries and file auto-resume. Admins can monitor transfer success, review account activity, and authenticate user access from anywhere via GoAnywhere’s browser-based interface. Beyond basic encryption practices and features, GoAnywhere also addresses several business requirements for the cloud. GoAnywhere and Amazon EC2 For organisations that use AWS as their cloud provider, GoAnywhere MFT easily integrates with Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2). You can find, and quickly install, GoAnywhere MFT on Amazon's AWS Marketplace. You can use GoAnywhere’s secure FTP technology to protect sensitive file transfers with strong encryption technology and modern authentication methods. This creates encrypted tunnels between client and server systems and provides confidentiality and integrity to critical transmissions. Secure FTP also protects any user credentials that flow over the connection. Do you need to address high volumes of file transfers in your organisation? With GoAnywhere’s clustering technology, file transfers and other processes can be distributed across multiple Amazon EC2 instances for load balancing. And when an instance is taken offline, file transfers and jobs will be automatically routed to other installations in the cluster. GoAnywhere and Microsoft Azure For organisations that use Microsoft as their cloud provider, GoAnywhere integrates with Azure to provide IT teams with secure file transfers between all active parties. Installing and running GoAnywhere MFT on Azure is an effortless process, as everything you need is included, reducing the need for additional third-party solutions. You can install GoAnywhere on your choice of Azure-supported Windows or Linux operating systems, then set up your trading partner accounts and file transfer processes. GoAnywhere’s intuitive design and modular features allow you to be up and running on Azure quickly. If you want to scale GoAnywhere on Azure, file transfers and other processes can be distributed across multiple Azure VM instances for load balancing. Connections to a variety of databases including Microsoft SQL Server through GoAnywhere, and user accounts can be authenticated against Microsoft Active Directory to simplify user management for your file collaboration needs. Conclusion Organisations worldwide have already, or soon will be turning their focus to the cloud. Yes, security will continue to be an issue in all configurations of technology on-premises, in the cloud, or in hybrid situations. And moving to the cloud isn't without risk. To help prevent data loss, IT teams must do due diligence and take steps to protect their data — starting with their cloud file transfer process and solutions. Implementing a managed file transfer solution like GoAnywhere MFT enables businesses to control how their data is protected, in transit and at rest. Through strong encryption protocols, file monitoring, and integration with Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure, IT teams can rest assured that organisational and customer data is safe in a variety of environments without running outdated, unsecure expensive, time-consuming scripts and programs. Is it time to enhance the security of YOUR cloud data? If you’d like to discuss how GoAnywhere MFT can enhance the security of your organisation’s cloud data, please feel welcome to reach out to our Business Manager, Bradley Copson. He’s always happy to have an obligation-free discussion, explain how quickly and easily we can transition your organisation to the class-leading MFT solution, and offer you a zero-cost Proof of Concept. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in secure Managed File Transfer. RESOURCES HOME

< News Record Quarter for Local Ransomware Attacks 13 May 2025 The first quarter of 2025 was the worst ever for ransomware attacks, with the highest-ever number of organisations named on data-leak sites. The Q1/25 surge was driven by major activity spikes from ransomware groups Cl0p, Medusa, and FunkSec. · Cl0p, who accounted for more than third of all successful attacks, exploited zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-50623 and CVE-2024-55956) in Cleo managed file transfer (MFT) solutions, fuelling a 23% increase in overall ransomware activity between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. · Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group Medusa capitalised on the void left by disrupted ransomware gangs in late 2024, increasingly targeting critical infrastructure. · FunkSec utilised AI to develop malware which infiltrated 152 named victims this quarter. Australian Orgs Under Attack Australia ranked sixth among the most targeted nations for ransomware attacks in February. We were the 11th most affected country for data breaches last year, with 47 million Australian accounts exposed - an astonishing average of one breach per second . Since 2004, Australia has experienced 192.5 million breached accounts, the highest number in the Oceania region. More than 49 million unique Australian email addresses have been exposed, often alongside sensitive information such as passwords and contact details. Changed Ransomware Tactics According to Bitdefender, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting newly discovered vulnerabilities in internet-facing devices, rather than focusing on specific industries or businesses. Cybercriminals reportedly scan for new software vulnerabilities within hours of them being publicly disclosed. After accessing a targeted system, they then take time to manually infiltrate deeper, often delaying ransomware deployment by weeks or months. Protecting Your Organisation Holistic protection of your organisation’s valuable data requires both technology solutions and sound business practices. Layered defences, with integrated solutions that address encryption, threat protection, and data loss prevention, enable safe collaboration without risking malware, mishandled data, breaches and non-compliance. Given most breaches involve a human element, technology solutions need to be automated and easy for employees to use. Software needs to be able to manage: How access to data is granted; How access is authenticated; How access is tracked and controlled; and How access be speedily revoked, when needed. Layered Protection A standalone managed file transfer (MFT) solution – such as GoAnywhere MFT - is a great first layer of defence. It provides security for files at rest and in-transit. However, integrating Threat Protection as an additional layer enables you to take appropriate action when there’s PII in the data moving in and out of your organisation. Based on rules you predefine, our Advanced Threat Protection Bundle can mask, remove, or permit PII to be moved within your organisation and beyond, via a Secure ICAP Gateway. Benign Rule Adding granular rules-based controls to data handling is the killer feature of Advanced Threat Protection. For example, it enables you to: permit some specified individuals to transmit various categories of data, but not everyone; apply role-based access to your data; and audit who is sending what information. GoAnywhere’s encryption can be enhanced by limiting who can transfer data and what that data contains. The automatic detection and sanitisation of files removes some of the human factor risks so that employees can focus on their work instead of fussing with manual interventions. Augmenting technical solutions with employee training further reduces human factor risks. Local Help at the Ready At Generic Systems Australia , we are the Asia-Pacific region’s experts in deploying Managed File Transfer and Advanced Threat Protection. We’ve assisted dozens of organisations to protect their data and systems, while boosting their operational efficiency. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you, please feel welcome to contact me . I’m always happy to have an obligation-free chat and explain how simply we can transition you from your current approach. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in data transfer. Previous Next