News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  TalkTalk sees profits halved as security breach takes its toll

  Loss of 100,000 customers, and thousands of personal details, weighs heavy on the broadband and comms provider

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  IAM central to Deutsche Bank’s digital transformation

  Deutsche Bank is using a centralised identity and access management (IAM) system and an application program interface (API) architecture for digital transformation

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  ICO probes Google DeepMind patient data-sharing deal with NHS Hospital Trust

  Data protection watchdog the information commissioner's office (ICO) investigates the NHS data-sharing deal with Google DeepMind, after a complaint from the public

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  IT security leaders set to maintain or increase IAM spending

  Senior IT decision-makers understand the need for identity and access management (IAM) systems to meet the challenges and opportunities of the digital age

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  Be prepared for blockchain, says consultant

  The blockchain endgame is unclear, but organisations should ensure they are aware of what is happening at the very least, says consultant Sebastien Meunier

• May 11, 2016 11 May'16

  Security a serious market differentiator, says Publicis CISO

  Everyone in an organisation should be made to realise what digital safety means to them, says Thom Langford

• May 11, 2016 11 May'16

  Engage with business to drive IAM, says Axel Springer CISO

  Axel Springer CISO Henning Christiansen teams up with business stakeholders to get board approval for an identity and access management (IAM) initiative

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Nursery and baby store Kiddicare puts its hand up to data breach after attack on a test site

  Nursery and baby store Kiddicare suffers a data breach following a cyber attack on a test website that held real customer data

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Customer relationships still key to competitive advantage, says Martin Kuppinger

  There are five essential areas to which businesses need to pay attention to build competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving digital world, according to analyst Martin Kuppinger

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  UK court rejects demands for Lauri Love to hand over encryption keys

  Court rules against an attempt by the National Crime Agency to force activist Lauri Love to disclose encryption keys by bypassing the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  Australian health sector an easy target for cyber criminals, says IBM

  A push to encourage greater adoption of electronic health records has raised the spectre of online record theft

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  Two-thirds of UK businesses hit by cyber security breaches, but directors remain unaware

  Two-thirds of large UK businesses are hit by cyber security attacks, but directors aren’t told about them, according to a government sponsored report

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  Network visibility remains the key to safe digital transformation, says Cisco

  Accessing analytics to deal with incidents is the future of information security, according to Terry Greer-King

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  Ransomware emerges as a top cyber threat to business

  Security researchers at Kasperky Lab and FireEye confirm that the upward trend of ransomware is continuing and has emerged as a top threat to business

• May 05, 2016 05 May'16

  Huge stolen webmail credential cache could drive use of 2FA

  World Password Day seeks to promote multi-factor authentication as a security firm reports the discovery of a cache of millions of stolen webmail credentials

• May 04, 2016 04 May'16

  Designer cyber threats increasing, warns Sophos

  Cyber attackers are crafting spam to deliver malware that uses vernacular, brands and payment methods for better cultural compatibility, Sophos researchers find

• May 04, 2016 04 May'16

  Google company’s access to NHS records raises privacy concerns

  A data-sharing agreement between a Google-owned firm and the Royal Free NHS trust raises privacy concerns, despite assurances that Google cannot use the data

• May 03, 2016 03 May'16

  Businesses must address digital transformation security risks, says analyst

  The security elements of business IT, the internet of things and operational technology are now all deeply interconnected, claims Martin Kuppinger

• May 03, 2016 03 May'16

  US court orders Gozi money-stealing virus co-creator to pay $6.9m

  Nikita Kuzmin spared further jail time after co-operating with investigators for the past three years

• April 29, 2016 29 Apr'16

  Cyber security in Belgium will gain prominence after terror attacks

  Belgium’s physical security has been branded inadequate, so how does the country’s cyber security measure up?

