We caught up with the man behind the phishing emails, our very own Cyber Security Analysist, Wayne Cheung.
We sat down with Wayne at the Sydney Fish Markets over one of their signature dishes, Fresh Lobster Noodles, and a crisp white wine. Wayne dished up some interesting tips on how to stay cyber safe in 2023.
Wayne, we know you’re into Phishing, but what exactly does your role entail?
As Paramount ANZ’s Cyber Security Analyst, I wear many hats but ultimately, I support risk management and work with people to make sure the business functions securely.
I try to bolster our defenses as much as possible, to make it harder for the bad guys to get in and add more layers of defense so that if they do hack their way through, there will be less damage.
I also make sure less phishing emails come into your inboxes. I get a glimpse at the simulation phishing emails you guys all get!
What are some top tips you can give us on how to be cyber-secure in 2023?
Don’t trust all people you see posting photos of puppies online. 85% of them are statistically scammers.
There are over 1 billion malware programs in the world, and more than 500,000 NEW malware are detected daily.
The Australian cybersecurity centre receives a report of cybercrime every 7 minutes!
The threat is closer than you think. So, that’s why we hound you to update your software and devices, to protect you from these newly detected malware that exploit known weaknesses in your system.
We love you so much that we hug your inbox tight with reminders.
But let’s say you did get hacked, or you lost your laptop, all that data of yours could be gone or locked up from ransomware. Good news, you can always recover your data if you back up your files.
What do you love most about working at Paramount?
Paramount fosters a community that nurtures support. From my previous role in the Desktop Services team, I was offered the opportunity to dive deep into cybersecurity. It proved to me that my managers were very trusting, supportive and understanding towards my career growth. And they’ve been very patient with my many questions about this field.
We heard on the grape vine that you haven’t always been in the IT industry?
I’ve been a fashion photographer for over a decade (including basically shooting everything you can imagine from weddings to events to interiors).
I’ve shot campaigns for major Australian fashion retailers (I probably influenced you to wear something from them), photographed some of Australia’s next top models and many recognisable faces in shopfronts.
Other than that, I’ve also filled in as a light stand, test model, graphic designer, creative director, 3D modeller, composite retoucher, and much more.
Who is Wayne outside of Paramount? What do you love to do in your spare time?
I’ve put my camera down temporarily to enjoy a slower pace of life.
I love cooking and interior designing (I always look around for inspiration for my own home!).
Something more related to my new role is recently tinkering with servers and creating environments to better understand how we can protect our system at Paramount ANZ.
