Transporting New Zealand supports plans to toll the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass (B2P)
Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Tech and Security – Ransomware Hits New Peak: Zscaler Finds Data Theft Nearly Doubles to 238TB in One Year
Source: Zscaler
Key Findings:
- Ransomware attacks blocked by the Zscaler cloud rose 146% globally, the sharpest spike observed in the past three years.
- Public extortion cases jumped by 70% based on data leak site analysis.
- Data exfiltration volumes increased 92%.
- The United States remains the top ransomware attack target, while Australia ranked among the eight most-targeted countries globally and second most in APAC region.
- Australia saw a 110% year-over-year increase in ransomware attacks, with the manufacturing, healthcare, and government sectors being the most heavily impacted.
SYDNEY, Australia – 10 September 2025 – Zscaler, Inc., the leader in cloud security, today published its annual Zscaler ThreatLabz 2025 Ransomware Report. The report examines the latest trends shaping the ransomware threat landscape, revealing how attacks are adapting and escalating. It highlights the most targeted sectors and regions, profiles the most active ransomware families, analyses shifting attack methodologies, and provides actionable recommendations to help organisations strengthen their defences. ThreatLabz’s findings underscore the critical importance of organisations adopting a comprehensive Zero Trust Everywhere strategy. This approach is essential to prevent ransomware and other malicious threats from lateral movement and compromising sensitive user data, applications, and information.
“The sharp rise in ransomware attacks in Australia reinforces a critical truth that no organisation is immune and no region is off-limits,” said Heng Mok, CISO-in-Residence, Asia Pacific & Japan at Zscaler. “This escalation reflects not just a growing number of adversaries, but the increasing sophistication of their tactics, often powered by GenAI. Leveraging AI tools such as ChatGPT and other dark web variants means that threat actors, regardless of sophistication level, can create more efficient, scalable and automated attacks democratising both the effort and costs of an attack. Now is the moment for businesses and government leaders across ANZ and APAC to reassess their cyber resilience and business aligned cyber strategies. What’s required is a fundamental shift in strategy towards a modern defensible architecture, one that embraces Zero Trust as the new foundation for security.”
Data Demand Fuels Steady Attack Growth
Ransomware attacks globally are intensifying at an alarming rate, with attempted attacks blocked in the Zscaler cloud up 146% year-over-year. This escalation reflects a strategic shift: ransomware groups are increasingly prioritising data theft and extortion over data encryption, with sensitive data leaked online when victims fail to pay. Accordingly, the report details a 92% increase in the total volume of exfiltrated data by 10 major ransomware groups in the past year, rising from 123 TB to 238 TB. This emphasis on data theft—and the threat of exposure—allows attackers to exert greater pressure on victims, amplifying the impact of ransomware on organisations globally including reputational damage, regulatory fines and an erosion of customer trust.The long-term impact goes beyond just the immediate disruption. It puts an organisation’s reputation, day-to-day operations, and overall strategy at risk. Losing customer trust can hurt a company’s standing and value, while fines from regulators add to the damage. As ransomware attacks become more advanced, businesses must work harder to protect their sensitive data and stay safe.
Industries Under Siege
In Australia, ransomware activity has surged particularly in the manufacturing, healthcare, and government sectors, closely mirroring global trends. Cybercriminals continue to focus on the high-stakes environments of the Manufacturing (1,063 attacks), Technology (922), and Healthcare (672) sectors, making them the most frequently hit by ransomware over the past year. These industries are particularly vulnerable due to the potential for operational disruption, the sensitivity of stolen data, and the associated risks of reputational damage and regulatory fallout.
The Oil & Gas sector has seen a staggering increase in ransomware attacks, spiking over 900% year-over-year. This surge is likely a result of increased automation of systems that control critical infrastructure, including drilling rigs and pipelines, expanding the sector’s attack surface, coupled with outdated security practices.
