A major, global cyber attack could trigger an average of $US53 billion ($68 billion) of economic losses, a report says.

• Anthony Caruana

Citing a UN report that says Australia is lagging on cybersecurity cooperation, Labor's spokeswoman on cyber security and defence says our fall from fourth place to seventh is 'a direct result of the Turnbull government's failure to effectively implement its own cyber security strategy and engage with international partners'.

• Tony Yoo

Bupa's international health insurance arm was hit by a malicious act in its UK office, putting the private information of almost 20,000 Australian customers in danger.

• Tim Biggs

The government has further detailed legislation, to be introduced this year, which will oblige tech companies and telcos to assist law enforcement in accessing encrypted information.

• Jessica Sier

Eugene Kaspersky, the colourful Russian cyber security executive, says technology companies must respect the individual's privacy and products should not be made to be broken.

• Liam Mannix

Thought you had dodged a speeding fine? You haven't been so lucky.

• Jack Stubbs and Matthias Williams

Hijacking the servers of a company which makes a popular accounting program, hackers sent false software updates to around a million computers, which kicked off the massive worldwide spread of 'NotPetya' last week. Experts now believe the apparent mass ransom attempt was merely a cover for something more nefarious, and Ukrainian authorities are scrambling to untangle it.

• Tim Biggs

A confronting report shows that a vendor on the dark web can pull up the full Medicare card details of any Australian on request — and is selling them for around $30 each — indicating a security hole somewhere in the health system.

Australia's cyber intelligence agency will be given the power to launch offensive operations to shut down foreign criminal networks, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced.

Increasingly sophisticated ransomware assaults now have cybersecurity experts questioning what the attackers are truly after. Is it money? Mayhem? Delivering a political message?

• Tim Biggs

Security experts are warning that a quick-spreading new ransomware attack may have more tricks up its sleeve than the previous WannaCry software that crippled thousands of computers worldwide last month.

• Joel Schectman, Dustin Volz and Jack Stubbs

Western technology companies, including Cisco, IBM and SAP, are acceding to demands by Moscow for access to closely guarded product security secrets in order to sell their products in Russia.

• Finbar O'Mallon

The government departments are using services from tech company that helped FBI hack smartphones.

• Dustin Volz and Julia Edwards Ainsley

A total of 21 US state election systems were breached as part of Russian campaign, Congress hears, while a leaked video of Donald Trump discussing sexual conquests served to distract the US public.

• Tony Yoo

Westpac customers have been targeted by criminals in a malicious email campaign this week that attempts to collect their personal and banking information.

• COMMENT
• Leonid Bershidsky

Trump's next Twitter misfire could be deadly serious if his account isn't better protected.

• Patricia Hurtado

Target has agreed to pay $US18.5 million ($24.78 million) to settle investigations by dozens of US states over a 2013 hack of its database, in which the personal information of millions of customers was stolen.

• Ju-min Park and James Pearson

North Korea's main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks, according to defectors, officials and internet security experts.

• Kieran Gair

People who share or post sexually explicit images of others without their consent will face tough new penalties if a national proposal to combat revenge porn is passed into law.