• April 29, 2016 29 Apr'16

  Case study: Athona recruits Mimecast to halt CEO fraud attacks

  Brentwood-based recruitment firm wanted to solve its email archiving problems, but ended up with better security, including new anti-whaling protection in the wake of an attack

• April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

  Ransomware makes up a quarter (and rising) of UK cyber attacks, finds research

  Eset’s data shows a spike in detections of these particularly nasty malware packages in the third week of April 2016

• April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

  Payment card industry issues data security standard update

  PCI DSS version 3.2 introduces six new requirements for compliance, some additional guidance and a raft of clarifications

• April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

  Technology moving too fast for governments to keep up, says former Darpa chief

  Former US defence technology chief supports encryption and privacy, despite intelligence services’ fears

• April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16

  IPv6 alone will not secure IoT, warns GE CISO

  It is important for all users of the internet of things to understand what they are getting into with IPv6, and to be aware of the risks and myths, says GE CISO Hanns Proenen

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  Young would-be cyber warriors battle it out at Bletchley Park

  Would-be cyber warriors battled it out at historic Bletchley Park in the CyberCenturion final, with the team from Gibraltar being crowned the top young cyber defenders

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  DDoS attacks hit three-quarters of global brands in 2015

  DDoS attack tactics evolve from single, large attacks, intended to take a website offline, to multi-vector barrages – but organisations are fighting back

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  Business failing to learn lessons of past cyber attacks, report shows

  Organisations are still failing to address basic security issues and well-known attack methods, Verizon’s latest Data Breach Investigations Report reveals

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  Australia pledges A$230m to prevent a ‘lawless’ cyber domain

  Australia's latest cyber security strategy will see the appointment of a cyber ambassador, charged with liaising with other nations

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  IoT to play a part in more than a quarter of cyber attacks by 2020, says Gartner

  Gartner predicts IoT security spending will be moderate until 2020, after which it will increase at a faster rate as execution improves

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  Big data analytics a useful security tool, says analyst

  The majority of companies using big data security analytics report a high business benefit, according to the Business Application Research Center

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  Security collaboration key, says BFA-Bankia CISO

  CISOs across all sectors need to work together to increase the security capabilities of their organisations and grow together, according to BFA-Bankia's CISO Maria González

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  Enterprises bar employees from free Wi-Fi networks

  A report compiled for wireless network aggregator iPass reveals that most organisations see free Wi-Fi hotspots as a significant threat to their security

• April 21, 2016 21 Apr'16

  Nationwide streamlines e-commerce checks with CA Technologies

  The building society has deployed CA Technology’s risk analytics to detect abnormal payment activities

• April 21, 2016 21 Apr'16

  GCHQ told analysts to assume surveillance 'bulk data' is legal

  Documents obtained by charity Privacy International reveal insights into GCHQ’s collection of sensitive bulk data, as lawyers question the impact of surveillance on legal privilege, fair trials and protection of whistleblowers

• April 20, 2016 20 Apr'16

  UK institute seeking better cyber defences for ICS, says director

  The UK needs to develop awareness of the vulnerability of industrial control systems to cyber attack and technology-specific security systems, says researcher

• April 20, 2016 20 Apr'16

  Balancing privacy and security a key challenge, says NCA

  Striking a balance between security and privacy is a major challenge for law enforcement, says NCCU operations head Mike Hulett

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  Three-quarters of Brits unaware of IP Bill, one-third don’t care

  Millions of UK citizens remain in the dark about the reach and scope of the Investigatory Powers Bill, or the so-called Snoopers’ Charter, says Broadband Genie

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  Organisations still fail to understand IAM, says KuppingerCole analyst

  IAM is seen as being part of IT and not business, and investments tend to be aimed at mitigating one-off incidents, says KuppingerCole analyst Matthias Reinwarth

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  Research identifies organised cyber threat to Australia

  Researchers have identified the profiles of cyber criminals and identified the one that is the biggest threat to Australian organisations

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  Employees’ use of personal devices puts firms at risk of malware infection, says report

