News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

• October 14, 2015 14 Oct'15

  Snowden showed need for new laws, says former MI5 director

  There is a lot of work to be done in building trust and accountability in the wake of the Snowden revelations, says former MI5 director

• October 14, 2015 14 Oct'15

  NCA warns UK of serious cyber attack on financial companies

  Hackers target global financial institutions and payment systems with Dridex malware, with UK losses estimated at £20m, warns the National Crime agency (NCA)

• October 13, 2015 13 Oct'15

  Cyber security innovation is crucial, says security evangelist

  Visibility and automation are key areas of cyber security innovation, but firms should concentrate first on the basics and not overlook the human element of security

• October 13, 2015 13 Oct'15

  Cyber London launches second security accelerator programme

  Applications are open to startups and growth-stage companies from across Europe for CyLon's second incubator programme due to start in early December 2015

• October 12, 2015 12 Oct'15

  Encryption is a double-edged sword, says Blue Coat

  Seven more security suppliers join Blue Coat encrypted traffic management programme amid fresh warnings of attackers using encryption to hide malicious activity

• October 12, 2015 12 Oct'15

  Singapore strives to counter rising surge of cyber attacks

  Organisations in Singapore are raising their game to increase cyber security resources and education in a bid to counter the rising tide of cyber attacks

• October 12, 2015 12 Oct'15

  Data breach hits Dow Jones

  Hackers may have accessed the payment card details of up to 3,500 customers, warns finance publisher Dow Jones

• October 09, 2015 09 Oct'15

  Apple removes more iOS apps over security concerns

  Apple has blocked more apps over security concerns just weeks after ridding the App Store of XcodeGhost malware

• October 08, 2015 08 Oct'15

  Samsung Pay isolated from LoopPay attack

  Hackers who compromised LoopPay’s computer systems had no access to Samsung Pay’s user data or other core information, says Samsung

• October 08, 2015 08 Oct'15

  Take part in the Computer Weekly Technology Industry Survey 2016

  Share your views in Computer Weekly’s annual Technology Industry Survey, which provides an insight into the trends, challenges and aspirations of today’s IT professionals

• October 08, 2015 08 Oct'15

  Cisco praised for quick response to cyber attack

  Cisco has issued a security update for its networking equipment to block redirects to the Angler exploit kit’s proxy servers and has published guidance for users

• October 08, 2015 08 Oct'15

  UK companies still not on top of cyber attacks, says PwC report

  Nearly 10% of UK firms do not know how many cyber attacks they had in the past year and 14% do not know how they happened, says PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

• October 07, 2015 07 Oct'15

  Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales attacks UK government surveillance

  Websites must use SSL to prevent the UK government monitoring users' activities, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales tells delegates at IP Expo in London

• October 07, 2015 07 Oct'15

  Hackers target Australian health sector, selling records for A$1,000

  Healthcare records in Australia are a major target for hackers – with fully populated medical records sold to fraudsters for up to A$1,000 each

• October 07, 2015 07 Oct'15

  Most UK workers believe data theft is inevitable

  Almost two-thirds of the 2,000 full-time UK workers polled said they feel more vulnerable to data hacks than they did a year ago, a survey shows

• October 06, 2015 06 Oct'15

  Researchers find credential-stealing webmail server APT attack

  Security researchers have discovered a new and unique advanced persistent threat (APT) technique that involves a malicious module loaded onto a webmail server

• October 05, 2015 05 Oct'15

  Most nuclear plants not prepared for cyber attack, says Chatham House

  The cyber threat to nuclear facilities is indicative of the threat to much of all critical infrastructure, says cyber security expert Alan Woodward

• October 02, 2015 02 Oct'15

  Security industry must help business prioritise cyber risk, says Huntsman Security

  Despite the consequences of cyber attacks on high-profile businesses such as Sony, relatively few organisations understand the scale of the threat they face

• October 02, 2015 02 Oct'15

  David Jones online customers hit by data breach

  Hackers have accessed the personal details of an unknown number of David Jones online customers, but the retailer says payment details and passwords are not affected

• October 02, 2015 02 Oct'15

  15 million T-mobile customers hit by Experian hack

  Millions of T-Mobile customers are believed to be affected by a data breach at Experian, but it reportedly only affects people in the US who were credit-checked in the past two years

