I’ve been tracking cybersecurity incidents affecting regional Victorian businesses through 2025. The patterns are concerning but instructive.

None of the affected businesses wanted to be identified—the shame factor around cyber attacks remains strong—but they agreed to let me share lessons anonymously.

The Incidents I Know About

This isn’t comprehensive data, just cases I’ve encountered through my networks. But the consistency is notable.

Invoice Fraud (5 cases)

The most common attack pattern: criminals compromise email accounts, monitor business communications, then send fake invoices at the right moment.

Case example: A building company received what appeared to be an email from their regular supplier, with updated bank details. They paid $47,000 to criminals before discovering the real invoice was still outstanding.

Pattern: Attackers are patient. They often monitor accounts for weeks, learning communication styles and business relationships before striking.

Ransomware (3 cases)

Criminals encrypt business data and demand payment for the decryption key.

Case example: An accounting firm found all client files encrypted on a Monday morning. The ransom demand was $50,000 in cryptocurrency. They had backups—but the backups were also encrypted because they were continuously connected.

Pattern: Ransomware targets businesses with valuable data and time pressure. Tax season for accountants, harvest season for farmers, holiday season for retailers.

Account Takeover (4 cases)

Social media accounts, email accounts, or financial accounts compromised and used for fraud or reputation damage.

Case example: A tourism operator’s Instagram account was hijacked and used to promote cryptocurrency scams. Recovery took three weeks and significant brand damage occurred.

Pattern: Weak passwords and lack of two-factor authentication enable most account takeovers.

Vendor Compromise (2 cases)

Businesses were affected not by their own security failures but by breaches at their software vendors or suppliers.

Case example: A retail business used a point-of-sale system from a provider that was breached. Customer credit card details were exposed.

Pattern: Your security depends partly on your vendors’ security. This is difficult to control.

Why Regional Businesses Are Targeted

Three factors make regional businesses attractive targets:

Less security investment: Smaller IT budgets mean fewer protections. No dedicated security staff.

Trusting relationships: Regional business communities often know each other well. This trust is exploited by social engineering.

Lower awareness: Cybersecurity hasn’t been top-of-mind for most regional business owners until recently.

Practical Protections

Based on what I’ve seen, here are the measures that would have prevented or minimised most incidents:

For Email Security

• Enable two-factor authentication on all email accounts. Non-negotiable.
• Use unique, strong passwords (password manager recommended).
• Train staff to verify any financial instruction changes by phone, using known numbers.

For Ransomware Protection

• Maintain offline backups. Backup systems connected to your network will be encrypted along with everything else.
• Test backup restoration regularly. Backups you can’t restore are worthless.
• Keep software updated. Most ransomware exploits known vulnerabilities.

For Account Security

• Two-factor authentication on everything. Social media, financial accounts, business software.
• Use a password manager. Unique password for every account.
• Review account access regularly. Remove former employees promptly.

For Vendor Risk

• Ask vendors about their security practices before signing up.
• Limit data sharing to what’s necessary.
• Monitor vendor breach notifications.

The Recovery Experience

Every business I spoke with described recovery as painful. Even with insurance, even with backups, the disruption was significant.

Common themes:

• Lost productivity during recovery
• Customer communication challenges
• Emotional toll on business owners
• Ongoing anxiety about future attacks

Prevention is dramatically cheaper than recovery.

Where to Get Help

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) provides free resources and advice for small businesses.

Local IT providers increasingly offer security assessments, though quality varies. Ask for references from similar businesses.

Cyber insurance is worth investigating. Coverage has improved and premiums for small businesses are often reasonable.

The uncomfortable truth: regional Victorian businesses are being targeted, the attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and basic protections would stop most of them.

Don’t assume you’re too small to be targeted. That assumption is exactly what attackers exploit.