  Downloaders care about their own security while grabbing pirated content, not that of their employers

• April 15, 2016 15 Apr'16

  Israeli volunteers ready their cyber defences as Anonymous affiliates attack

  Every April, Israel braces itself for an onslaught from pro-Palestinian hackers, but the occupants of a small conference room in Tel Aviv stand in their way

• April 14, 2016 14 Apr'16

  Data protection law sails through European Parliament

  The European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation has successfully passed through the European Parliament

• April 14, 2016 14 Apr'16

  Business needs education in cloud value and security, study shows

  Improved trust and security are critical to encouraging continued adoption of the cloud, an Intel Security report shows

• April 14, 2016 14 Apr'16

  Government surveillance under fire across Europe

  UK and US government surveillance programmes are facing criticism from the courts, MPs and data protection regulators

• April 13, 2016 13 Apr'16

  NCA attempts 'back door' access to obtain activist Lauri Love’s passwords

  Court told that use of civil proceedings to force disclosure of alleged hacker Lauri Love's passwords is disproportionate and would breach human rights law

• April 13, 2016 13 Apr'16

  BT seeks security recruits

  BT is to recruit 900 people to its security business in the next 12 months as part of a push against cyber crime

• April 13, 2016 13 Apr'16

  World’s biggest companies lack maturity in security, says IBM Security

  Many big organisations are still grappling with the challenge of establishing a more cohesive and collective security strategy, says IBM Security

• April 13, 2016 13 Apr'16

  Windows PowerShell tied to more than a third of cyber attacks

  Security firm Carbon Black confirms widespread abuse of Windows PowerShell by attackers flying under the radar in line with the trend of exploiting operating systems

• April 12, 2016 12 Apr'16

  Collaboration vital to reduce economic impact of CNI cyber attack

  The interconnected nature of critical national infrastructure (CNI) means the impact of the risk and the cost of a cyber attack grows exponentially every day

• April 12, 2016 12 Apr'16

  BAE Systems warns about shape-shifting strain of Qbot malware

  Qbot malware will become a potent threat, facilitated by exploit kits for initial infection and automated to gain maximum victim count, warns BAE Systems

• April 12, 2016 12 Apr'16

  UK cyber crime growing exponentially

  UK ranks highly in phishing, social media and ransomware attacks as cyber criminals professionalise and take advantage of unpatched websites, Symantec’s latest threat report reveals

• April 11, 2016 11 Apr'16

  Nationwide watches customer behaviour in authentication experiment

  Nationwide Building Society is testing whether behavioural biometrics can unlock higher levels of security clearance in banking

• April 11, 2016 11 Apr'16

  QA launches cyber attack defence training facility in London

  Training firm QA launches a cyber attack simulation facility in London to enable organisations to test and learn cyber defence skills

• April 11, 2016 11 Apr'16

  Activist Lauri Love faces order to disclose encryption keys

  The UK’s National Crime Agency takes an unusual legal step to force a former university student accused of hacking to disclose encryption keys

• April 08, 2016 08 Apr'16

  British innovation targets file manipulation malware

  Innovative British security software firm Glasswall Solutions is tackling the growing threat of malware that tampers with files and exploits structural weaknesses in popular business document formats

• April 08, 2016 08 Apr'16

  National Childbirth Trust breach shows all data needs to be safeguarded

  Breach of more than 15,000 login credentials and email addresses at the National Childbirth Trust underlines that every sector must take cyber security seriously, say security pundits

• April 06, 2016 06 Apr'16

  Panama Papers stolen by hackers, says Mossack Fonseca

  Breach underlines need to focus cyber security on key data, say experts, after law firm’s founder insists the company was breached by an outside hacker

• April 05, 2016 05 Apr'16

  UK and European firms invest in data protection ahead of GDPR

  European firms are set to invest in data protection in 2016, with enforcement of the EU General Data Protection Regulation just two years away, Computer Weekly’s IT priorities survey shows

