News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

• August 04, 2022 04 Aug'22

  Spyware activity particularly impactful in July

  After a quiet June, vulnerability exploitation ramped up in July, with intrusions linked to spyware seeing unusually high volumes of activity, according to a report

• August 03, 2022 03 Aug'22

  DrayTek patches SOHO router bug that left thousands exposed

  Network hardware supplier has fixed an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability in multiple routers in its Vigor line, after being alerted by Trellix researchers

• July 29, 2022 29 Jul'22

  Austrian data firm accused of selling malware, conducting cyber attacks

  Microsoft has accused DSIRF, an Austrian data services firm, of involvement in a string of cyber attacks

• July 28, 2022 28 Jul'22

  Ex-youth footballers kick-start cyber careers

  New programme aims to find fresh careers for former youth footballers in cyber security

• July 28, 2022 28 Jul'22

  H0lyGh0st ransomware gang faces challenges, but still a threat

  Digital Shadows reports on the recently identified H0lyGh0st ransomware outfit, a new threat actor operating out of North Korea that faces some clear challenges, but is nevertheless still a live threat

• July 28, 2022 28 Jul'22

  NCSC startups scheme turns focus to operational technology, SME security

  NCSC for Startups initiative turns its focus to supporting innovation around securing operational technology and addressing the challenges facing small businesses

• July 28, 2022 28 Jul'22

  Cyber criminals pivot away from macros as Microsoft changes bite

  As Microsoft resumes blocking macros by default in its Office application suite, reversing a temporary reversal, analysis from Proofpoint suggests the action has had a remarkable effect

• July 27, 2022 27 Jul'22

  Consumers left out of pocket as security costs soar

  As the average cost of a security incident reaches an all-time high of nearly $4.5m, an IBM Security study reveals how these costs are being passed on to ordinary people

• July 27, 2022 27 Jul'22

  US doubles bounty on Lazarus cyber crime group to $10m

  US State Department doubles a previously announced reward for information on North Korean cyber criminals, including the notorious Lazarus group

• July 27, 2022 27 Jul'22

  Retail software firm PrestaShop warns users about SQL injection attacks

  Open source e-commerce platform PrestaShop warns thousands of small retailers that their customers’ credit card details may be at risk of compromise

• July 26, 2022 26 Jul'22

  No More Ransom initiative helps 1.5 million people in six years

  One and a half million people have now taken advantage of free ransomware decryption tools offered by a joint European project

• July 26, 2022 26 Jul'22

  Visibility and proactive stance needed to secure OT systems

  Critical infrastructure operators need to have more visibility into their IT and operational technology environment, and take a more active stance to fend off sophisticated adversaries, expert says

• July 26, 2022 26 Jul'22

  Ducktail infostealer targets Facebook Business users

  Newly uncovered Ducktail operation targets individuals with access to Facebook Business service and tries to steal their accounts

• July 25, 2022 25 Jul'22

  NCSC seeks community input for Cyber Advisor service

  The NCSC is proposing to establish a new Cyber Advisor service to train up experts in security guidance, and is inviting interested parties to come forward

• July 25, 2022 25 Jul'22

  Latest Atlassian Confluence vulnerability raises concerns

  CVE-2022-26138 is the second major vulnerability disclosure made for Atlassian’s Confluence collaboration platform in recent months

• July 25, 2022 25 Jul'22

  TMT firms among top targets for cyber attacks in Singapore

  Organisations in the technology, media and telecoms sector were among the most lucrative targets for malicious actors as their services penetrate almost every aspect of society

• July 22, 2022 22 Jul'22

  LinkedIn most impersonated brand in phishing attacks

  Social network LinkedIn, along with Microsoft and DHL, are just some of the brands that are most frequently imitated by cyber criminals conducting phishing attacks

• July 21, 2022 21 Jul'22

  Buy ‘plug-n-play’ malware for the price of a pint of beer

  Three-quarters of malwares and almost 90% of exploits retail on the dark web for about £8.40 or less, according to a report

• July 21, 2022 21 Jul'22

  Russia-linked APTs targeted fleeing Ukrainian civilians

  Mandiant and the US authorities have shared details of a phishing campaign that spoofed humanitarian information on evacuation procedures to target Ukrainians fleeing Russian bombardment

• July 20, 2022 20 Jul'22

  (ISC)² expands entry-level cyber programme after UK success

  Flush with success from a UK certification programme, reaching 100k in the UK, (ISC)² now wants to provide free security certification to a million people worldwide

• July 20, 2022 20 Jul'22

  Cato aims to bust cyber myths as it extends network protections

  Cato Networks is beefing up its platform’s security features with ransomware and data loss protections, and the firm’s security strategy lead Etay Maor is using the occasion – and his unique access to billions of data points from the firm’s network ...

• July 20, 2022 20 Jul'22

  Russia’s Cozy Bear abusing Dropbox, Google Drive to target victims

  Russian APT known as Cozy Bear has become adept at quickly incorporating popular cloud storage services into its attack chain to avoid detection

• July 18, 2022 18 Jul'22

  US cyber agency CISA to open London office

  The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has chosen London to host its first office outside America

• July 15, 2022 15 Jul'22

  Log4Shell on its way to becoming ‘endemic’

  US government report concludes that, like Covid, Log4Shell will be with us for a long time to come

• July 14, 2022 14 Jul'22

  Videogame maker Bandai Namco confirms cyber attack

  Bandai Namco, developer of videogames including Pac-Man, Tekken and Dark Souls, has broken days of silence to confirm it has been hit by a cyber attack

• July 14, 2022 14 Jul'22

  How hostile government APTs target journalists for cyber intrusions

  Proofpoint shares data on multiple campaigns of cyber intrusions against journalists originating from threat actors aligned to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey

• July 13, 2022 13 Jul'22

  Slippery phish wriggles around MFA protections, says Microsoft

  Microsoft’s threat researchers share details of a phishing campaign that hit 10,000 organisations, against which standard multifactor authentication provides little defence

• July 13, 2022 13 Jul'22

  Digital break-up kit to help women get out of bad relationships safely

  Domestic abuse charity Refuge teams up with Avast to equip women with the knowledge to effectively and safely end a relationship digitally

• July 13, 2022 13 Jul'22

  July Patch Tuesday brings more than 80 fixes, one zero-day

  While some admins can put their feet up and let Windows Autopatch do the hard work of updating their Microsoft estates, for the rest of us, the Patch Tuesday bandwagon keeps on keeping on

• July 13, 2022 13 Jul'22

  ICO calls for review into government use of private email and WhatsApp messages

  Information Commissioner’s Office reprimands Department of Health and Social Care after ministers and officials conducted government business on their own email accounts and messaging apps

• July 12, 2022 12 Jul'22

  MaliBot Android malware spreading fast, says Check Point

  The MaliBot malware is becoming a persistent and widespread problem, and Android users should be on their guard, says Check Point

• July 08, 2022 08 Jul'22

  Stop telling clients to pay ransomware gangs, solicitors told

  The NCSC and the ICO are calling on solicitors to help tackle the rising number of ransomware payments being made, and to stop giving erroneous advice to victims

• July 08, 2022 08 Jul'22

  Microsoft appears to reverse VBA macro-blocking

  Microsoft quietly reverses VBA macro-blocking across its Office portfolio in a move that has left security experts puzzled

• July 07, 2022 07 Jul'22

  UK government does not yet understand threat of technology to foreign policy

  Select committee chair warns government that the threat posed to global security by malign actors influencing tech standards is no ‘dystopian fantasy’

• July 07, 2022 07 Jul'22

  MI5, FBI chiefs warn of Chinese cyber espionage threat

  In a joint appearance in London, MI5 director general Ken McCallum and FBI director Chris Wray warn of the growing threat posed by the Chinese government to UK and US interests

• July 07, 2022 07 Jul'22

  Amid NSO lawsuit, Apple expands spyware protections

  Apple previews a new feature called Lockdown Mode to protect iPhone and iPad users from ‘mercenary spyware’

• July 07, 2022 07 Jul'22

  Latest Marriott data breach not as serious as others

  Questions are again being raised over Marriott’s cyber security practices following yet another incident, but fortunately it seems limited in its scope, and the company is responding appropriately

• July 07, 2022 07 Jul'22

  The Security Interviews: Inside Russia’s Ukraine information operation

  Computer Weekly speaks to Craig Terron of Recorded Future about delving deep inside the Russian disinformation machine, and how the Kremlin’s strategy is set to evolve

• July 06, 2022 06 Jul'22

  Plexal seeks new scaleups for next phase of Cyber Runway

  Established security startups looking to grow and scale their operations are being invited to join the next phase of Plexal’s Cyber Runway programme

• July 06, 2022 06 Jul'22

  ESET: Lazarus APT hit aero, defence sector with fake job ads

  ESET researchers present new findings into a series of cyber attacks on the aerospace and defence sectors by North Korea’s Lazarus crime syndicate

• July 05, 2022 05 Jul'22

  Prepare for long-term cyber threat from Ukraine war, says NCSC

  The NCSC has published refreshed guidance on cyber preparedness as the war on Ukraine continues, urging organisations to pay attention to the state of their security teams

• July 05, 2022 05 Jul'22

  LogRhythm bullish on growth in APAC

  LogRhythm expects its business in the region to grow by over 20% this year thanks to demand from emerging economies where cyber security investments have not kept pace with cyber threats

• July 05, 2022 05 Jul'22

  NCSC CEO: Why we should run towards crises to elevate cyber security

  National Cyber Security Centre CEO Lindy Cameron, the 2022 Computer Weekly UKtech50 Most Influential Person in UK IT, reflects on a career immersed in crisis management, and how she is using this to elevate cyber security standards across the country

• July 04, 2022 04 Jul'22

  MPs call for ban on Chinese surveillance camera technology

  Nearly 70 MPs have called on the government to ban Chinese camera technology that is widely used by UK government agencies despite links to human rights abuses in China

• July 04, 2022 04 Jul'22

  Assange appeals against Priti Patel’s extradition order

  WikiLeaks founder is expected to raise concerns over the political nature of his prosecution, the likelihood of him receiving a fair trial, and the risk of a coercive plea bargain

• June 29, 2022 29 Jun'22

  New cyber extortion op appears to have hit AMD

  Semiconductor specialist AMD has confirmed it is investigating reports that a ‘bad actor’ has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of its data

• June 29, 2022 29 Jun'22

  Romance scammers exploit Ukraine war in cynical campaign

  Romance scammers can make easy money exploiting people looking for love, but in this newly observed campaign linked to the Ukraine war they are playing on deeper emotions

• June 28, 2022 28 Jun'22

  Avast uncovers ‘thieves’ kitchen’ of malware-writing teens

  Researchers stumble across online community of 11 to 18-year-olds constructing, exchanging and spreading malware

• June 28, 2022 28 Jun'22

  Russia-aligned hacktivists behind Lithuania DDoS attack

  Killnet hacktivist collective targeted Lithuania with distributed denial of service attacks after its government angered the Kremlin

• June 27, 2022 27 Jun'22

  Commercial cyber products must be used responsibly, says NCSC CEO

  NCSC’s Lindy Cameron is to speak out on responsible regulation of cyber capabilities at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel