Media Mentions

Michael is frequently asked to provide comment to the media, mostly in Australia and New Zealand, but also for some international press as well.

2022

• World Backup Day a reminder for SMEs to look at cyber security, Public Accountant, 24 March 2022
• Businesses warned over state-sponsored cyber attacks, Inside Small Business, 24 March 2022
• It’s World Backup Day: How do you know your files are secure?, Kochie’s Business Builders, 31 March 2022
• On World Backup Day, Tesserent CIO Michael McKinnon explores cybersecurity, backups and more in 2022 and beyond, iTWire, 31 March 2022

• Australian retailers are a key target for cyber criminals, RetailBiz, 29 April 2022
• Digilantism expected to rise in 2023 – security report, Security Brief Australia, 30 November 2022
• AI Advances Elevate Threat Levels, Australian Cybersecurity Magazine, 19 December 2022

2021

• Five ways Australian retailers can fight back against cyber criminals, RetailBiz, 24 February 2021
• Scale Of Microsoft Exchange Cyberattack ‘Rare And Disturbing’, Channel News, 12 March 2021
• ‘Criminals are looking for the easiest payoff’: Six quick fixes to boost your cybersecurity, Smart Company, 10 June 2021
• BEC scams hit construction companies; ACSC issues medium alert, iTWire, 8 July 2021
• Email scams on COVID-stressed staff surge, The Australian, 14 July 2021
• Critical Infrastructure Bill: Expert’s Advice, CRN, 8 September 2021
• Tesserent raises $25m, two new acquisitions in the works, CRN, 28 September 2021
• Ransomware extortion tactics put businesses in a fix, Australian Financial Review, 19 November 2021
• MICHAEL MCKINNON – Security Blind Spots, IDentity Today Podcast, 17 November 2021

2020

• The Get Resilient Show Episode #29, Podcast with Garrett O’Hara, 1 September 2020
• Live interview on the topic of the Dark Web, Ticker TV, 24 July 2020
• Getting hacked is inevitable – how do you prepare?, Pure Security Corporate Video, 6 July 2020
• Australian workers frustrated it took coronavirus pandemic to work from home, Herald Sun, 8 October 2020
• Organisations must get cyber risk settings right, Australian Financial Review, 12 October 2020

2019

• The CISO and the Gun Slinger!, AusCERT Conference Plenary, 30 May 2019

2018

• “The Big Security Debate” Melbourne Edition – Offensive vs Defensive, 6 February 2018
• BSides Canberra (Speaker) – “Hacking Deterministic Bitcoin Addresses”, 14 April 2018

• “The Big Security Debate” – Sydney Edition Offensive vs Defensive, 31 January 2018

2017

• Fake Facebook customer support lines are catching out unsuspecting users: Are you safe from scams?, Smart Company, 3 February 2017
• Companies will soon be required to notify customers and Privacy Commissioner of data breaches, Smart Company, 14 February 2017
• Amazon Web Services outage caused by human error: How to protect your business systems from mistakes, Smart Company, 3 March 2017
• ASIC scam email sent to tens of thousands of recipients: How to protect your business from ransomware, Smart Company, 7 March 2017
• WikiLeaks imperils security of Turnbull’s message system, The Australian, 8 March 2017
• ATO faces parliamentary inquiry after audit raises concerns about its “cyber resilience”, Smart Company, 10 April 2017
• SMEs using Windows Vista advised to switch as Microsoft ends operating system’s support, Smart Company, 12 April 2017
• What you need to know about the malicious Google Docs “worm” email hitting thousands of accounts, Smart Company, 4 May 2017
• Thousands of inboxes hit by “nasty” Origin Energy scam email, Smart Company, 11 May 2017
• What you need to know about “Adylkuzz”, the stealthy ransomware attack that could be bigger than “WannaCry”, Smart Company, 18 May 2017
• Thousands hit by fraudulent ASIC email, as SMEs warned of an EOFY scam rush, Smart Company, 30 May 2017
• Snap trap: Fake Paypal email scam asks victims to take selfie, steals credit card and identity info, Smart Company, 20 June 2017
• “Petya” ransomware knocks out companies across the globe: What Australian businesses need to know, Smart Company, 28 June 2017
• Credit card details of Aussie businesses may be for sale on online “dark web” marketplaces, Smart Company, 5 July 2017
• Data breach at health insurer Bupa affects 500,000 customer records after “deliberate act” by rogue employee, Smart Company, 18 July 2017
• Protect your business from fraud (Partner Content), Smart Company, 4 August 2017
• ACCC warns more than 300 Australians have been stung by NBN scams: Why you should “never trust a cold caller”, Smart Company, 22 August 2017
• “Bad Rabbit” ransomware starts to spread across Europe: How to stay protected from “old-school” attacks, Smart Company, 26 October 2017

