Keeping cyber attacks at bay
Fonterra says it takes the ongoing threat of 'adverse cyber action' extremely seriously.
That’s according to a new report released earlier this month by Kordia, the state-owned enterprise charged with delivering cyber security.
The New Zealand Business Cyber Security Report 2026 saw 247 surveyed business leaders from large New Zealand organisations late last year.
The report revealed that 44% of the businesses surveyed said they had suffered a successful cyber-attack in the 12 months prior to the survey period. This is a drop compared to the 59% reported in the 2025 report.
Patrick Sharp, general manager of Kordia-owned Aura Information Security, says organisations need to work out a response strategy long before they suffer an incident, and they also need to practice that strategy.
He says this means establishing who will manage the incident, who the decision makers are in relation to how severe the incident is, and everything involved in communicating with staff, customers, and regulators.
“As challenging as it can be, it’s critical that business directors and officers recognise their accountability before they’ve been breached. There are many passionate and capable cyber security professionals in New Zealand who can guide effective business advice on cyber resilience,” Sharp says.
“Security is not an insurmountable thing,” he says.
Meanwhile, of the 44% of businesses that reported being impacted by a cyber attack, 17% said personally identifiable information was either accessed or stolen and 21% were concerned this stolen data leading to blackmail or extortion.
One in three businesses said they would be willing to pay a ransom.
“Nobody wants to be faced with a ransom demand, but they can appear to make the immediate problem go away,” says Sharp.
“However, once a ransom is paid, there’s no guarantee a cybercriminal will honour the deal,” he adds.
“The best strategy is to work with the experts to build your cyber resilience, so you can continue operating and recover from an incident without having to give into criminal demands.”
