News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

• May 16, 2025 16 May'25

  Security tests reveal serious vulnerability in government’s One Login digital ID system

  A ‘red teaming’ exercise to simulate cyber attacks on the government’s flagship digital identity system has found that One Login can be compromised without detection

• May 15, 2025 15 May'25

  NHS asks suppliers to sign up to cyber covenant

  NHS digital and security leaders call on their suppliers to commit to a cyber security charter as the health service works to improve its resilience in the face of growing threat levels

• May 15, 2025 15 May'25

  How close is quantum computing to commercial reality?

  At a recent event, experts explored the progress towards logical qubits and how these will be applied to empower business IT

• May 14, 2025 14 May'25

  Scattered Spider retail attacks spreading to US, says Google

  Google’s threat intel analysts are aware of a number of in-progress cyber attacks against US retailers linked to the same Scattered Spider gang that supposedly attacked M&S and Co-op in the UK

• May 14, 2025 14 May'25

  Why we must reform the Computer Misuse Act: A cyber pro speaks out

  Britain’s outdated hacking laws are leaving the UK’s cyber practitioners hamstrung and afraid. Security professional Simon Whittaker reveals how he nearly ran afoul of the Computer Misuse Act, and why he’s speaking out for reform

• May 14, 2025 14 May'25

  New security paradigm needed for IT/OT convergence

  Industry leaders and policymakers highlight growing cyber threats from the integration of IT and operational technology systems, calling for collaboration and regulatory frameworks to protect critical systems, among other measures

• May 13, 2025 13 May'25

  May Patch Tuesday brings five exploited zero-days to fix

  Microsoft fixes five exploited, and two publicly disclosed, zero-days in the fifth Patch Tuesday update of 2025

• May 13, 2025 13 May'25

  M&S forces customer password resets after data breach

  M&S is instructing all of its customers to change their account passwords after a significant amount of data was stolen in a DragonForce ransomware attack

• May 13, 2025 13 May'25

  Australian data breaches hit record high in 2024

  More than 1,100 data breaches were reported in Australia last year, a 25% jump from 2023, prompting calls for stronger security measures across businesses and government agencies

• May 09, 2025 09 May'25

  Ransomware: What the LockBit 3.0 data leak reveals

  An administration interface instance for the ransomware franchise's affiliates was attacked on 29 April. Data from its SQL database has been extracted and disclosed

• May 08, 2025 08 May'25

  Government will miss cyber resiliency targets, MPs warn

  A Public Accounts Committee report on government cyber resilience finds that the Cabinet Office has been working hard to improve, but is likely to miss targets and needs a fundamentally different approach

• May 08, 2025 08 May'25

  Preparing for post-quantum computing will be more difficult than the millennium bug

  The job of getting the UK ready for post-quantum computing will be at least as difficult as the Y2K problem, says National Cyber Security Centre CTO Ollie Whitehouse

• May 08, 2025 08 May'25

  US tells CNI orgs to stop connecting OT kit to the web

  US authorities have released guidance for owners of critical national infrastructure in the face of an undisclosed number of cyber incidents

• May 08, 2025 08 May'25

  UK government websites to replace passwords with secure passkeys

  Government websites are to replace difficult-to-remember passwords with highly secure passkeys that will protect against phishing and cyber attackers

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  Meta awarded $167m in court battle with spyware mercenaries

  WhatsApp owner Meta is awarded millions of dollars in damages and compensation after its service was exploited by users of mercenary spyware developer NSO’s infamous Pegasus mobile malware

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  Europe leads shift from cyber security ‘headcount gap’ to skills-based hiring

  Research from Sans Institute reveals European organisations are leading a global shift in hiring priorities, driven by regional regulatory frameworks

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  Chaos spreads at Co-op and M&S following DragonForce attacks

  No end is yet in sight for UK retailers subjected to apparent ransomware attacks

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  Oxford Uni adds cyber resilience module to MBA programme