• April 05, 2016 05 Apr'16

  'Citizens will be stripped naked' by Turkey’s data law

  Turkey's data protection law, introduced in March 2016, will make Turkey a near total surveillance state, yet the EU, apparently more concerned about securing Turkey's help in controlling immigration, is turning a blind eye

• April 05, 2016 05 Apr'16

  Trump hotel group investigates payment card breach

  Financial sector sources say a pattern of payment card fraud indicates hackers have breached payment systems at some, and possibly all, Trump Hotel Collection properties

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  EU cyber security agency urges action to avoid crisis

  EU countries lack a harmonised framework to respond to the challenges of a large-scale cyber incident, according to a report by security agency Enisa

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  UK campaign launched against location data security risks

  UK consumers are unwittingly signing up to be location tracked and this data is being used and sold on for commercial benefit, warns privacy campaign

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  Enterprise IT conference comes to the Nordics

  IP Expo is holding an event focused on the Nordic region for the first time as countries such as Sweden and Finland become leaders in enterprise IT

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  EY invests heavily in Singapore IT expertise

  New centres of excellence will offer business transformation strategy, cyber security, analytics and manufacturing capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region

• April 01, 2016 01 Apr'16

  US and Canada issue joint alert on ransomware

  Organisations urged to backup data because paying ransom does not guarantee files encrypted by ransomware will be released, warns an awareness-raising alert issued by the US and Canada

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  European Union GDPR data rules prompt cyber security review

  Isolated legacy security systems are a big cyber security risk – but the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could change that, says Palo Alto Networks

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  MedStar says it is recovering from suspected ransomware attack

  US hospital group MedStar says it is restoring its IT systems after reportedly being hit by a stealthy new strain of server-targeted ransomware

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  DDoS attacks on universities normally performed by “disgruntled” students or employees

  The majority of distributed denial of service attacks on universities are made by students or employees, says the head of infrastructure services at the University of London

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  Adwind at centre of cyber attack on Singapore bank

  Kaspersky Lab has revealed that the Adwind malware-as-a-service platform was at the centre of an attack on a Singapore bank

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  FBI to apply iPhone security bypass in second case

  The FBI is to help unlock an iPhone in an Arkansas murder case, deepening fears that the method used to break into the San Bernardino gunman’s phone will be applied more widely

• March 30, 2016 30 Mar'16

  Hackers to probe engine control units amid emissions scandal

  ICCT hires computer whizz-kids to find out who else besides Volkswagen uses ‘defeat devices’ in cars

• March 30, 2016 30 Mar'16

  Security should be driven by business, says Corvid’s Andrew Nanson

  Information security should be business-driven and investments assessed for their effectiveness and business value, according to Corvid CTO

• March 30, 2016 30 Mar'16

  Security researchers warn of server-attacking ransomware

  New strain of ransomware said to be distributed by compromising servers and using them to move through networks to encrypt and hold multiple data sets to ransom

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  Cyber criminals use Microsoft PowerShell in ransomware attacks

  A newly discovered family of ransomware, dubbed PowerWare, uses Microsoft PowerShell to target organisations through macro-enabled documents

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  IoT security not a priority for Asean organisations

  IT leaders in the Asean region need to push IoT security up their priority list, as an Intel survey finds them lagging

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  FBI investigating cyber attack on US hospital group Medstar

  US hospital group Medstar Health appears to be the latest target of ransomware as it suspends IT system to halt malware infection

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  Government warned of smart meter security threat back in 2012

  The government was warned four years ago that its plans for a nationwide smart meter roll-out represented a “potentially significant” security and privacy threat, Computer Weekly has learned

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  Businesses urged to update Apple software to dodge zero-day attacks

  Security experts are urging Apple Mac, iPhone and iPad users to update their operating systems to avoid data-stealing attacks that exploit a new zero-day vulnerability