Ransomware Operators Focus on Digitally Mature, High-Value Economies
Leak site data highlights a distinct geographic disparity, with victims in the United States accounting for 50% of ransomware attacks, significantly outpacing Canada (5%) and the United Kingdom (4%). Ransomware attacks in the U.S. more than doubled to 3,671, exceeding the combined total number of attacks reported across all other countries in the top 15 most-targeted countries.
Leak site data found that Australia also saw one of the highest year-over-year increase in ransomware incidents, ranking as the 8th most impacted country globally and 2nd in the APAC region rising 110% from 73 to 153 attacks. This surge reflects how threat actors are expanding their focus beyond traditional hotspots to include countries like Australia, where digital transformation, critical infrastructure, and healthcare vulnerabilities are rising in parallel.
Ransomware Groups Driving the Surge
Several highly active groups continued to dominate the ransomware ecosystem, with RansomHub leading the pack, claiming the highest number of publicly named victims globally at 833. Akira and Clop have both moved up in the ransomware attack rankings since last year. Akira, associated with 520 victims, has steadily expanded its reach through numerous affiliates and initial access brokers. Clop, known for its focus on supply chain attacks, is close behind with 488 victims, employing an effective strategy of exploiting vulnerabilities in commonly used third-party software.
Zscaler ThreatLabz identified 34 newly active ransomware families over the past year, bringing the total number tracked to 425 since their research began, and has a public GitHub repository that now hosts 1,018 ransomware notes, with 73 added in the last year.
How Zscaler Stops Ransomware with Zero Trust + AI
Ransomware flourishes in environments with fragmented security, limited visibility, implicit trust, and outdated legacy architectures that amplify risk rather than reduce it. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange mitigates these risks by replacing traditional, network-centric models with a cloud-native, AI-driven zero trust architecture, and stops ransomware at every stage of the attack life cycle by:
- Minimising the attack surface
- Preventing initial compromise
- Eliminating lateral movement
- Blocking data exfiltration
Additional AI-powered ransomware protections from Zscaler include:
- Breach prediction
- Phishing and C2 detection
- Inline sandboxing
- Zero Trust Browser
- Segmentation
- Dynamic, risk-based policy
- Data discovery and classification
- Data loss prevention (DLP) controls
Download the Report
Get the full ThreatLabz 2025 Ransomware Report to explore how Zscaler ThreatLabz plays an active role in protecting enterprises worldwide. Download today.
Research Methodology
The research methodology for this report is a comprehensive process that uses multiple data sources to identify and track ransomware trends. The ThreatLabz team collected data between April 2024 and April 2025 from sources including the Zscaler global security cloud, and the team’s own analysis of ransomware samples and attack data.
About ThreatLabz
ThreatLabz is the security research arm of Zscaler. This world-class team is responsible for hunting new threats and ensuring that the thousands of organisations using the global Zscaler platform are always protected. In addition to malware research and behavioural analysis, team
members are involved in the research and development of new prototype modules for advanced threat protection on the Zscaler platform and regularly conduct internal security audits to ensure that Zscaler products and infrastructure meet security compliance standards. ThreatLabz regularly publishes in-depth analyses of new and emerging threats on its portal, research.zscaler.com.
About Zscaler
Zscaler accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across more than 150 data centers globally, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange™ is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.
