Oct. 15th, 2019, Australia’s Deakin University Prof. Matthew Warren, Deputy Director of the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation was in Vilnius to attend the Innovations SOCIN Conference. He also presented a lecture to MRU students.

The prolific author and cybersecurity expert urged computer users to stay virus free and avoid hackers by using multi-factor authentication requiring a mobile telephone. He also advised to be careful of using others cables or cords.

“It’s easier to steal your virtual credentials than your physical ones,” said Prof. Warren, who attended the Social Innovations (SOCIN) Conference in Vilnius.

“Hacking has become the new normal,” he said.

In Australia, considered a richer nation, hackers are targeting smaller businesses with less than 200 employees,” he noted. Smaller businesses have minimal levels of security and they are often a target of phone or other scams, he said.

He urged those that can to use Virtual Private Networks (VPN), which gives users an encrypted connection, that hackers find harder to crack.

In addition, he warned travelers and others to be careful in airports and not use just any cable or cord, when trying to log onto the Internet. “People often buy their own cables at the airport,” he added, which ensures that the cable is free of malware or a virus.

You can not tell the difference between a good cord and a bad cord, he said.

Also, when surfing the Internet, he urged users to be careful what advertising and ads they open. You can be redirected to a site that may be suspicious.

While Australia faces different challenges in the cyber sphere, Prof. Warren said he was in Vilnius to learn more about fake news and hybrid warfare.

“I am here to understand what is happening and partner with institutions – universities, to do joint research and safeguard Lithuania and Australia,” he said.

Prof. Warren conducts research in the areas of Cybersecurity, and Computer Ethics. He has authored and co-authored over 300 books, book chapters, journal papers and conference papers. He reviews research proposals submitted to the Australian Research Council and the South African National Research Foundation.

Prof. Warren is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.