{"id":221389,"date":"2026-05-27T23:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T03:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/cybersecurity-issues-facing-australias-2026-census-information-age\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T00:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T04:00:12","slug":"cybersecurity-issues-facing-australias-2026-census-information-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/cybersecurity-issues-facing-australias-2026-census-information-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity issues facing Australia’s 2026 Census | Information Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cybersecurity issues facing Australia’s 2026 Census | Information Age<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/ia.acs.org.au\/article\/2026\/cybersecurity-issues-facing-australia-s-2026-census.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-27 23:48:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: ia.acs.org.au<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

\t Australia’s 2026 Census is expected to face cybersecurity threats as more people complete the form online. Image: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

\t The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) must strengthen its cybersecurity preparedness ahead of the 2026 Census in August, an audit of the government agency\u2019s ICT environment has found.
\nThe review of ABS cybersecurity, published on Wednesday by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), found vulnerabilities remained ahead of the Census \u2013 which is expected to see around 85 per cent of Australian residents share their household and demographic details online on Tuesday, 11 August.
\nDelays in identifying cybersecurity vulnerabilities had been caused by \u201cinsufficient consideration to holistic planning\u201d by ABS, the audit found.
\n\u201cWhile the ABS responded quickly and continued to address these vulnerabilities during the audit, this response has required deployment of significant cybersecurity experts for an extended period beyond that originally anticipated,\u201d the ANAO said.
\n\u201cTo be ready for the 2026 Census, the ABS must address key remaining cybersecurity vulnerabilities by ensuring critical activities will be completed in time.\u201d
\nWhile the audit found ABS is monitoring cybersecurity risks and testing its systems using threat modelling, it suggested the agency had left \u201cshortcomings\u201d in the completeness and timeliness of its risk reviews.
\nABS agrees to audit recommendations
\nANAO shared four recommendations with ABS, including improving its risk management, reviewing its security documentation, and \u201caddressing risks stemming from the broader ABS ICT environment\u201d.
\nABS said it agreed to all four recommendations and told ANAO \u201call will be implemented before the 2026 Census\u201d.
\nIn a statement, ABS said two of the recommendations had already been implemented in full.
\n\u201cWe have a range of processes and protections that make sure information in Census forms stays confidential,\u201d the agency said.
\n\u201cWe continuously reassess cyber threats and risks, prioritise controls for critical systems, actively adjust as vulnerabilities emerge, and integrate planning across our IT systems.
\n\u201c… Our digital infrastructure is accredited, securely hosted in Australia, and aligned with recognised cybersecurity and information assurance standards.\u201d
\nThe budget for the 2026 Census is $726 million, up from around $565 million spent on the 2021 Census.
\nA conversational AI chatbot named Claire will be used for the first time in 2026, after 2021\u2019s chatbot only answered predefined questions.
\nAs AI chatbots can hallucinate and sometimes share false information, Claire can \u201cbe turned off quickly if adverse outcomes are detected\u201d, according to the ANAO audit.<\/p>\n

While the 2026 Census can be filled out on paper, around 85 per cent of forms are expected to be completed online. Image: ABS \/ Supplied
\nDigital Census faces digital threats
\nThe Census takes place every five years and has been digital-first since 2016.
\nAs the nation\u2019s largest data collection exercise, it is consistently targeted by cyber threat actors and scammers, and its cybersecurity was seen as \u201ca key risk\u201d by ANAO.
\nThe online Census form was closed for around 40 hours in 2016, after several distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks targeted the site.
\nThe incident led to a Senate inquiry and the government reached a confidential settlement with tech giant IBM, which had been contracted to deliver the online Census platform.
\nAfter around 1 billion cyberattacks were allegedly repelled during the 2021 Census, Australia\u2019s Auditor-General urged ABS to strengthen its cybersecurity posture.
\nAn ABS spokesperson told Information Age that Australians should complete the Census “through official ABS channels to avoid scams or false information”.
\n“The ABS will never ask you to provide or confirm your bank details or tax file number for the Census,” they said.
\n“We\u2019ll never offer or provide prizes or incentives for people to complete their Census form.\u202f\u202f
\n“If you get any suspicious communication, don\u2019t click on any links or provide information over the phone.”
\nABS said the 2026 Census will be supported by experts from Australia\u2019s cyber intelligence agency the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), as well as the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll keep engaging with our trusted partners in government and the private sector to maintain data quality, privacy, security and availability of the IT systems underpinning the Census,\u201d ABS said.<\/p>\n

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