• October 01, 2015 01 Oct'15

  London launches cyber defence centre for small businesses

  The London Digital Security Centre has been set up by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime as part of the mayor’s business crime strategy

• October 01, 2015 01 Oct'15

  A third of firms lack adequate data protection policies, survey finds

  Protiviti survey shows that simple steps towards better cyber risk management, such as policy and process, still require attention for many companies

• October 01, 2015 01 Oct'15

  Education, energy and finance top UK cyber attack targets

  The UK remains in the top five most targeted countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa but has dropped from number one in 2014 to fifth place for the first half of 2015, a FireEye report reveals

• September 30, 2015 30 Sep'15

  Medical devices must be secure by design, say industry experts

  The information security industry is calling for medical device manufacturers to design and build cyber security into all internet-enabled devices after thousands are found to be hackable

• September 30, 2015 30 Sep'15

  Women an untapped cyber security resource, report reveals

  Women in information security are quickly converging on men in terms of academic focus, computer science and engineering, and have a higher concentration of advanced degrees, a report shows

• September 30, 2015 30 Sep'15

  Employee use of cloud storage puts UK business data at risk

  UK businesses are struggling to catch up with employee use of cloud-based storage services and policies to maintain data security, according to security firm WinMagic

• September 30, 2015 30 Sep'15

  Risk to internet roots of trust having impact on businesses, study shows

  Some 61% of UK firms have lost customers due to failure to secure the online trust established by digital certificates and cryptographic keys, a Ponemon Institute study shows

• September 29, 2015 29 Sep'15

  Common PKI practices undermine trust in applications, study shows

  Current approaches to PKI are fragmented and do not always incorporate best practices, according to a Ponemon Institute study

• September 29, 2015 29 Sep'15

  Cyber Security Challenge UK launches 24/7 games hub

  Every area in the newly-launched Cyphinx virtual skyscraper will contain a new opportunity to test a different cyber skill, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

• September 29, 2015 29 Sep'15

  120-day patching gap puts many firms at risk of cyber attack, study shows

  The probability of a vulnerability being exploited hits 90% between 40-60 days after discovery, but many firms are taking up to 60 days beyond that to patch, while others are failing to patch at all, a study shows

• September 29, 2015 29 Sep'15

  Celebrity search results loaded with malware, study shows

  Intel security says employees and consumers should be aware that cyber criminals capitalise on interest in celebrities by enticing internet users to sites laden with malware

• September 28, 2015 28 Sep'15

  Silent Circle launches Blackphone 2

  According to Silent Circle, Blackphone 2 is aimed at delivering best in class privacy and security, without compromising on the functionality and usability

• September 28, 2015 28 Sep'15

  ICO warns over public Wi-Fi data

  The Information Commissioner’s Office speaks out on public Wi-Fi network security

• September 25, 2015 25 Sep'15

  Brit spooks snoop on users of the BBC, Facebook, Google and more

  Documents handed to The Intercept by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden reveal that GCHQ has harvested data from users of search engine, social media, news and adult websites, as well as online radio

• September 23, 2015 23 Sep'15

  Healthcare sector 340% more prone to IT security threats

  Cyber criminals are targeting healthcare organisations because of the rocketing black market value of personal medical data, says Raytheon Websense

• September 22, 2015 22 Sep'15

  Majority of UK businesses have been targeted by cyber criminals

  Cyber attacks are now considered a serious threat to UK businesses, yet a relatively small number have adopted the government's Cyber Essentials Scheme

• September 22, 2015 22 Sep'15

  Australian organisations need to catch up in identity and access management

  Australian organisations are lagging behind in terms of identity management, which is not lost on Deloitte as the company expands its Australia-focused resources in this area

• September 21, 2015 21 Sep'15

  Apple cleans out App Store after XcodeGhost malware breach

  Apple takes action after Chinese XcodeGhost malware affects an undisclosed number of apps on the company's App Store

• September 18, 2015 18 Sep'15

  Public-private co-operation in the Nordics tackles growing cyber crime threat

  Nordic governments and businesses are putting cyber security at the centre of their planning as threats increase

• September 17, 2015 17 Sep'15

  Head of NCA's cyber crime unit leaves for private sector job

  Andy Archibald, The National Crime Agency’s head of cyber crime leaves to take up a job in the private sector

• September 17, 2015 17 Sep'15

  F-Secure warns of Russian state-supported cyber espionage

  Russian state-sponsored hackers work office hours and target western governments, according to F-Secure report

• September 17, 2015 17 Sep'15

  MI5 chief Andrew Parker: Social networks have a responsibility to spy on users

  MI5 director general Andrew Parker calls for more surveillance powers for the agency and says social networks have a responsibility to report suspicious activity

• September 17, 2015 17 Sep'15

  Mobile networks hit by rise in Windows and PC malware, report shows

  Latest fixed and mobile network malware analysis from Alcatel-Lucent reveals growing threat posed by Windows PCs and laptops

• September 17, 2015 17 Sep'15

  UK firms cope better with cyber attacks than continental enterprises, research shows

  Trend Micro research suggests UK firms are at greater risk of cyber attack than their counterparts in continental Europe – but are better at dealing with them

• September 16, 2015 16 Sep'15

  BT launches ethical hacking service for bankers

  BT introduces a certified Crest Star ethical hacking test service for financial services customers

• September 15, 2015 15 Sep'15

  Most DDoS attacks hiding something more sinister, Neustar warns

  Smaller DDoS attacks can be more dangerous than a powerful attack that knocks a company offline but does not install malware or steal data, warns Neustar

• September 14, 2015 14 Sep'15

  Malaysia the most cyber-savvy nation in Asia claims Eset, but security gaps remain

  Eset report ranks Malaysia and Singapore as the top two most cyber-savvy nations in Asia – but many internet users still take unnecessary security risks

• September 14, 2015 14 Sep'15

  Rise in IT security demand triggers surge in cyber security jobs

  Cyber security roles account for 14% of UK-based IT jobs as organisations' demand for security provision rises

• September 14, 2015 14 Sep'15

  RSA Group flags ID theft risk to Lloyds Bank customers following datacentre storage theft

  International insurance group has seen 500 customers take up offer of identity theft protection in wake of datacentre theft

• September 11, 2015 11 Sep'15

  Few cyber attacks sophisticated, says Telefonica security chief

  Most big data breaches are enabled by spear phishing and a lack of capabilities to detect and respond to intrusions, not sophisticated malware or attack techniques, says Telefonica's head of security

• September 11, 2015 11 Sep'15

  Security industry welcomes GCHQ password guidelines

  GCHQ's guidance on password policy covers some of the most pressing issues facing UK businesses and employees today, according to Skyhigh Networks

• September 11, 2015 11 Sep'15

  DD4BC cyber extortion gang adds social media to arsenal

  Cyber extortion gang DD4BC is using social media campaigns to garner more attention for its ability to create service disruptions by publicly embarrassing large organisations

• September 11, 2015 11 Sep'15

  Ashley Madison data breach escalates with password encryption failure

  At least 15 million improperly encrypted Ashley Madison passwords are reported crackable, with enormous implications for members and their employers

• September 10, 2015 10 Sep'15

  US health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield hit by data breach

  Forensic investigation reveals a data breach at US health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield exposing up to 11 million records 21 months after the first intrusion

• September 10, 2015 10 Sep'15

  UK tops global cyber crime hit list

  UK based criminals were the second highest originators of cyber crime attacks after the US in the second quarter, according to ThreatMetrix

• September 09, 2015 09 Sep'15

  Security pros failing to address digital certificate risks, survey shows

  Even though 90% of security professionals believe a leading CA will be compromised in next two years, only 13% have existing automation to deal with that happening

• September 09, 2015 09 Sep'15

  Conventional security measures hit productivity, study shows

  Most IT professionals say context-aware security would improve productivity without compromising security, a survey from Dell reveals

• September 09, 2015 09 Sep'15

  Security vulnerability management more than patching, warns Secunia

  Keeping track of what makes an IT environment vulnerable is an ongoing and complex task, according to Secunia

• September 09, 2015 09 Sep'15

  Cisco presents security recommendations to Australian government

  The Australian government has received cyber security advice from Cisco after the networking giant aswered its call for support

• September 09, 2015 09 Sep'15

  WhatsApp fixes security vulnerability

  Security researchers have praised Facebook's WhatsApp cross-platform messenger service for its quick response to a vulnerability disclosure

• September 08, 2015 08 Sep'15

  Porn used as lure for mobile ransomware attacks, Zscaler warns

  Adult Player app is the latest example of a growing list of mobile ransomware, which is becoming an increasingly popular way for cyber criminals to extort money from victims