Environment – “Will they protect freshwater?” – Greenpeace reveals Environment Canterbury candidate scorecard
Source: Greenpeace
Local News – Porirua events to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Source: Porirua City Council
Federated Farmers – Farmers blindsided by $4000 winter grazing charges
Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers – Warning of carbon forestry threat to Central North Island
Source: Federated Farmers
Health – Telehealth does nothing to cut emergency department wait times, GP shortages
Source: GenPro Telehealth has a place in modern medicine but it will never replace the benefits of a face-to-face consultation and continuity of care, the General Practice Owners Association says. |
“All the research shows that presenting and being treated by a family doctor results in the best outcomes for the health system and patients, especially those with multiple conditions,” says GenPro Chair Dr Angus Chambers. Dr Chambers says the government is very good at trumpeting the benefits of its new telehealth service, but is papering over the problems in primary healthcare. “It’s no wonder we’re seeing these numbers when the government has subsidised this service at a far higher rate than it funds general practice. “Telehealth has done nothing to reduce demand for free treatment, which causes over crowding and long wait times in emergency departments. “And it is worsening the shortage of GPs in clinics. An example being one of the telehealth services growing from five doctors to 75 in the space of two years – so that’s 70 fewer GPs examining patients.” Dr Chambers says that about one in five people who have a screen consultation are later required to visit a GP. “While telehealth has a role to play in the context of constraints for acute care, it is not helping the GP shortage, it is not reducing waiting times at emergency departments, and it is not a sensible alternative for patients with multiple morbidities requiring continuity of care. “GenPro would prefer that the lavish funding provided to the telehealth service is directed towards supporting general practices to employ more GPs and reduce wait times. “Evidence from the UK shows that telehealth does nothing to reduce emergency department attendance rates, time to cancer diagnosis, or to see a specialist. Telehealth might be convenient, but it is not best for many patients.” GenPro members are owners and providers of general practices and urgent care centres throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. For more information visit www.genpro.org.nz |
Warrant to arrest: Nerehana Wall
Source: New Zealand Police
Police are appealing to the public for information on the whereabouts of Nerehana Tetahi Wall, 35, who has a warrant for his arrest.
Police believe someone may have information on his whereabouts.
Wall is known to have connections in the Bay of Plenty, Auckland, Waikato and Wellington.
Anyone with information is urged not to approach him and instead to call 111 immediately and quote file number 250902/9473.
Alternatively information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre.
Coehl unveils iPhone 17 cases in soft colours and shimmer for the modern minimalist
Source: Media Outreach
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 September 2025 – Coehl has revealed its Resin Designer Series for iPhone 17, featuring translucent cases in soft pastels with delicate shimmer finishes. The four-piece collection ranges from sparkling silver to gentle lavender gradients, concealing high-level impact defense and wireless charging compatibility within subtle sophistication. Models Mirelle and Serina introduce a further gesture of ease, their integrated straps blending function with elegance to accompany you effortlessly throughout the day.
Crystelle shimmers with delicate glitter and a pearly shell glow, a luminous ode to light drifting between sea and sky.
The Resin Designer Series brings together four distinct expressions: Crystelle, Soléa, Lyra, and Rosara. Each design is a study in light, created to illuminate your device with subtle radiance or vibrant shimmer. Crystelle reflects a pearlescent glow, fresh and luminous. Soléa reveals a soft blush canvas, delicately scattered with heart-shaped sequins. Lyra draws inspiration from twilight skies, layering lavender tones with flecks of starlight. Rosara softens the palette with gentle pinks and fine holographic accents. Designed for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the series pairs graceful artistry with everyday function—magnetic charging compatibility and protection tested up to 8 feet.
Lyra blends twilight lavender with a delicate starry shimmer, capturing the calm beauty of dusk in motion.
Building on this foundation, Mirelle and Serina offer the same premium protection and magnetic charging capabilities with distinct design approaches. But where the Resin Designer Series emphasises visual appeal, Mirelle and Serina add mobility-focused features for those who value hands-free living and intuitive security.
Mirelle embodies quiet luxury with a refined textured finish, subtle metallic accents, and a matching lanyard for timeless elegance.
Mirelle embodies quiet luxury through its textured leatherette exterior with superior hybrid impact defense and subtle Champagne Gold metallic accents. Offered in four considered tones—Ebony, Shell Pink, Lint Green, and Pecan Brown—each piece is paired with a coordinating lanyard for subtle utility.
Serina reflects nature’s gentle moments, where sky, sand, and stillness converge — its fluid lines moving effortlessly with your day.
In contrast, Serina draws inspiration from nature’s serene horizons with the use of fluid lines. A smooth exterior repels fingerprints and debris, and an inner microfibre lining provides additional cushioning for inside-out resilience. Serina is complemented by a wrist strap and is available in tones of Dewdrop Blue, Cloud Pink, and Milk Sand for practical versatility.