  Oxford University’s Saïd Business School is working with cyber response specialist Sygnia to help future business leaders get on top of security

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  UK at risk of Russian cyber and physical attacks as Ukraine seeks peace deal

  UK cyber security chief warns of ‘direct connection’ between Russian cyber attacks and physical threats to the UK

• May 07, 2025 07 May'25

  UK critical systems at risk from ‘digital divide’ created by AI threats

  GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre warns that a growing ‘digital divide’ between organisations that can keep pace with AI-enabled threats and those that cannot is set to heighten the UK's overall cyber risk

• May 06, 2025 06 May'25

  Government industrial strategy will back cyber tech in drive for economic growth

  With over 2,000 cyber security businesses across the UK, the government plans to target cyber as a priority to grow the economy 

• May 02, 2025 02 May'25

  Retail cyber crime spree a ‘wake-up call’, says NCSC CEO

  The National Cyber Security Centre confirms it is providing assistance to M&S, Co-op and Harrods as concerns grow among UK retailers

• May 01, 2025 01 May'25

  Harrods becomes latest UK retailer to fall victim to cyber attack

  Harrods confirms it is the latest UK retailer to experience a cyber attack, shutting off a number of systems in an attempt to lessen the impact

• May 01, 2025 01 May'25

  Co-op instructs staff to be wary of lurking hackers

  Co-op tells staff to stop using their VPNs and be wary that their communications channels may be being monitored, as a cyber attack on the organisation continues to develop

• May 01, 2025 01 May'25

  Thomas Herdman’s legal battle over Sky ECC encrypted phone distribution set to enter fifth year

  Computer Weekly speaks to Julie Kawai Herdman, daughter of Thomas Herdman, the only person in custody for distributing Sky ECC encrypted phones

• April 30, 2025 30 Apr'25

  Current SaaS delivery model a risk management nightmare, says CISO

  JPMorgan Chase security chief Patrick Opet laments the state of SaaS security in an open letter to the industry and calls on software providers to do more to enhance resilience

• April 30, 2025 30 Apr'25

  Co-op shuts off IT systems to contain cyber attack

  A developing cyber incident at Co-op has forced the retailer to pull the plug on some of its IT systems as it works to contain the attack

• April 29, 2025 29 Apr'25

  Scattered Spider on the hook for M&S cyber attack

  The infamous Scattered Spider hacking collective may have been behind the ongoing cyber attack on Marks and Spencer that has crippled systems at the retailer and left its ecommerce operation in disarray.

• April 29, 2025 29 Apr'25

  Kaspersky calls for cyber immunity amid growing cyber threats

  The rise of professional cyber crime groups and state-sponsored actors targeting critical infrastructure requires a move towards inherently secure ‘cyber immune’ systems, says Kaspersky CEO Eugene Kaspersky

• April 25, 2025 25 Apr'25

  M&S suspends all online sales as cyber attack worsens

  M&S shuts down online sales as it works to contain and mitigate a severe cyber attack on its systems

• April 24, 2025 24 Apr'25

  M&S systems remain offline days after cyber incident

  M&S is still unable to provide contactless payment or click-and-collect services amid a cyber attack that it says has forced it to move a number of processes offline to safeguard its customers, staff and business

• April 24, 2025 24 Apr'25

  March ransomware slowdown probably a red herring

  An apparent slowdown in ransomware attack volumes is raising eyebrows, but the statistics never tell the full story

• April 23, 2025 23 Apr'25

  Financially motivated cyber crime remains biggest threat source

  Mandiant’s latest annual threat report reveals data on how financially motivated cyber criminals, such as ransomware gangs, dominate the cyber security landscape

• April 22, 2025 22 Apr'25

  Cyber attack downs systems at Marks & Spencer

  A cyber attack at Marks & Spencer has caused significant disruption to customers, leaving them unable to make contactless payments or use click-and-collect services

