Hackers and cybercrime prevention
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News
13 Mar 2024
Microsoft AI-powered cyber service to go live in April
After a year being previewed by beta customers, Microsoft’s much vaunted Copilot for Security service is about to go on general release, promising time savings and improved accuracy for hard-pressed security pros Continue Reading
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News
13 Mar 2024
British Library opens up over ransomware attack to help others
The British Library has opted for full transparency after experiencing a devastating ransomware attack, publishing details of the intrusion, its response and the lessons it has learned Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2024
More DDoS attacks launched against APAC financial firms
The financial sector in Asia-Pacific saw more DDoS attacks in 2023, but no notable impact was reported, according to a report by Akamai and FS-ISAC Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2024
Government not facing up to CNI cyber risks, committee warns
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has accused the government of burying its head in the sand over the cyber threat to UK critical infrastructure Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Mar 2024
Podcast: Immutable storage essential against ransomware, but...
...not all immutable storage is created equal. That’s the message from Paul Speciale of Scality, who looks at immutable storage, its variants and what’s needed to secure data Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2024
Dutch organisations vulnerable to deepfake fraud
With the information many employees share on social media, Dutch companies are especially vulnerable to a new form of fraud Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2024
Cash-strapped cyber pros go rogue on the dark web
Research conducted by CIISec has turned up worrying evidence of hard-up legitimate cyber professionals offering their services to the cyber criminal underground Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2024
Nation states buying hacking tools from underground Russian cyber forums
State-sponsored hacking groups, posing as hacktivists, are using Russian cyber crime forums to stock up on cyber weapons, says Check Point Software’s threat analyst, Sergey Shykevich Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Rapid7 hits out over botched vulnerability disclosure
Software development firm JetBrains and security specialist Rapid7 fall out over the handling of a critical vulnerability disclosure, while customers are left rushing to patch Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
ALPHV/BlackCat gang vanishes amid ransomware ‘turmoil’
Mystery surrounds the apparent disappearance of the ALPHV/BlackCat cyber crime gang amid reports that a prominent US victim paid a $22m ransom Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
American Express customers exposed through third-party breach
US card giant warns customers that their personal details may have been exposed after a third party experienced a systems breach Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Banning ransomware payments back on the agenda
The idea of banning ransomware payments to cyber criminals is back on the agenda, with former NCSC chief Ciaran Martin arguing that tougher measures need to be taken Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2024
The Security Interviews: Cyber security is about managing risk effectively
Effective cyber security must lead to cyber resilience – that is, the ability to anticipate, protect against, withstand and recover from any adverse condition, disruption or compromise, as Kyndryl’s security practice leader explains Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2024
Ivanti vulnerabilities explained: Everything you need to know
A series of vulnerabilities in Ivanti products have caused concern worldwide. Delve into some of the key issues arising from the Ivanti disclosures, looking at the vulnerabilities and their impact, what affected users should do, and learn about new developments Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2024
Fancy Bear sniffs out Ubiquiti router users
The authorities have warned users of Ubiquiti EdgeRouter products to take remedial action after a number of devices were hijacked into a malicious botnet by a Russian cyber espionage unit Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2024
APAC firms bullish on IT spending
More than half of organisations plan to spend more on key areas such as cyber security, generative AI and cloud in a sign of growing optimism across the region Continue Reading
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News
29 Feb 2024
Okta doubles down on cyber in wake of high-profile breaches
Okta launches Secure Identity Commitment to shore up its technology in the wake of a damaging breach and elevate best practice around identity Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
New version of ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware hits victims
An updated version of the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware has been spotted in the wild amid a series of attacks on American healthcare providers, prompting a new alert from the authorities Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
75% of third-party breaches target software, IT supply chains
Data drawn from SecurityScorecard’s telemetry reveals how supply chain breaches are becoming a weapon of choice for threat actors Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2024
Storage technology explained: Ransomware and storage and backup