• September 07, 2015 07 Sep'15

  Security researchers disclose flaws in Kaspersky and FireEye products

  Kaspersky Lab has responded within 24 hours to a vulnerability disclosure, even thanking controversial researcher Tavis Ormandy for his work

• September 04, 2015 04 Sep'15

  US State Department plans cyber security playbook

  The US State Department issues a request for information to determine the capabilities of commercial industry to provide and maintain a cyber security playbook

• September 03, 2015 03 Sep'15

  HSCIC launches cyber security service for health and care

  The Health and Social Care Information Centre sets up cyber security service as sexual health clinic accidentally releases patients’ information

• September 03, 2015 03 Sep'15

  Rapid7 research exposes internet of things security problems

  Security flaws exposed on internet-connected baby monitors indicate the poor state of consumer internet of things (IoT) security that businesses should not ignore, warns Rapid7

• September 02, 2015 02 Sep'15

  HP supports shift to securing interactions

  HP unveils two products to round out its user behaviour security analytics offering and help businesses cope with a "tsunami" of security data

• September 01, 2015 01 Sep'15

  DDoS attack on NCA highlights need to be prepared, says Barracuda Networks

  A Lizard Squad DDoS attack the NCA says is a fact of life highlights the need for organisations to be prepared, according to Barracuda Networks

• September 01, 2015 01 Sep'15

  Use 2FA to mitigate KeyRaider iOS malware, says Rapid7

  KeyRaider iOS malware targeting iPhone users in China and 17 other countries including the UK has raised enterprise security concerns

• September 01, 2015 01 Sep'15

  Webroot to help enable IoT security

  Webroot has released an IoT Security Toolkit for device makers, systems integrators and technology partners

• September 01, 2015 01 Sep'15

  Enterprises set to use more deception to defend against cyber attacks, says Gartner

  Gartner has recognised deception as an emerging defence strategy against cyber attackers

• September 01, 2015 01 Sep'15

  Ransomware growing rapidly, warns Intel’s McAfee Labs

  Malware infection continues to rise as cyber crime is backed by a fully-fledged industry and businesses fail to do all they can to protect themselves, says a report by Intel's McAfee Labs

• August 28, 2015 28 Aug'15

  Police arrest six UK teenagers for using DDoS cyber attack tool

  Police arrest six UK teenagers on suspicion of using a DDoS attack tool targeting a national newspaper, a school and online gaming companies and retailers

• August 27, 2015 27 Aug'15

  Rapid7 calls on router makers to eliminate backdoors

  Until manufacturers stop using default passwords, we will continue to see opportunistic attacks on home and small business routers, says Rapid7's Tod Beardsley

• August 27, 2015 27 Aug'15

  European firms take proactive security stance on APTs

  Intelligence and forensics will become the most important differentiators for companies selling APT defence systems and services, says Frost & Sullivan

• August 26, 2015 26 Aug'15

  Many firms not getting to grips with third-party data security risk

  Supply chain data security risk is pervasive, but being unable to deal with it is down to basic failings, says a cyber risk expert

• August 26, 2015 26 Aug'15

  Millennials dissatisfied with online data security, study shows

  Fewer than 5% of UK and US 16 to 35 year olds believe their digital identity is completely protected by effective safeguards

• August 25, 2015 25 Aug'15

  Sans Institute identifies top UK cyber talent

  The cream of UK cyber security talent selected from 24,000 candidates are set to begin eight weeks of intensive training in the first-ever intake at the Sans UK Cyber Academy

• August 25, 2015 25 Aug'15

  Symantec expands to IoT protection as part of new strategy

  Boosting its information protection capabilities, Symantec has expanded its portfolio to include embedded critical systems protection to protect internet of things devices

• August 25, 2015 25 Aug'15

  More legislation needed to bolster Asean cyber security

  Asean countries will need legislation to motivate organisations to step up their cyber security activities

• August 25, 2015 25 Aug'15

  Avid Life Media offers reward for information on Ashley Madison hack as writs loom

  Ashley Madison owners Avid Life Media faces at least five lawsuits over the adulterers' website data breach, for negligence and violation of privacy laws

• August 25, 2015 25 Aug'15

  US court rules FTC can regulate corporate cyber security

  Federal Trade Commission gets green light to pursue a lawsuit accusing hotel operator Wyndham Worldwide of failing to properly safeguard consumers' data