2016

• The 25 worst passwords of 2015 revealed, Smart Company, 20 Jan 2016
• Warning to small business operators over SMS banking scam, Smart Company, 11 Feb 2016
• Gumtree hack a reminder not to have a “set and forget” mentality, Smart Company, 3 May 2016
• Warning to Small Business as 10,000+ hit with AGL Scam, Smart Company, 6 June 2016
• How Mark Zuckerberg’s accounts got hacked – stop it happening to you, Smart Company, 9 June 2016
• Small Businesses targeted by Facebook scam: Lessons for your business, Smart Company, 15 August 2016
• SME’s warned to beware of attacks as Dropbox breach affects 60 million, Smart Company, 2 September 2016
• (Podcast) Dropbox breach exposes email and passwords of 68 million users, ESET Blog, 8 September 2016
• More than 500 million users caught up in Yahoo security breach, Smart Company, 23 September 2016 – syndicated to Startup Smart also.
• Over 1000 unauthorised .au domains deleted as regulatory body doubles down, Smart Company, 10 October 2016
• (Podcast) Conversations 16: Reflections on Ruxcon 2016, Corrupted Nerds, 4 December 2016

2015

• Smart technology may make your home a target, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 1 Apr 2015
• How To Run Android 4.4 on PC/Mac with VirtualBox, PC & Tech Authority, 13 Feb 2015
• How to book and enjoy your holiday safely this summer, LifeHacker Australia, 15 Dec 2015
• Experts speak: the big security predictions for 2016, ARN, 8 Dec 2015
• Why protecting your small business against cyber attack is crucial, The Huffington Post, 23 Oct 2015
• ATO boosts service access via apps and voice authentication, The Age (IT PRO), 1 Dec 2015
• We don’t need an amateur small-business infosec army, ZDNet The Full Tilt, 27 Nov 2015
• The 5 most important hacks of the last five years, CSO Australia, 18 Oct 2015
• Only 2% of small businesses make cybersecurity a priority, Smart Company, 14 Oct 2015
• Online retailer Patagonia hacked: how to protect your customers, Smart Company, 29 Oct 2015
• Russian hackers target Australian investors, Smart Company, 6 Aug 2015
• Malcolm Turnbull asks colleagues to start using Slack, 15 Oct 2015
• (Podcast) Conversations 13: Reflections on Ruxcon 2015, Corrupted Nerds, 1 November 2015
• BankVault uses cloud desktops to thwart banking hackers, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 8 Dec 2015

2014

• Fire at Stokehouse restaurant, The Age (my Tweet was published), 17 Jan 2014
• Security 101: Top tech tips to stay safe, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Feb 2014
• Privacyfix app for Android (it’s my hands and phone in the photo), WIRED Italy, 26 Feb 2014
• Eight tips to improve your Internet security, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 6 Aug 2014
• Online scammers just a click away, The Age, Green Guide & Fairfax publications, 3 Sep 2014
• Can voice commands turn Apple’s Siri against you?, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Sep 2014
• How eCommerce and Publishing could be harmed by Metadata surveillance, ABC Tech & Games, 7 Aug 2014
• Smartphones to leave keys and wallets behind, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Aug 2014
• The perils of metadata warehousing, ABC Tech & Games, 7 Aug 2014
• How phone habits flatten our batteries and brains, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Dec 2014

2013

• The Internet of Hackable Things, ABC Technology & Games Blog, 27 Feb 2013
• RBA Hack and the cyber cloak and dagger, The Australian, 12 March 2013
• Evernote hack yet another warning of cloud danger for Australian SMEs, Smart Company, 3 Mar 2013
• Seven basic steps to avoid being phished, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 1 April 2013
• Just Jeans Facebook hoax prompts warning to retailers, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 8 Jan 2013
• Hackers Ahoy! Batten Down The Hatches – Wordcamp 2013 Melbourne Speaker, 27 April 2013

2012

• MY BEST TECH: Michael McKinnon, Smart Company, 3 Oct 2012
• Online booming but all SME retailers need to face cybercrime threat, The Rust Report, 2 Oct 2012
• With a little help from WiFi, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 12 Aug 2012
• WiFi bunfight over hackers at Macca’s, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 7 Dec 2012
• Oops! Inside Telstra’s privacy blunder, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 19 May 2012
• The password dilemma, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Apr 2012
• Aussies held to ransom by nasty software & tips to avoid it, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 5 Nov 2012