We look at ransomware attacks, and the importance of good backup practice as well as immutable snapshots, air-gapping, network segmentation, AI anomaly detection and supplier warranties Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Black Basta and Bl00dy ransomware gangs exploiting ConnectWise vulns
More ransomware gangs have been observed exploiting two dangerous vulnerabilities in ConnectWise ScreenConnect software, prompting new warnings for users to get patching Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
VulnCheck bug listing to help track new threats quicker
Exploit intelligence firm VulnCheck launches a proprietary Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue in hopes of improving end-user access to intel on emerging threats and reaching those that the likes of CISA do not Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Majority of UK employees ‘willingly gamble’ with security
Human-centric threats originating from employees continue to damage organisations both financially and reputationally, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Cozy Bear and other APTs changing tack as cloud adoption increases
A change in APT tactics has been observed resulting from greater adoption of cloud-based services, according to the NCSC Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2024
LockBit bids to save face after NCA takedown
The LockBit gang’s ringleader resurfaces with new infrastructure and new victims, claiming to have shrugged off a multinational police sting Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2024
ConnectWise users see cyber attacks surge, including ransomware
ConnectWise ScreenConnect users who have yet to patch against a critical vulnerability are now being targeted by a barrage of cyber attacks, including ransomware Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2024
NCA trolls under fire LockBit gang leaders
The NCA has teased details of the identity of LockBit's main admin via the gang’s compromised dark web site, and hinted that he has been engaging with law enforcement Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2024
Cyber experts alarmed by ‘trivial’ ConnectWise vulns
The disclosure of two dangerous vulnerabilities in the popular ConnectWise ScreenConnect product is drawing comparisons with major cyber incidents, including the 2021 Kaseya attack Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2024
Inside LockBit: A ransomware gang in decline?
The LockBit ransomware gang was already on the ropes prior to the NCA-led takedown, according to security researchers Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
Australian data breach report highlights supply chain risks
The OAIC has called for organisations to proactively address privacy risks from outsourcing personal information handling to third parties Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
Assange created a ‘grave and immediate risk’, says US government, as it seeks extradition
Lawyers for the US government hit back at claims that extraditing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
How Indian fintechs can address compliance issues
Fintechs will need to bolster their know-your-customer practices and establish self-regulatory mechanisms, among other measures, to address compliance issues that have come under the spotlight Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
LockBit locked out: Cyber community reacts
Reaction to the takedown of the LockBit ransomware gang is enthusiastic, but tempered with the knowledge that cyber criminals are often remarkably resilient Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
US extradition of Julian Assange is ‘state retaliation’ for exposing war crimes, court hears
Lawyers argue that the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is politically motivated and in is breach of the UK-US extradition treaty Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
LockBit gang members arrested in Poland and Ukraine
The UK’s National Crime Agency and its global partners have shared more details on their audacious takedown of the LockBit ransomware operation, including news of two arrests Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
Government agrees law to protect confidential journalistic material from state hacking
The government will update Investigatory Powers Act to require secret intelligence agencies to seek independent approval before accessing confidential journalistic material obtained by bulk hacking, but journalists remain vulnerable to other bulk surveillance powers Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2024
Cops take down LockBit ransomware gang
The notorious LockBit ransomware crew has been disrupted in an international law enforcement sting led by the UK's National Crime Agency Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Feb 2024
Bouncing back from a cyber attack
Organisations need to move away from victim blaming when cyber attacks on OT systems occur and focus on fostering collaboration between teams to minimise downtime, among other efforts to bounce back and return to business Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2024
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces last appeal against ‘political’ extradition
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seeking leave to appeal against extradition to the US in a case that could have chilling implications for journalists reporting on national security Continue Reading
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15 Feb 2024
Australia ups ante on cyber security
The country’s new cyber security strategy will focus on building threat-blocking capabilities, protecting critical infrastructure and improving the cyber workforce, among other priorities Continue Reading
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E-Zine
15 Feb 2024
CW APAC: February to April 2024 – Trend Watch: CIO trends
