News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

April 24, 2012 24 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Government committed to raising cyber security awareness, says Willetts

The UK is facing the challenge of deriving economic and social value from the internet, says Universities and Science Minister David Willetts.
April 24, 2012 24 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: EC vice-president Neelie Kroes urges safer internet plan

Internet cyber crime costs $380bn a year but too little is done to protect users, says European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes
April 24, 2012 24 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Hackers harness automation for website attacks

Hackers are using automated tools to compromise websites and plunder company databases, security researchers have found.
April 23, 2012 23 Apr'12
Most UK consumers would leave if data was lost

Most UK consumers would stop doing business with any organisation that lost personal data, a survey has revealed.

April 23, 2012 23 Apr'12
UK firms see competitors as greater cyber attack risk than criminals

More than half of UK firms expect a cyber attack in the next six months, but see competitors as a greater risk than criminals
April 20, 2012 20 Apr'12
ISBS 2012 report: Security slow to adapt to new technologies

PwC’s ISBS 2012 report, which will be presented at Infosecurity 2012, shows security teams react too slowly to threats from new technologies.
April 20, 2012 20 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Firms leaving cloud data security to chance, study shows

UK businesses are failing to check the security controls surrounding their data in the cloud, a study has revealed.
April 20, 2012 20 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Three main data-related risks to business

There are three main risks to business related to data protection, according to the ICO.
April 20, 2012 20 Apr'12
GCHQ releases Alan Turing code-breaking papers

Government communications intelligence agency GCHQ has released two papers by Alan Turing on the theory of code breaking
April 19, 2012 19 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Education is key to safer cloud contracts, says Suffolk CIO

Many businesses are discovering some nasty security surprises from their cloud providers, but that is no reason to shy away, says Mark Adams-Wright, chief information officer, Suffolk County Council.

April 19, 2012 19 Apr'12
Twitter spam used to spread rogue security software

A new spam campaign is promoting fake antivirus software through hundreds of fake or compromised Twitter accounts and thousands of tweets, warn security researchers.
April 19, 2012 19 Apr'12
Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee says government snooping bill is dangerous

Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee criticises plans to allow security services to spy on internet users' e-mails, phone calls and internet browsing habits
April 18, 2012 18 Apr'12
UK organisations unprepared for EU data breach disclosure law

UK businesses admit they would be unable to identify individuals affected by a data breach within the EU's proposed 24 hour time frame
April 18, 2012 18 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Poor mobile security exposes UK firms to massive risk, study shows

UK organisations are running IT security risks by failing to respond to the trend of employees using their own mobile devices for work
April 18, 2012 18 Apr'12
(ISC)2 revamps advisory board to boost public profile of infosec professionals

Information security body (ISC)2 has revamped its advisory board to mobilise the professional community and shape public policy
April 17, 2012 17 Apr'12
Infosec 2012: Trust in 3rd party suppliers takes planning, says compliance officer

The most important thing to ensure third-party suppliers are trusted, is knowing who they.
April 17, 2012 17 Apr'12
Facebook to back US cyber-security snooping bill

Facebook says it will back a new US cyber-security bill that will enable the government to access web users' private data on suspicion of a cyber threat.
April 17, 2012 17 Apr'12
Acta constitutes threat to civil liberties, says Euro MP David Martin

A second Member of the European Parliament responsible for a report on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement will recommend Acta be rejected
April 16, 2012 16 Apr'12
Team Poison hacking highlights need for phone security

The recording of conversations on Scotland Yard’s anti-terror hotline by hacktivist group Team Poison highlights the importance of security for telecommunications, say security experts.
April 16, 2012 16 Apr'12
Apple takes novel approach to killing Flashback Trojan on Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.6

Apple has released a version of Java for Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.6 to tackle the Flashback Trojan believed to have infected over 600,000 Macs
April 12, 2012 12 Apr'12
DDoS attacks on financial sector treble

Financial services firms were targeted by three times as many distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in Q1 2012 than the previous quarter, a study has revealed.
April 12, 2012 12 Apr'12
BlackBerry most secure mobile platform, research finds

BlackBerry leads the pack when it comes to secure mobile platforms, according to a study by security firm Trend Micro, Bloor Research and Altimeter Group.
April 12, 2012 12 Apr'12
Apple criticised for slow response to Flashback Trojan

Apple is developing a tool to detect and remove the Flashback Trojan that has infected over 600,000 Macs.
April 12, 2012 12 Apr'12
US to fast-track cyber weapon development

The US plans to fast-track the development of cyber weapons to give it the ability to create the means to attack specific targets within months and even days.
April 11, 2012 11 Apr'12
Busy security patch month for Microsoft administrators

Microsoft has released six patches, four critical, for 11 vulnerabilities in Office, Windows and various server products in its April security update.
April 11, 2012 11 Apr'12
Medical implants vulnerable to cyber attack

Medical implants used to manage conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are vulnerable to cyber attack, security researchers warn
April 10, 2012 10 Apr'12
Social media a treasure trove for hackers, Imperva warns business

A study by Imperva revealed that hackers have developed techniques for stealing information from social media sites such as Facebook
April 04, 2012 04 Apr'12
Government puts brakes on web snooping plans

In a U-turn over plans to allow security services to spy on e-mails, phone calls and web browsing, the legislation will be published only in draft
April 02, 2012 02 Apr'12
UK business fears impact of new EU data protection framework

More than half of senior UK IT managers in large enterprises believe the proposed new EU data protection framework will cost their business more money, a survey has revealed
April 02, 2012 02 Apr'12
Civil rights groups criticise government plans to spy on UK citizens

Civil liberties groups criticise government plans to grab powers to monitor the calls, e-mails, texts and website visits of all UK citizens
April 02, 2012 02 Apr'12
Eight UK universities awarded excellence in cyber security research status

The first eight UK universities have been awarded 'Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research' status
April 02, 2012 02 Apr'12
Visa drops Global Payments after hackers compromise 1.5m accounts

Visa has dropped its seal of approval for credit and debit card processor Global Payments in the wake of a data breach involving 1.5 million accounts
March 30, 2012 30 Mar'12
SIEM deployment case study shows patience is required

Williams Lea’s SIEM is already helping reduce manual log reviews. But there’s still a lot of work to be done before the SIEM can be fully deployed.
March 29, 2012 29 Mar'12
EC vice-president Viviane Reding calls on MEPs to hasten EU data protection reform

EC vice-president Viviane Reding has urged MEPs to hasten reforms to EU Data Protection law, saying it can't wait two years for adoption
March 28, 2012 28 Mar'12
Collaborative strike takes down second Hlux/Kelihos botnet

A security industry collaborative strike has taken down the second Hlux or Kelihos botnet
March 28, 2012 28 Mar'12
Millions of internet users trust weak passwords, research reveals

Online passwords are so insecure that 1% can be cracked within 10 guesses, according to a researcher at Cambridge University.
March 27, 2012 27 Mar'12
EU to set up cyber crime centre

The European Commission (EC) is proposing a European Cybercrime Centre in efforts to tackle rising levels of online crime across Europe
March 27, 2012 27 Mar'12
Online profiling and tracking important to business, says AVG

Profiling and tracking of website visitors is important to businesses and consumers, says security firm AVG Technologies
March 27, 2012 27 Mar'12
Cyber criminals hijack Facebook accounts with rogue Chrome extensions

Cyber criminals are planting malicious Google Chrome extensions that hijack Facebook accounts in the official Chrome Web Store
March 27, 2012 27 Mar'12
Cybercrime a growing threat to financial sector, says PwC

Cybercrime is second only to asset misappropriation among economic crimes affecting companies in the financial services sector, a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has revealed
March 26, 2012 26 Mar'12
Will 2012 be the year of the first significant smartphone attacks?

Security researchers have warned of mobile malware for years but will 2012 prove the year of the first significant attacks on smartphones?
March 26, 2012 26 Mar'12
Microsoft leads US raid on suspected botnet servers

Microsoft employees and US marshals have raided two office buildings in Pennsylvania and Illinois to disrupt Zeus botnets of hijacked computers used to harvest financial and personal data
March 23, 2012 23 Mar'12
Google improves security of cloud services

Google has improved security by enabling cloud-hosted services like Cloud Storage to authenticate interaction with applications using certificate-based technology.
March 23, 2012 23 Mar'12
UK IT spending 2012: Security budgets show growth, CompTIA survey says

CompTIA found IT security budgets are growing for most UK organisations. However, UK IT managers report a shortage of skilled security professionals.
March 22, 2012 22 Mar'12
Internet security demands a Europe-wide strategy, says Neelie Kroes

Internet security cannot be confined to national security agencies because cyber threats come from around the world and readily cross borders, according to European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes
March 22, 2012 22 Mar'12
Improved internet security forces criminals to change tactics, says IBM

Cybercriminals are being forced to change their tactics due to improvements in several areas of internet security, such as a reduction in vulnerabilities
March 22, 2012 22 Mar'12
2011 the year of the hacktivist, Verizon data breach report reveals

The Verizon 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report reveals the dramatic rise of “hacktivism” or cyber hacking to advance political and social objectives
March 21, 2012 21 Mar'12
Student Loans Company leaks 8,000 students' e-mail addresses

Student e-mail addresses were mistakenly released by the Student Loans Company, a division of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
March 20, 2012 20 Mar'12
Data protection: It's often about locking the front door

Organisations face costly data breaches, but attacks are not necessarily sophisticated. How are criminals accessing corporate networks?
March 19, 2012 19 Mar'12
Study: Shnakule, four other malnets caused most 2011 attacks

Huge global malnets, such as Shnakule, were responsible for most attacks in 2011, and Blue Coat predicts they will trigger 66% of all attacks in 2012.
March 19, 2012 19 Mar'12
UK hacktivist cases should spur business to action, says lawyer

The last of four alleged UK members of hacktivist group LulzSec has appeared in Westminster magistrates court in London
March 16, 2012 16 Mar'12
SourceForge takes down Anonymous operating system

The open-source collaboration website SourceForge has taken down an Ubuntu Linux OS project purportedly affiliated with online hactivist group Anonymous, after a review by security experts
March 15, 2012 15 Mar'12
UK firms have trust in cloud service security, but reality disappoints

UK firms believe moving some IT projects to the cloud will improve their overall security, yet they end up feeling less secure after the move.
March 15, 2012 15 Mar'12
Gartner IAM summit: Identity and access management in flux but progressing

Identity and access management (IAM) remains in a state of flux as architectures and standards evolve. But does that mean no progress in managing identity?
March 15, 2012 15 Mar'12
China targeting Tibet in cyberspace, study shows

China is taking its decades-old cold war with Tibet into cyberspace, research by IT security firm AlienVault reveals
March 15, 2012 15 Mar'12
BBC cyber attacks highlight difficulty of attribution

The BBC has said it is was targeted by cyber attacks following a campaign by Iran against its Persian service, but stopped short of accusing Tehran of ordering the cyber attacks
March 14, 2012 14 Mar'12
Surveying the landscape of today’s mobile device security risks

The biggest mobile device security risks are not from malware -- at least not yet. Find out the primary concerns of IT pros managing mobile devices.
March 14, 2012 14 Mar'12
Big picture view wins UK Cyber Security Challenge for Cambridge student Jonathan Millican

The UK's newest Cyber Security Challenge champion, Jonathan Millican, scooped top honours in the final in Bristol last weekend because of his ability to see the big picture
March 14, 2012 14 Mar'12
Microsoft urges businesses to apply critical RDP patch

Microsoft is urging organisations to apply the single critical update in this month's Patch Tuesday release as soon as possible.
March 14, 2012 14 Mar'12
UK government approves extradition of student for copyright breach

