Cyber Safety: Steps to Secure your Devices

December 14, 2022

As cybercrime continues to rise each year in Australia, taking additional, proactive steps to secure your devices against cybercriminals is no longer an option, but a necessity.

In addition to using emails, text messages and phone calls to trick unsuspecting individuals into opening attachments, visiting a website, or revealing login credentials; cybercriminals are now actively exploiting weaknesses in systems and applications to access and steal personal information. In fact, cybercriminals have become so highly skilled, they continue to successfully infiltrate the systems of major organisations such as Optus and Medibank, stealing highly confidential, personal data and selling it online.

You might be asking yourself, “If Optus and Medibank can get hacked, what chance do I stand?” The good news is you don’t need the resources of an entire IT department to protect yourself against cybercriminals. In fact, you can successfully secure your devices by following these practical, simple steps:

1. Update your devices with the latest software or operating system

Devices are often hacked by cybercriminals using known weaknesses in operating systems or applications. This is easy to avoid by ensuring your device software and applications are updated on a regular basis. Not only do updates provide new features and improvements, but they almost always provide upgrades that fix security flaws. It is important to update devices as soon as a new software update becomes available. This can be done automatically by simply turning on automatic updates in your device settings.

To turn on automatic updates, look at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) step-by-step guides for:

2. Activate Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA improves your device security by acting as a ‘second key’ and proving you are the person requesting access. An example of a ‘second key’ is an SMS, prompting a unique password each time to you try to login to an online account.
This second key, or second-factor, makes it very difficult for cybercriminals to log into your account without your unique 2FA code. However, for 2FA to remain secure and unique to you, it must never be shared and treated like an important ID document. To reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access to your device or accounts, activate 2FA, starting with your most important accounts such as computer login and emails.

To activate 2FA, follow these guides for popular platforms:

3. Create Secure Login Credentials

In addition to two-factor authentication, a secure password can make a big different when protecting your data from cybercriminals. Cybersecurity experts recommend creating passphrases by using a combination of four or more random words. You can create a secure password by ensuring it contains these features:

· Combination of upper and lowercase characters.

· Combination of numbers and symbols.

· Is at least 14 characters in length.

· Is unpredictable and unique to each of your accounts.

For more tips on how to build strong Login Credentials, see the ACSC.

4. Setup Device Backups

In the worst-case scenario where your device has been hacked, and your data is lost, it can help to have a backup in place. A backup is a saved copy of the data stored on your device such as: files, images, documents and so on. It is usually backed-up on an online cloud, but it can also be saved to an external hard drive or device. Having a reliable backup in place means that critical files can be restored if your device is ever lost, stolen, or damaged.

To set up secure, automatic backups, read the ACSC guides for :

Apple Mac external storage backup and cloud backup.
Apple iPhone cloud backup.
Microsoft Windows 10 external storage backup and cloud backup.

For more information about cyber safety and fraud prevention, you can visit:

Staying Fraud Safe: A Recent Case Study

April 1, 2025

In a world where the threat of fraud is constantly evolving, staying safe online is not just good practice — it’s essential. CDF recently helped identify and stop a fraud attempt on a client account that could have led to the loss of a significant amount of money. Here’s how it unfolded and what you can learn to protect your own digital security at home and at work. The power of human firewalls This situation, involving a current CDF customer, showcases a recent prevented fraud attempt: CDF received a transfer request from a registered client’s email address The transfer request involved making a payment to a new account, which the client had not previously transacted to CDF staff followed internal processes, requesting additional verification from the client When the fraudster couldn't provide further information, the staff member called the client directly This phone call revealed the email account had been compromised In this attempt, it was the human element that added the extra layer of security to an already robust internal process – it demonstrates the importance of proper security procedures when handling transfer requests, especially to new bank accounts. " Technology like emails can be compromised and used for fraud. Staying proactive, adhering to processes, and maintaining regular training is critical ," says CDF Information Security Manager, David Huang.