Organisations have plenty of technologies to keep track of when digitising their operations. In this handbook, focused on CIO trends in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at IT predictions for 2024, how India’s space missions will propel tech and Australia’s advances in cyber security. Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Microsoft: Nation-state hackers are exploiting ChatGPT
Threat actors from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia have all been probing use cases for generative AI service ChatGPT, but have yet to use such tools in a full-blown cyber attack Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Dutch Supreme Court approves use of EncroChat evidence
Defence lawyers plan appeal to European Court of Human Rights after Supreme Court upholds a conviction based on intercepted messages from the EncroChat encrypted phone network Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Southern Water customer data was taken in ransomware attack
Southern Water has started to contact customers whose data was stolen in a January 2024 ransomware attack on its systems Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Security experts: Investigatory powers plans will delay security updates
Cyber security experts warn that government proposals to amend the Investigatory Powers Act will limit tech companies’ ability to respond to security threats and could hamper the use of end-to-end encryption Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2024
New variants of Qakbot malware under development
Despite its infrastructure having been taken down by the FBI last year, someone appears to be actively working on a new and improved version of the infamous Qakbot malware Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2024
Hunter-killer malware volumes seen surging
Latest Picus Security report on malware tactics, techniques and procedures reveals an increasing focus on disabling security defences Continue Reading
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E-Zine
13 Feb 2024
Intelligent defence – the role of data in the military
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the role of data in tying together military operations across ground, air, sea and cyber. Has SAP finally convinced customers to migrate to cloud ERP? We assess the trends. And we talk to the CIO helping to set up the UK’s fastest supercomputer. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Feb 2024
Executives must face down state-sponsored hacking groups targeting firmware
State-backed groups have ratcheted up the pressure for cyber security professionals and executives. But that’s not an excuse to cede them the territory. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Feb 2024
Trends driving cyber security in 2024
While cyber security breaches are not going away, emerging threats are driving new and innovative approaches to IT security Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2024
MoD ethical hacking programme expands after initial success
The Ministry of Defence has expanded the scope of its defensive security partnership with HackerOne Continue Reading
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Definition
09 Feb 2024
cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism is usually defined as any premeditated, politically motivated attack against information systems, programs, and data that threatens violence or results in violence. Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2024
Executive alleged to be behind EncroChat encrypted phone network arrested
A businessman allegedly behind EncroChat, an encrypted phone network that was used by organised crime groups, has been extradited from the Dominican Republic to France Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
NCSC warns CNI operators over ‘living-off-the-land’ attacks
Malicious, state-backed actors may well be lurking in the UK’s most critical networks right now, and their operators may not even know until it is too late, warn the NCSC and its partners Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 Feb 2024
Security Think Tank: The phishing forecast for 2024
Egress' Jack Chapman and James Dyer explore how phishing attacks are set to grow in their scope and sophistication this year, with generative AI playing a big role Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Feb 2024
keylogger (keystroke logger or system monitor)
A keylogger, sometimes called a keystroke logger, is a type of surveillance technology used to monitor and record each keystroke on a specific device, such as a computer or smartphone. Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
How Iranian cyber ops pivoted to target Israel after 7 October attacks
Microsoft has shared new intelligence on how Iranian government-aligned threat actors have turned their fire on Israel over the past four months Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
South Staffs Water faces group action over Clop ransomware attack
South Staffordshire Plc, the parent company of South Staffordshire and Cambridge Water, is facing legal action from customers whose data was compromised in a 2022 Clop ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
UK’s McPartland Cyber Review to probe trust in technology
The UK government has launched a cyber security review that will investigate how best to give businesses the confidence they need to use new technologies Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
Inquiry to explore cyber risk to Sunak-Starmer showdown
The UK’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy is opening an inquiry into securing the democratic process ahead of the next general election Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Feb 2024
dictionary attack