Home secretary Theresa May has approved the extradition of a 23-year-old UK computer science student to the US to face trial for copyright breach
March 13, 2012 13 Mar'12
UK Cybersecurity Challenge opens up to infosec professionals

The third UK Cybersecurity Challenge will be bigger, more varied, and offer skills testing opportunities for information security professionals for the first time
March 13, 2012 13 Mar'12
Hackers expose weak security on Digital Playground porn site

A hacking group claims to have stolen the details of more than 70,000 users of the Digital Playground porn site
March 12, 2012 12 Mar'12
Businesses should take action on identity and access management, says Gartner

Identity is more important than ever, but businesses are still not managing it very well in the midst of an architectural and policy transition, says Gartner
March 12, 2012 12 Mar'12
Cambridge first-year student wins UK cybersecurity challenge

Cambridge first-year student Jonathan Millican has been crowned the UK's second cybersecurity champion
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
Conficker still a threat to business, finds Security Intelligence Report

Conficker and other malware that exploit a vulnerability in the Windows Autorun feature continue to be top threats to business, according to security researchers at Microsoft
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
New mobile security statistics show consumers fearful of mobile spam

A survey of UK consumers found trust in mobile device security is declining as more users fall prey to mobile spam.
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
Police Central e-Crime Unit arrests anti-abortion hacktivist suspect

The Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) has arrested a man in Wednesbury, West Midlands, on suspicion of hacking the website of the UK's largest abortion clinic
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
Hollywood targets file sharing-website Hotfile after Megaupload success

Hollywood film companies are calling on US courts to shut down Panama-based file-sharing site Hotfile after their success in closing Megaupload
March 09, 2012 09 Mar'12
Google's Chrome browser hacked twice in one day

Google's Chrome browser – untouchable in the past two Pwn2Own challenges – was the first to be compromised at CanSecWest 2012
March 08, 2012 08 Mar'12
UK views on data protection will go to Brussels, says Lord McNally

Government negotiators will take UK views to negotiations over the proposed EU data protection regulatory framework, says justice minister Lord McNally
March 07, 2012 07 Mar'12
BT and Talk Talk lose appeal against Digital Economy Act

Internet service providers BT and Talk Talk have lost an appeal against measures to tackle copyright infringement online in the Digital Economy Act
March 07, 2012 07 Mar'12
FBI informer Hector Xavier Monsegur aids in arrest of LulzSec hackers

Authorities in the US, UK and Republic of Ireland have arrested seven suspected members of hacktivist group LulzSec, including Hector Xavier Monsegur, who helped investigators
March 06, 2012 06 Mar'12
US applies to extradite Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom from New Zealand

US authorities have made a formal request for the extradition of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom from New Zealand
March 05, 2012 05 Mar'12
Microsoft Trustworthy Computing: what next?

Ten years ago, Microsoft set up the Trustworthy Computing (TwC) group, but a lot has changed since then. How relevant is Microsoft's trustworthy computing mission in today's world?
March 05, 2012 05 Mar'12
Businesses face existential threat from hackers

Criminal and state-sponsored hacking groups are threatening big business
March 05, 2012 05 Mar'12
Congress tells Nasa to continually improve data security following hack admission

A US Congressional subcommittee has called on Nasa to ensure its data protection is constantly updated after the agency admitted hackers gained control of computer systems in 2011
March 05, 2012 05 Mar'12
UK hackers charged with stealing Michael Jackson songs

Two UK men have been charged with breaking into servers at Sony Music and downloading Michael Jackson's 50,000-track back catalogue
March 01, 2012 01 Mar'12
RSA 2012: IT security experts urge enterprises to ban smartphone BYOD schemes

Enterprises should ban employees from using their own smartphones for work, a panel of IT security practitioners told the RSA Conference 2012
March 01, 2012 01 Mar'12
RSA 2012: Trustworthy Internet Movement launched

The trustworthiness of the internet is at risk, Philippe Courtot, chief executive officer at Qualys, warned attendees of RSA Conference 2012.
March 01, 2012 01 Mar'12
RSA 2012: Forget about hacktivists, say security experts