New National Platform for Catholic Events Launches: Introducing CathEvents Australia

March 31, 2025

Media Release A new online hub for Catholic events, CathEvents, has officially launched, providing a central platform for Catholics across Australia to find, share, and promote events that foster connection, faith, and Catholic leadership. CathEvents has been developed through the foresight and leadership of the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (AMPJP), in partnership with and supported by the Catholic Development Fund (CDF). This innovative initiative is designed to serve as Australia’s pre-eminent site for Catholic events, creating new opportunities for individuals and organisations to engage with one another and grow in their fa ith. For some years, Catholic events have been promoted to members on the AMPJP website, but in response to the call of the Plenary Council and Synod on Synodality to increase formation, AMPJP has established CathEvents as a national service to all Catholics and Catholic organisations. "CathEvents represents an important step in connecting Catholic communities around Australia. It is a place where anyone—whether from a parish, school, ministry, or community group—can easily find and share events that bring many more people together in faith and fellowship," said Moira Najdecki, Chair of AMPJP. The platform features a wide variety of events, including retreats, workshops, conferences, faith formation sessions, leadership training and special celebrations. It is designed to be user-friendly, enabling organisations to submit events for free and allowing visitors to search by category, location, and date. "We are proud to support CathEvents as part of our commitment to strengthening Catholic communities," said Brendan Hoy, General Manger Client Services at CDF. " This platform will provide a valuable resource for all those across the sector seeking to learn, grow and engage more deeply with their faith or one another." Key Features of CathEvents: Comprehensive listing of Catholic events nationwide. Easy-to-use search and filter functions. Free event submission for Catholic organisations and groups. Focus on community connection, faith formation and leadership development. CathEvents is now live and can be accessed at: www.cathevents.org.au Catholic organisations, parishes, schools, and individuals are warmly invited to visit the site, explore upcoming events, and contribute their own events to share with the wider community. Please note - CathEvents is not associated with CathNews, and is a separate service to the Australian Catholic community. About AMPJP The Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (AMPJP) is a national association of Catholic entities entrusted with the mission of governance and leadership within the Church. Its member organisations minister in health, aged care, community services and education. AMPJP promotes collaboration, formation, and shared mission among Catholic organisations. About Catholic Development Fund (CDF) CDF provides financial solutions to Catholic organisations that balance margin and mission for the common good. Guided by Catholic Social Teaching, CDF supports Catholic schools, parishes, healthcare, aged care, and social service facilities, primarily through funding capital development projects, that strengthen the Church’s mission and ensure its lasting impact on the community. For media enquiries, please contact: Martin Teulan Executive Director, AMPJP 0408 867 046 executive.director@ampjp.org.au For website enquiries and advertising, please contact: Tony Biviano Project Leader 0448 465 128 cathevents@ampjp.org.au

Congratulations to Bishop George Kolodziej, the new Bishop of Bunbury

March 24, 2025

Catholic Development Fund (CDF) congratulates Bishop George Kolodziej SDS on his ordination and installation as the fifth Bishop of Bunbury. The ceremony took place on March 19, 2025, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, at St Patrick's Cathedral in Bunbury. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), presided over the ceremony as principal consecrator, and was joined by more than 19 bishops from across Australia, including CDF’s Board Member Most Rev. Anthony J. Ireland, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne. Tim O’Leary, CDF Deputy Chair of the Board, and Matthew Cassin, CDF Chief Executive Officer, were also in attendance amongst distinguished guests. Apostolic Nuncio Charles Balvo presented the Papal Bull during the ceremony, which brought together the entire Bunbury Catholic community—clergy, seminarians, acolytes, altar servers, musicians, choir members, Salvatorian priests from across Australia, and representatives from Catholic Education Western Australia Ltd and Catholic Religious Australia. In his poignant homily, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted the significance of Bishop George's middle name being Joseph, noting, "Perhaps today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, we might look to him as a model of this tender and compassionate presence to others, a model especially, though not only, for our soon-to-be Bishop George."

CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.