A dictionary attack is a method of breaking into a password-protected computer, network or other IT resource by systematically entering every word in a dictionary, or word list, as a password. Continue Reading
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Opinion
06 Feb 2024
Three predictions for responding to the cyber threat landscape in 2024
Nominet's Kim Wiles looks to the coming months and calls for cooperation and collaboration on tackling cyber security threats Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
Blackbaud blasted for failing to prevent customer breaches
A supply chain attack at software supplier Blackbaud in 2020 saw data on multiple UK organisations compromised. The US authorities are now taking steps to ensure it can’t happen again Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
US sanctions Iranians behind CNI cyber attacks
US government issues new sanctions against six Iranians suspected of being behind a series of cyber attacks targeting critical national infrastructure, notably water supply systems Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2024
US government disrupts Chinese botnet containing hundreds of end-of-life Cisco and Netgear routers
The US government has succeeded in halting a botnet comprised of hundreds of end-of-life routers that posed a threat to critical national infrastructure (CNI) organisations in multiple countries Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2024
security operations center (SOC)
A security operations center (SOC) is a command center facility in which a team of information technology (IT) professionals with expertise in information security (infosec) monitors, analyzes and protects an organization from cyberattacks. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: Expect more from GenAI in 2024
But 2024 also feels slightly different; the past 12 months have seen generative AI burst on to the scene, and this year its impact will continue to be felt, says Turnkey Consulting's Harshini Carey. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Quantum, AI and geopolitical conflict: '24 will be a big year for cyber
With big trends like quantum, generative AI and geopolitical conflict, 2024 looks set to be a big year in security, but defenders have an unparalleled opportunity to harness these trends for good, says Quorum's Federico Charosky Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2024
Akira ransomware gang claims Lush cyber attack
The Akira ransomware gang claims to have stolen over 100GB of data from cosmetics manufacturer and retailer Lush Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2024
Bugcrowd sees surge in vulnerability submissions, led by public sector
Crowdsourced vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty platform Bugcrowd says it saw a 151% uptick in submissions related to government and public sector organisations in 2023 Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
Mitigating the risks of modern application development
Organisations need to have visibility over their software supply chain, secure and monitor interfaces to legacy systems and adopt zero trust to mitigate the risks of modern application development Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: 2024 is the year we bridge the cyber divide
ISACA's Steven Sim Kok Leong shares his thoughts on the coming year in cyber security, considering the impact of regulatory change, the evolving role of the CISO, and advances in innovative cyber tech Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
WebKit vulnerability sparks Apple’s first major security update of 2024
A zero-day in the open source WebKit browser engine that powers Safari has sparked Apple’s first major patch roll-out of the new year Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Southern Water confirms cyber attack after Black Basta claims
Southern Water, which supplies millions of customers in southeast England, has confirmed it has fallen victim to a cyber attack, although its services appear to be running normally Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Inside Cisco’s security platform strategy
Raj Chopra, senior vice-president of Cisco’s security business, outlines the company’s security platform strategy and how it brought different products together into a single platform Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Critical vulnerability exposes Fortra GoAnywhere users
Fortra GoAnywhere MFT users must take steps to address a newly disclosed zero-day vulnerability without delay Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
AI will heighten global ransomware threat, says NCSC
The benefits of artificial intelligence to cyber criminals being well-known, the NCSC now assesses it’s likely AI will soon be widely used to enhance ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Salesforce’s bug bounty programme paid out $3m in 2023
Ethical hackers disclosed more than 4,000 vulnerabilities to Salesforce last year through its bug bounty programme, and received over $3m in rewards Continue Reading
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Podcast
23 Jan 2024
Podcast: Storage and compliance outlook for 2024
Interesting times ahead in 2024 as we talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, about updates to EU regs, PCI, NIST, post-Brexit divergence and 60 national elections across the globe Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
SolarWinds hackers attack Microsoft in apparent recon mission
Russian-backed threat actor behind infamous 2020 SolarWinds Sunburst intrusion hacked into Microsoft’s systems, apparently in an attempt to get hold of intel on themselves Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
Chat control: Tech companies warn ministers over EU encryption plans
