Security wrap-up for 2025

As we wrap up the year, one thing stands out and that’s nothing in our sector sits still anymore. Not the threats or regulations, and not the expectations on anyone managing critical infrastructure in Australia.

This year has again been about keeping pace with that reality and making sure our security environment can move with it, not lag and hope for the best. A lot of work has gone into tightening our core frameworks.

ISO 27001

We’ve continued moving toward ISO 27001 compliance building habits and discipline into everyday decisions. It’s a slow burn, but the work sticks, and we are almost at the finish line.

Essential Eight

We’ve aligned more closely with the Essential Eight, lifting our maturity and tightening the practical measures that protect us from the issues we’re all talking about across the sector.

SOCI Act

The SOCI Act keeps evolving, and we’ve been investing the time to ensure our reporting and assurance processes line up cleanly with what’s required now, and what’s likely to come next.

None of these pathways are “set and forget.” They require constant adjustment, and that’s the mindset we have across the business.  If this year has confirmed anything, it’s that static security doesn’t work. The threat environment doesn’t pause because the documentation looks good.

We’ve taken a more fluid approach with reviewing, adjusting, and pivoting as new information comes in. That includes new controls, new ways of monitoring, learning from incidents around the world, and helping our clients stay ahead of what the regulators expect rather than scrambling after the fact. It’s made our work faster, more responsive, and more realistic to the environment we’re all operating in.

One of the real positives this year has been how early clients are bringing us into conversations. It has allowed us to provide the answers to all those security questionnaires which make our clients comfortable so that we are well positioned to partner with them moving forward.

Looking Ahead there’s no sign that the pressure on our sector will ease. Regulations will keep shifting. Threats will keep evolving. Technology will keep changing faster than anyone would like. Our intention for 2026 is simply to stay ahead of it, stay practical, and keep building systems that are solid enough to rely on but flexible enough to adapt when they need to.  Supported by our business partners Fortian and ISGQ, we’ll continue to strengthen our frameworks, improving our reporting and assurance monitoring, and expanding the tools that help us and our clients.

Written by Jacqueline Button

Security Update: AI in the Workplace – Hype, Hope and Hidden Risks

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we work and communicate. Whether you’re fully on board or observing from the sidelines, it’s clear that AI tools are being adopted at a remarkable pace.

With this growth, however, come risks. Security, privacy and trust issues are already emerging, and it’s worth understanding the key challenges now rather than later:

Hallucinations

Generative AI can produce content that sounds authoritative but is actually incorrect. These “hallucinations” if left unchecked can lead to poor decisions or the spread of misinformation.

Data security

It’s not uncommon for people to paste sensitive company information into public AI tools without realising the risk. Many of these platforms retain user input and use it to improve their models. That means internal, sensitive data could end up being stored, analysed or even surfaced in future outputs.

Malicious attacks

Attackers can craft inputs that trick an AI system into behaving in ways it wasn’t meant to. This technique, called “jailbreaking”, is especially risky when AI is linked to internal systems like APIs or databases. Another risk is data poisoning, where training data is deliberately manipulated to produce harmful or biased outputs.

As AI becomes part of more business workflows, it’s essential to apply the same rigour to its use as we would with any other technology. Awareness, clear policies and technical safeguards all play a role in ensuring responsible and secure use.

To learn more about managing AI-related risks, refer to the Australian Signals Directorate’s recent (2025) guidance: cyber.gov.au – Engaging with AI

Written by Justin Fielke

Security update

In 2024, operators of critical infrastructure and organisations that service critical infrastructure faced a surge in cyberattacks amidst escalating geopolitical tensions. According to the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) 2024 Annual Cyber Threat Report, state-sponsored actors persistently targeted essential sectors like energy, healthcare, and telecommunications, employing sophisticated tactics such as zero-day exploits and custom malware. Notably, this year, the Australian government repeatedly warned Australian companies about Chinese-sponsored threat actors specifically targeting western (and Australian) critical infrastructure.

Given that we at Mipela service the critical infrastructure sector, staying ahead in our cybersecurity efforts is of paramount importance. The threat is real, and we must do what we can to protect both ourselves and our customers.

We are staying on top of cyber threats through automated patching; enforced device compliance for access to company resources; and security training for our team on the latest phishing techniques. Central to our approach is our robust Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system and Security Operations Centre (SOC), operated in collaboration with Fortian, our trusted Australian cybersecurity partner.

Our SIEM collects and analyses logs from across our business systems in real-time, enabling us to detect and respond swiftly to emerging threats. Unlike conventional SOCs that rely heavily on generic vendor-provided detections, our SOC employs a tailored, threat-informed methodology. This approach ensures that our detection capabilities align closely with our unique threat profile. For example, in 2024, the ASD reported a campaign by Iranian threat actors targeting Australian critical infrastructure through brute force and MFA fatigue attacks originating from specific VPN IP addresses. Within hours of this disclosure, our SOC conducted a comprehensive threat hunt to identify potential indicators of compromise within our environment. New analytic rules were deployed promptly, ensuring continuous monitoring for these activities on an hourly basis.

By combining strict access controls, a partnership with a leading cyber security provider, and a tailored threat-informed approach, we aim to ensure that Mipela remains secure in a hostile digital landscape where critical infrastructure and their suppliers remain at constant risk.

Christmas trading hours

Staying Ahead of Key Security Concerns for Asset Owners

In today’s digital landscape, asset owners, particularly those managing critical infrastructure, face an increasing variety of security threats. Recent reports from leading security providers highlight the growing prevalence of ransomware attacks and their severe impact on critical infrastructure industries like energy, utilities, and financial services. In Australia, cyberattacks such as brute force attacks, compromised credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities are the top causes of security breaches. In particular, energy and utility organisations, can be vulnerable due to their reliance on older technology, while IT and telecommunication companies often fall victim to brute force attacks despite strong identity controls.

At Mipela, we understand these risks and proactively address them through our X-Info Suite of products and robust security processes. Our approach includes multi-layered security measures, such as AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS/HTTPS protocols for data in transit, ensuring the protection of sensitive information. We operate our own Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Operations Centre (SOC) to monitor our systems and client data in real time. In partnership with Fortian, a leading Australian company specialising in cybersecurity, privacy, and technology risk management, we implement centralised logging and advanced monitoring to swiftly detect and respond to potential security threats. Fortian’s team brings deep technical expertise, supporting our commitment to comprehensive data security.

Additionally, our security practices include vulnerability assessments, testing, and monthly automated patching to identify and mitigate risks and keep our systems up to date. Our solution further emphasises identity based controls through OAuth2 integration with Azure Entra ID, ensuring secure and efficient user access.

By adopting these comprehensive security practices and leveraging Fortian’s industry-leading expertise, we not only address key security concerns, but also position ourselves as a trusted partner for asset owners. This approach sets us apart from competitors, safeguarding critical infrastructure assets against the evolving threat landscape.