While Mirelle is available for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Serina extends across the whole iPhone 17 lineup including iPhone 17 Air.
“With the iPhone 17 series, we set out to create accessories that feel as natural and intentional as the way you live. This collection goes beyond protection, it’s about grounding yourself in the essentials, moving with quiet confidence, and expressing your style with authenticity. Each piece is designed to integrate effortlessly into daily life, reflecting maturity and purpose while leaving space for personal expression. It’s a collection that embraces deliberate action and conscious living, positioning every accessory as part of a lifestyle that is simply rooted, intentional, and uniquely yours,” said Coehl’s Senior Lead Product Designer, Gladys Phan.
The Resin Designer Series, alongside Mirelle and Serina, launches as part of Coehl’s comprehensive iPhone 17 collection, which also includes the established IML Designer Cases and Waterfall Designer Cases. These three distinct lineups share consistent protective standards and magnetic charging capabilities for a well-rounded portfolio designed for the discerning, contemporary woman who values taste and reliability.
View the full Coehl iPhone 17 range at coehl.co. Stay connected with Coehl’s design journey on Instagram and Facebook, alongside a community of like-minded individuals who appreciate intentional style and sophisticated simplicity.
Hashtag: #Coehl
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.
SKINARMA’s biggest iPhone 17 case collection in years lands with survivalist design built to last
Source: Media Outreach
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 September 2025 – SKINARMA has dropped its new iPhone 17 case lineup, larger than last year’s, featuring fresh colorways and survivalist-inspired elements to coincide with Apple’s iPhone 17 launch and its latest colors and features. Now available on SKINARMA’s website, the collection spans over 10 distinct designs across the iPhone 17 series. It combines all-new styles with major updates to brand signatures.
SKINARMA introduces a new range of functional iPhone 17 cases with lanyard loops, grip-stands and more.
The MAGMA series leads as the flagship collection, featuring a semi-transparent case with metallic accents and matching aluminum buttons. The focus is MAGMA’s distinctive octagonal magnetic charging ring, which abandons traditional circular designs in favor of an industrial-tech concept. Available for iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, it comes in molten orange, complementing Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro in Orange, and black for users seeking a more discreet look.
The lineup introduces several never-before-seen collections. PHANTOM delivers rugged sophistication with leatherette panels, a structured silhouette, and an enhanced grip-stand for durability and functionality. MYST speaks to more feminine styling through holographic and dotted lumen finishes set within clean, minimalist geometry. VEKTOR takes a bolder approach with its forged carbon back and distinctive 1-1 finish, ensuring no two pieces are alike, while red accents evoke the precision of laser strikes. The drop rounds out with HAXA, SONIX, VIGOR, and AEGIS, targeting diverse preferences using different materials and finishes.
Among refreshed crowd-favorites, SPECTRA unveils intricate mech-tech detailing with visible circuitry patterns that borrow machine-inspired cues from EKHO, a SKINARMA best-seller from the iPhone 16 range. Receiving a full structural redesign is SAIDO, embracing a futuristic silhouette with statement touches like an updated magnetic charging ring and chunkier tactile side buttons. Meanwhile, HELIO showcases aggressive tech-graphic overlays while injecting energy through refreshed color treatments.
All cases come equipped with swappable lanyard loops for versatile carrying, while select models include fortified corner bumps for superior impact resistance. Additional standout features throughout the mix include magnetic charging compatibility, aluminum camera bezels, and full-length integrated grip-stands.
The package drives home SKINARMA’s ‘built to last’ promise while pushing the boundaries of streetwear conventions and functional design. The iPhone 17 collection ultimately operates as tactical gear engineered for modern-day survival needs, merging durability with contemporary style.
Explore the complete iPhone 17 collection and find your survival essential at SKINARMA.com. Unlock exclusive rewards and priority access through SKINARMA’s loyalty program. Follow SKINARMA on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes looks at survivalist-inspired innovation.
Hashtag: #Skinarma #Technology
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.