Tech companies have written to EU ministers to urge them to back the European Parliament, rather than the European Commission, over proposed regulations to police child abuse Continue Reading
- Opinion 19 Jan 2024
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News
19 Jan 2024
Neighbouring Kent councils hit by simultaneous cyber attacks
Canterbury, Dover and Thanet Councils in Kent have all been struck by simultaneous cyber attacks knocking systems offline, with indications of a link between all three Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Jan 2024
dark web (darknet)
The dark web is an encrypted portion of the internet not visible to the general public via a traditional search engine such as Google. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2024
Cyber non-profit enlists ex-NCSC head as technical chair
Founding NCSC chief exec Ciaran Martin is to join the newly launched Cyber Monitoring Centre non-profit as chair of its technical committee Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
NCSC invites security pros to join the big leagues
The NCSC is inviting security pros from across the UK to sign up to work with its experts on an intelligence-sharing initiative Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
The Security Interviews: Rebecca Taylor, SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit
In October 2023, Rebecca Taylor of the SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit was recognised at the annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards for her work. Computer Weekly caught up with her to talk mentoring, cyber career development and diversity Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
Victims of 2023 Capita data breaches head to High Court
More than 5,000 people impacted by data breaches arising from two cyber incidents affecting outsourcer Capita have joined a group action lawsuit Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2024
Kaspersky shares Pegasus spyware-hunting tool
Kaspersky has developed a way of easily exposing the presence of Pegasus spyware on iOS devices and believes its methodology may also help users identify other such surveillance malware Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Jan 2024
The human toll of ransomware: how IT pros suffer during incidents
Any ransomware attack causes significant challenges for a business or organisation going through such incident. But ransomware attacks also have tremendous impact on the staff – especially IT teams – working on mitigating the attack’s effect Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
British Library catalogues back online after ransomware attack
The British Library has restored online access to its main catalogue of nearly 40 million items on a limited basis as it continues the long and arduous process of recovering from a ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
Cosmetics retailer Lush dealing with mystery cyber incident
Cosmetics retailer Lush confirms it’s investigating a cyber attack of an undisclosed nature, but key public-facing systems appear to be unaffected Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jan 2024
British Library cyber attack explained: What you need to know
In this essential guide, Computer Weekly investigates the cyber attack on the British Library that has rendered IT systems inoperable and caused service disruption to thousands of users Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
Russia hacked ex-MI6 chief’s emails – what they reveal is more Dad’s Army than deep state
A Russian hacking group that published emails of ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy, but it was more Dad’s Army than the ‘deep state’, Computer Weekly and Byline Times reveal Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Jan 2024
How the UK is supporting the Ukraine tech community
The launch of a TechBridge between UK and Ukraine allow IT experts from each country to collaborate and share experiences Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2024
Cisco fixes high-impact flaw in unified comms platform
Cisco unified comms customers are urged to patch a critical vulnerability in Unity Connection, a messaging and voicemail product Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Jan 2024
Redefining the cyber domain to tackle the challenges of tomorrow
Emerging technologies have brought about a new age of cyber – and we need a 360-degree collaborative approach more than ever to succeed Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
Davos 2024: AI-generated disinformation poses threat to elections, says World Economic Forum
Disinformation and misinformation are the top risks facing businesses, governments and the public over the next two years Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
Windows Kerberos, Hyper-V vulns among January Patch Tuesday bugs
Microsoft starts 2024 right with another slimline Patch Tuesday drop, but there are some critical vulns to be alert to, including a number of man-in-the-middle attack vectors Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
SEC social media hack highlights value of MFA
The US SEC briefly appeared to approve new bitcoin trading rules after a social media account was targeted by troublemakers, proving the value of MFA once again Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2024
Babuk Tortilla ransomware decryptor made available
A joint effort between Cisco Talos, Avast and the Dutch police will bring relief to many victims of a variant of the Babuk ransomware known as Tortilla Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2024
Study reveals cyber risks to US elections
With the 2024 US presidential election cycle beginning, a study produced by Arctic Wolf has highlighted big gaps in preparedness and resourcing at government bodies across the US Continue Reading