• April 22, 2025 22 Apr'25

  Cyber ‘agony aunts’ launch guidebook for women in security

  Cyber ‘agony aunts’ Amelia Hewitt and Rebecca Taylor are launching a book aimed at empowering women in their cyber security careers

• April 22, 2025 22 Apr'25

  AI-powered APIs proving highly vulnerable to attack

  The growth of AI is proving a double-edged sword for API security, presenting opportunities for defenders to enhance their resilience, but also more risks from AI-powered attacks, according to report

• April 16, 2025 16 Apr'25

  CISA extends Mitre CVE contract at last moment

  The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has ridden to the rescue of the under-threat Mitre CVE Programme, approving a last-minute, 11-month contract extension to preserve the project’s vital security vulnerability work

• April 16, 2025 16 Apr'25

  CVE Foundation pledges continuity after Mitre funding cut

  With news that Mitre’s contract to run the world-renowned CVE Programme is abruptly terminating, a breakaway group is setting up a non-profit foundation to try to ensure the project’s continuity

• April 16, 2025 16 Apr'25

  Security leaders grapple with AI-driven threats

  Experts warn of AI’s dual role in both empowering and challenging cyber defences, and called for intelligence sharing and the need to strike a balance between AI-driven innovation and existing security practices

• April 15, 2025 15 Apr'25

  Mitre warns over lapse in CVE coverage

  Mitre, the operator of the world-renowned CVE repository, has warned of significant impacts to global cyber security standards, and increased risk from threat actors, as it emerges its US government contract will lapse imminently

• April 15, 2025 15 Apr'25

  Hertz warns UK customers of Cleo-linked data breach

  Car hire giant Hertz reveals UK customer data was affected in a cyber incident orchestrated via a series of vulnerabilities in Cleo managed file transfer products

• April 14, 2025 14 Apr'25

  Government faces claims of serious security and data protection problems in One Login digital ID

  The Government Digital Service was warned about serious cyber security and data protection problems in its flagship digital identity system, with insider claims that the data of three million users may still be at risk

• April 11, 2025 11 Apr'25

  Warranty fraud fuels hidden army of hardware hackers

  Widespread warranty fraud is not only costing companies billions but also creating a breeding ground for advanced hardware exploits, warns hardware hacker and researcher Bunnie Huang at Black Hat Asia 2025

• April 10, 2025 10 Apr'25

  Google bets on unifying security tools to ease CISO pain

  At Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas, Google launches its Unified Security platform with the goal of bringing together disparate security solutions to help cyber leaders and practitioners address their most keenly felt pain points

• April 10, 2025 10 Apr'25

  Spirit of openness helps banks get serious about stopping scams

  Recent announcements show that banks, financial services firms and IT companies are increasing efforts to curb online scams

• April 09, 2025 09 Apr'25

  Microsoft’s April 2025 bumper Patch Tuesday corrects 124 bugs

  Microsoft is correcting 124 vulnerabilities in its March Patch Tuesday, one of which is being actively exploited in the wild, and 11 of which are ‘critical’

• April 08, 2025 08 Apr'25

  NCSC issues warning over Chinese Moonshine and BadBazaar spyware

  Two spyware variants are being used to target the mobile devices of persons of interest to Chinese intelligence, including individuals in the Taiwanese, Tibetan and Uyghur communities

• April 08, 2025 08 Apr'25

  Spoofing vuln threatens security of WhatsApp Windows users

  Meta has disclosed and patched a potentially dangerous spoofing flaw in WhatsApp for Windows that could have caused big problems for unwitting users

• April 08, 2025 08 Apr'25

  Government punts cyber governance code of practice for UK businesses

  The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s cyber security minister Feryal Clark announces a cyber security code of governance for UK businesses to follow

• April 08, 2025 08 Apr'25

  Over £18m stolen from Santander UK customers in first three months of year

  Bank’s latest quarterly report on scams said over £18m was stolen from its UK customers by scammers