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  Phishing attack at US retailer underlines need for proactive security

  Security experts say a phishing attack on US retailer Sprouts Farmers Market shows the need to educate employees and correctly configure IT systems

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  Chinese man admits conspiring to hack US military secrets

  A Chinese national working in Canada has pleaded guilty to helping hackers in China access US military secrets from defence contractors, including fighter jet blueprints

• March 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  UK tech industry welcomes government’s new anti-crime strategy

  Only a modern strategy that incorporates technological advances and the greater use of data analytics can improve UK crime prevention, says TechUK

• March 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  US hospital claims to have fought off a ransomware attack

  A hospital in Kentucky claims to have regained control of its IT systems five days after cyber criminals hit it with a ransomware attack

• March 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  Malicious domain name service infrastructure rebounds to near-record levels

  Infoblox calls for the US, Germany and other sources of malicious domain name service (DNS) infrastructure to improve processes for removing the threat

• March 22, 2016 22 Mar'16

  Cyber security budgets not rising in line with threats, say security pros

  While it is good news that businesses are increasing investment, it is clear that spending on security is still not at a level that matches the changing threat landscape, says IISP

• March 22, 2016 22 Mar'16

  Only 42% of infosec pros use threat intelligence, survey shows

  Cyber threat intelligence sharing is a necessity, says Intel's McAfee Labs – but less than half of infosec pros use it, despite the benefits, a survey reveals

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  Australian government defence report recognises cyber threat

  The cyber threat to Australia is outlined in the recent government defence white paper, but experts are unimpressed

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  The cyber threat to eastern European enterprises

  Organisations in eastern Europe are targets for cyber criminals and although they are aware of it, they often fail to protect themselves against it

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  National Cyber Security Centre to be UK authority on information security

  The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is to be the UK's one-stop authority on infosec, based in London and led by GCHQ's Ciaran Martin

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  HSCIC’s CareCERT head wants NHS and social care to be prepared for cyber attacks

  Health and care organisations should not be afraid to acknowledge that cyber attacks will happen, but must be ready to handle breaches effectively, says CareCERT’s programme head

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  Cyber crime is driving UK fraud losses, totalling £755m in 2015

  Payment card fraud accounted for 75% of UK fraud losses in 2015, most of which was remote purchase fraud using card details stolen though data hacks and malware, says FFA UK

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  Australian girls believe online harassment is endemic

  There are clear signals that online threats against women and attempts to invade their privacy are becoming societal norms in Australia

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  UK workers more diligent about cyber security at home

  UK employees expect an IT safety net to protect them at work and are more willing to take responsibility for security at home, a survey commissioned by Citrix has revealed

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  Most students say cyber security is a growing threat

  Some 70% of higher education students say they are aware that cyber crime and attacks are a threat, but less than half think security is their responsibility

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  FBI issues warning about car hacking

  US security service calls on consumers and vehicle manufacturers to take steps to reduce the increasing risk of car hacking and to report incidents

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  Most Britons adopting IoT devices cannot secure them

  Two-thirds of UK consumers are concerned about the security of IoT devices – but nearly 75% cannot take steps to secure them, a survey reveals

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  Cyber security is becoming a Dutch export

  IT security is about to rival cheese, tulips, windmills and flood defences as an export from the Netherlands

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Crypto ransomware lurks in ads on popular websites

  Security researchers warn that the major ransomware malvertising campaign that hit popular websites at the weekend may not be over yet

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Apple iCloud and Gmail hacker set to plead guilty, say US authorities

  A US hacker faces up to five years in jail and fines of up to $250,000 after admitting he accessed more than 100 Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts illegally

• March 15, 2016 15 Mar'16

  Cyber security study reveals lack of boardroom governance across UK industries

  While 81% of UK boards have increased cyber security scrutiny after the TalkTalk breach, only 53% have data breach management plans in place, a survey has revealed