Businesses should forget about hacktivists and concentrate on getting the security basics right, a panel of IT security practitioners told attendees of RSA Conference 2012 in San Francisco
March 01, 2012 01 Mar'12
RSA 2012: Rationalise security compliance obligations for greater efficiency, says Microsoft

Meeting compliance obligations, passing audits and dealing with false alarms can distract information security professionals from keeping data secure, but Microsoft has found ways of managing the noise
February 29, 2012 29 Feb'12
RSA 2012: RSA takes market-leader position seriously, says Heiser

RSA takes its market-leader position seriously to pull together the IT security industry, says Tom Heiser, president of RSA.
February 29, 2012 29 Feb'12
IT departments risk losing responsibility for IT security

IT security professionals can no longer take it for granted that IT security will continue as part of the IT function
February 28, 2012 28 Feb'12
RSA 2012: RSA issues security industry call to arms

Security supplier RSA urges the security industry to collaborate to win the war against cyber threats to information security
February 28, 2012 28 Feb'12
RSA 2012: Trustworthy computing more important than ever, says Microsoft

Information security is becoming increasingly challenging rather than easier, according to Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group
February 28, 2012 28 Feb'12
RSA 2012: IT security industry in challenging position

A number of events over the past ten years has put the IT security industry in a challenging position, says Art Coviello, executive chairman of RSA, the Security Division of EMC.
February 27, 2012 27 Feb'12
US appeals against Megaupload decision

The US government is appealing against a decision to free Megaupload’s founder on bail
February 24, 2012 24 Feb'12
White House unveils a 'bill of rights' for web users

The White House has unveiled a bill of rights for web users, calling for stronger privacy protections to ensure the internet remains "an engine for innovation and economic growth".
February 23, 2012 23 Feb'12
Mobile strategy needs to catch up with adoption

Most businesses see mobility as a key driver of agility, effectiveness and efficiency, but have yet to formulate long-term strategic plans.
February 23, 2012 23 Feb'12
OSSIM update enables cyber threat intelligence sharing

The latest update to the Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) base system includes a mechanism for sharing cyber threat intelligence.
February 23, 2012 23 Feb'12
Pirate Bay looks to overcome potential High Court ban

Controversial file-sharing site The Pirate Bay has vowed to go underground in the face of a potential UK ban after the High Court ruled the site illegally encourages users to infringe music copyright.
February 22, 2012 22 Feb'12
Acta ratification stalled pending top EU court ruling

The European Commission is to refer the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement (Acta) to the European Union's top court for legal guidance.
February 21, 2012 21 Feb'12
Mobile malware on the rise

New malware releases reduced during the final three months of 2011, but were higher than expected for the year
February 21, 2012 21 Feb'12
Security becomes business-led

Security investments are increasingly business-led with a bigger focus on getting value out of technology systems, according to security firm Check Point.
February 21, 2012 21 Feb'12
The Pirate Bay faces UK ban after High Court ruling

The Pirate Bay faces a UK ban after the High Court ruled it illegally encourages users to infringe music copyright.
February 17, 2012 17 Feb'12
Hartlepool nuclear plant report lost on unencrypted memory stick

The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation has lost an unencrypted USB memory stick containing a safety assessment of Hartlepool’s nuclear plant
February 17, 2012 17 Feb'12
UK regulator PhonepayPlus fines Dutch typosquatting companies

UK phone regulator PhonepayPlus fines two Dutch firms £100,000 for exploiting well-known websites Wikipedia, Twitter and YouTube
February 16, 2012 16 Feb'12
SOCA moves to protect intellectual property rights

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has taken control of RnBXlusive.com after the music website was accused of hosting music illegally
February 14, 2012 14 Feb'12
Software industry fails to plug security holes, says Secunia

Vulnerabilities are still rising despite industry investments in security, says Secunia
February 14, 2012 14 Feb'12
Infosec offers stability and mobility in 2012, survey shows

The information security profession offers stability and mobility, according to the latest Career Impact Survey by industry and certification body (ISC)².