The Australian Cyber Security Center (ACSC), under the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), has released its seventh annual Cyber Threat Report, which reviews the cybersecurity trends that impacted Australia during the 2025–2026 financial year.
And the report highlights the continued rise in cybercrime reporting and incident responses, along with growing concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence in reshaping the landscape of cyber threats. The findings aim to help individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure operators and government entities enhance their ability to address cyber risks.
During the reporting period, the Australian Cyber Security Center received more than 82,000 reports of cybercrime, an average of one every six minutes. It has also responded to more than 1,500 cybersecurity incidents and issued more than 4,400 notices to Australian authorities about potentially malicious cyber activities.
And the number of notifications represented an increase of nearly 80% compared to the previous year.
Artificial Intelligence Expands Scope of Cyber Threats
The report identifies artificial intelligence as an increasingly influential factor in the evolution of cyber threats. And the Australian Center for Cyber Security explained that artificial intelligence enables malicious actors to carry out cyber attacks, scams and phishing campaigns on a larger scale, more quickly and with higher levels of sophistication.
The center warned that these techniques make online scams more convincing and operationally efficient.
These findings reflect broader concerns in Australia's public and private sectors about the misuse of emerging technologies. And recent initiatives that examine the relationship between artificial intelligence and cybercrime include a specialized training course organized by a university on the role of artificial intelligence in digital crimes, which dealt with how to change advanced tools of crime methods and methods of investigation and response to them.
The center also noted that cybersecurity remains a shared responsibility. And he called on institutions and individuals to adhere to strong practices of cyber hygiene, as the attacking parties continue to exploit the gaps in digital networks, devices and services.
Guidance for businesses and critical infrastructure
In conjunction with the flagship report, the Australian Center for Cyber Security has issued guidance bulletins dedicated to individuals, businesses, institutions and operators of critical infrastructure. These materials offer practical risk mitigation tips, with the aim of reducing exposure to common cyber threats.
The publication of the report comes as Australian authorities continue to expand cybersecurity awareness programs and enhance digital capabilities. In Queensland, the state government recently expanded the use of AI training initiatives for small businesses, a move that reflects growing recognition of the interconnectedness between cyber resilience and digital literacy.
The report also aligns with broader government efforts to improve technical readiness to counter evolving cyber threats. Earlier this year, Australian authorities issued guidance on the use of "cryptographic and software camouflage" tools designed to hide malware activity, warning against their use to bypass detection systems and facilitate malicious operations.
Focus on practical cyber hygiene procedures
The Australian Center for Cyber Security has stressed that routine security practices remain essential, despite the increasing complexity of threats. He urged Australians to use strong and secure passwords, install software updates as they become available, activate multi-factor authentication, and stay vigilant about suspicious messages and communications.
For organizations, the report emphasizes the importance of raising staff awareness, developing incident response plans and conducting regular security monitoring.
Critical infrastructure operators are encouraged to assess the changing risks associated with interconnected systems and emerging digital technologies.
The annual Cyber Threat Report is part of Australia's broader national cybersecurity strategy and provides insight into how government agencies are responding to changing digital risks.
And through the publication of operational trends and risk mitigation guidance, the Australian Cyber Security Center seeks to support the implementation of more consistent security practices in the public and private sectors.
Highlights of the report
- 82,000 and more: Cybercrime reported during the fiscal year 2025-2026.
- Report every 6 minutes: the average number of reports received by the center.
- More than 1,500 cybersecurity incidents responded to by the center.
- Over 4400: Notice of potentially malicious cyber activities.
- 80%: increase in notifications compared to the previous year.
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