• August 24, 2015 24 Aug'15

  Network security easier than most businesses think, says Kaspersky Lab

  The best cyber security protection for any business requires a mixture of enforcement and education, according to a guide by Kaspersky Lab

• August 21, 2015 21 Aug'15

  UK bucks worldwide security question trend

  Businesses are moving towards authentication methods that are easy to use and more secure than security questions, according to an Okta report

• August 21, 2015 21 Aug'15

  Hackers publish another 13GB of Ashley Madison data

  A second set of Ashley Madison data published by hackers includes source code from the website, internal emails and a note to the company's founder Noel Biderman

• August 20, 2015 20 Aug'15

  NCC Group sponsors second 10K cyber security competition

  With a prize of £10,000, the NCC Group 10K competition is open to any individual or group with an idea or concept that could help improve cyber security

• August 20, 2015 20 Aug'15

  Mumsnet suffers multi-vector cyber attack

  Mumsnet has been hit by a DDoS attack, its admin hacked and data stolen, and then a hoax call sent armed police to the home of the organisation's co-founder, Justine Roberts

• August 20, 2015 20 Aug'15

  Premiership Rugby scores security and efficiency with Intralinks

  By setting access controls, Premiership Rugby can ensure that its partners get quick access only to role-appropriate content

• August 19, 2015 19 Aug'15

  Microsoft issues emergency security patch for IE browser flaw

  Microsoft warns that a remote execution zero-day memory handling vulnerabilty in Internet Explorer versions 7 to 11 can enable attackers to take control of computers

• August 19, 2015 19 Aug'15

  Is Australia's cyber security-focused government underestimating the insider threat?

  Canberra is strengthening its cyber security response, but there is conflicting evidence about where the main threat is coming from

• August 19, 2015 19 Aug'15

  Ashley Madison hackers carry out threat to publish user data

  The Impact Team hacking group claims to have carried out a threat to publish data stolen from cheating site Ashley Madison after the site was not shut down

• August 18, 2015 18 Aug'15

  Q2 DDoS attacks double in a year, says Akamai report

  For the past three quarters, distributed denial of service attacks have doubled compared with the equivalent periods the year before, according to the latest Akamai security report

• August 18, 2015 18 Aug'15

  First Darkode hacker suspect pleads guilty

  Eric Crocker of Binghamton, New York, is the first of 12 Darkode suspects to plead guilty to charges after the hacker forum was dismantled in an international operation

• August 18, 2015 18 Aug'15

  Australian Cyber Security Centre sets baseline for businesses

  The ACSC wants more organisations to take responsibility for protecting their information resources and computer systems

• August 18, 2015 18 Aug'15

  More than 300,000 US taxpayers affected by data breach

  The IRS initially said hackers had used data from breaches of non-IRS sources to gain access to the agency’s Get Transcript feature from February to mid-May 2015 and harvest 100,000 records

• August 17, 2015 17 Aug'15

  Heartbleed bug has had positive effect on OpenSSL, says Rapid7

  The effect of Heartbleed has been “hugely positive” on OpenSSL, according to Rapid7's Tod Beardsley

• August 17, 2015 17 Aug'15

  Nation-state cyber attacks could target most organisations, survey shows

  Only 47% of respondents to a security conference survey said confidence in their organisations’ ability to detect and respond to a cyber attack had risen in the past 12 months

• August 17, 2015 17 Aug'15

  FireEye latest security firm to join forces with Europol

  Law enforcement and private industry need to work together to effectively combat cyber crime, says Europol as it signs an MoU with another cyber security firm

• August 17, 2015 17 Aug'15

  Ambient sound could speed adoption of 2FA, say security researchers

  Swiss researchers have proposed a two-factor authentication system that does not require user interaction to help speed adoption of strong security

• August 16, 2015 16 Aug'15

  Mobile phone users at risk as hackers bug and track victims

  An investigation by Australian TV show 60 Minutes demonstrates how hackers based thousands of miles away in Germany were able to record the calls of an Australian senator and track his movements

• August 14, 2015 14 Aug'15

  Security flaw exposes billions of mobile phone users to eavesdropping

  Hackers, fraudsters, rogue governments and unscrupulous commercial operators are exploiting flaws in the architecture of the mobile phone signalling system known as SS7