October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, a global initiative that encourages individuals and businesses to strengthen their protection against online threats.
The 2025 theme — “Building our cyber safe culture” — reminds us that cyber safety isn’t just about technology; it’s about every organisation and every individual taking responsibility for keeping data secure.
With several major telco breaches still fresh in the news, it’s a timely reminder: whenever you enter personal details on any website, you’re trusting that company to protect your data.
At Family Car Rentals, we take that trust seriously. We may be a small company, but we have a big commitment to cybersecurity. We’ve signed on as Cyber Wardens, and we recommend that every business should do the same.
What information do you share when you Rent a Car Online?
The personal data required to hire a car typically includes:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Phone number
- Email address
- Driver’s licence number and expiry date
- Residential address
- Payment card details
- Dates, times, and location of your rental booking
Providing all this information creates a detailed personal profile — including when you’ll be away from home — so it’s crucial to ensure that it is sent securely to the right organisation.
Be alert and confident that your information is going where it should. The best assurance comes from third-party certification.
A single misplaced dot or a transposed letter (“ie” vs “ei”) can turn a legitimate web address or an email address into a fake clone. The second of our Four Key Layers of Online Security, DNSSEC, helps prevent exactly that.
The Four Key Layers of Online Security
1. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)
Many people regard HTTPS as the most crucial security measure for a website, but with today’s cybercrime sophistication, it is not enough to do the best protection job without further help.
Yes, it is your first line of defence; it is almost universally provided on websites, but the certification is separately supplied for each webpage.. Look for the https:// symbol prefix to the address of any webpage you are engaging.
HTTPS encrypts all information exchanged between your browser and the website using SSL or TLS technology.
Tip: Never submit personal details or payment information on a webpage with a name (URL) that does not begin with “https://.”
Our 2025 survey of Australian rental car operators found that 97.33% were HTTPS-certified. That means around 2.5% of websites remain unsafe — still too many for such a fundamental standard. Other media, such as Facebook Messenger or Marketplace does not have a universal verification such as the HTTPS facility for websites.
It took seven years to reach 42% participation (2018), and another seven years to get into the high 90% levels (2025).
2. DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extension)
As cybercriminals became more sophisticated, they began creating fake or “clone” websites to capture user data.
DNSSEC helps prevent this by cryptographically signing DNS data, confirming that you’re visiting the genuine website — not an imposter.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple visual cue for DNSSEC as there is for HTTPS, but you can check manually via sites like whatsmydns.net.
Our research found that only 6.67% of surveyed Australian car rental companies are DNSSEC-certified. Those include:
- Aussie Bargain Car Rentals – Sunshine Coast
- Broadbeach Bargain Car Rentals – Gold Coast
- Family Car Rentals – Gold Coast
- Hertz Australia – National
- Jucy Car Rental – National
For context, we also tested five major companies in each of the following categories: telcos, banks, superannuation funds, travel booking companies, and airlines.
The results were disappointing: only one telco (Vodafone) and one insurer (Allianz) were verified as DNSSEC-certified.
We found no banks, super funds, travel brokers, or airlines offering third-party certification at an equivalent security level. In short, most industries provide no external evidence of their cybersecurity standards.
DNSSEC has been available since about 2012, but 13 years later it seems to have stalled at around 7% within the rental car industry, and perhaps no better in other industries.
3. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
This protocol applies to any business processing online payments. It ensures that cardholder data is encrypted and managed securely.
PCI DSS certification is harder to verify externally (it often requires test transactions), but we estimate that only around 15% of rental car operators achieve compliance — usually through third-party payment providers.
To our knowledge, only two Australian rental car companies currently hold all three digital security certifications:
- Aussie Bargain Car Rentals – Sunshine Coast
- Family Car Rentals – Gold Coast
4. Privacy Policy Compliance
Under the Privacy Act 1988, every business collecting personal data must display a compliant Privacy Policy before collecting any customer information.
Our 2025 survey found:
- 25.33% had no Privacy Statement at all
- 37.33% had non-compliant or inadequate statements
- Only 37.33% were fully compliant
In other words, nearly two-thirds of the industry falls short of basic privacy law requirements.
Businesses have a legal obligation to make a Privacy Policy Statement available to you prior to obtaining personal data from you. Would you really trust a business that carried out their obligation by having a statement in their Terms and Conditions to the effect that “We value your Privacy?”
What this means for you as a Customer
If you’re not vigilant, you could easily be sharing personal data with a company that:
- Doesn’t comply with privacy law
- Has only one layer of online security (HTTPS)
- Or worse — lacks even that
Cyber safety isn’t just the responsibility of big corporations. Every organisation that conducts business online, should do its part to safeguard customer trust.
At Family Car Rentals, we’re proud to be among the few companies certified for all three major security protocols and fully compliant with Australian Privacy Law. So far we have found only one other rental company that ticks all four boxes, this being Aussie Bargain Car Rentals on the Sunshine Coast.
How the Industry Measures Up
Below is a snapshot from our 2025 Cyber Security Survey of Australian Car Rental Operators.
It shows how the surveyed companies meet each major online-security or privacy benchmark:
| Security Layer / Standard | Purpose | % of Car Rental Operators Compliant |
|---|---|---|
| HTTPS | Encrypts your connection and protects data during transmission | 98.67% |
| DNSSEC | Confirms you’re visiting the genuine website, not a fake clone | 6.67% |
| PCI DSS | Protects your payment card information during transactions | ≈15% |
| Privacy Act 1988 Compliance | Ensures legal protection and disclosure of how your data is used | 37.33% |
Key Insight:
While most operators now use HTTPS, far fewer adopt deeper protection layers such as DNSSEC; Payment Card Protection; or full Privacy Act compliance.
Final Word: Building a Cyber-Safe Culture
The 2025 theme reminds us that cyber safety depends on everyday vigilance. Whether you’re booking a car, flight, or hotel, always check for signs of digital security before sharing your details.
At Family Car Rentals, protecting your data isn’t just a technical requirement — it’s a core part of how we do business.
Posted By darryl
Updated : 9th October 2025 | Words : 1154 | Views : 529
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