News

IT security

May 06, 2020 06 May'20
HMRC tackles almost 300 coronavirus phishing websites

Of 292 websites removed since lockdown began on 23 March, 237 were proactively identified by HMRC and 55 were flagged by the public
May 06, 2020 06 May'20
End-users failing to protect themselves online

Remote workers and stuck-at-home consumers are taking silly risks with their security during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
Coronavirus: NCSC issues urgent alert for healthcare sector

UK National Cyber Security Centre and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency say they are seeing large-scale campaigns targeting healthcare bodies and medical research organisations
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
GoDaddy owns up to October 2019 data breach

Web hosting services provider has suffered yet another security incident, confirming that an unauthorised individual accessed hosting accounts

May 05, 2020 05 May'20
Building security and privacy into contact-tracing apps

Governance and data decentralisation are among measures that organisations can take to allay security and privacy concerns over contact-tracing apps, according to RSA
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
Xen Orchestra latest victim of Salt cryptojackers

More victims of cyber criminals exploiting two critical Salt vulnerabilities are coming forward
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
NHSX contact-tracing app needs legislative oversight

Legal experts have told Parliament’s Human Rights Committee that legislation is desirable to ensure public trust in the data security of the Covid-19 coronavirus contact-tracing app
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
Assange extradition hearing to take place in September following coronavirus lockdown

An extradition hearing against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been delayed by four months, after defence and prosecution lawyers said the Covid-19 lockdown would make it impractical to hold a fair hearing in May
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
Blogging platform Ghost hacked through Salt vulnerability

Publishing service’s network was taken over by illicit cryptominers after failing to patch a critical vulnerability
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
IT Priorities 2020: Compliance and risk are top security concerns

When it comes to security, buyers are prioritising solutions and services that address compliance issues, risk management and data protection, according to the Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities 2020 study

May 04, 2020 04 May'20
Research institutes warn of necessity for UK contact-tracing app to link to testing

BCS and Cass Business School call for proposed UK contact-tracing app not to be launched without alignment to testing and warns that without this link, NHS will not be able to “big data” its way out of “no data” situation
May 01, 2020 01 May'20
NCSC tackles unconscious bias in security terminology

The terms whitelisting and blacklisting are out at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre
May 01, 2020 01 May'20
Treasury gives Gov.uk Verify 18-month reprieve due to coronavirus

The government's troubled digital identity system was due to end funding in April 2020 but surge in use due to Universal Credit applications has brought a temporary reprieve
April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20
Cyber security skills courses go online during pandemic

The government is turning to online learning to find the next generation of cyber security talent
April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20
Critical SaltStack vulnerability affects thousands of datacentres

Critical vulnerabilities in the Salt remote task and configuration framework enable hackers to take control of cloud servers and must be patched right away
April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20
Mobile banking customers at risk from new EventBot trojan

Customers of Barclays, HSBC, Santander and many other banks should be alert to a dangerous new trojan
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
IMDA to issue 5G spectrum to Singtel and StarHub-M1 venture

Singapore’s telco regulator will award 5G spectrum to major operators whose proposals have exceeded its requirements in some cases
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
Coronavirus: GCHQ gets access to NHS data to beef up security

Health secretary gave GCHQ emergency powers to obtain information relating to the security of its networks and IT systems at the beginning of April, it has emerged
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Call for extension to European payment security standard deadline

Payment processors across Europe want more time to meet the SCA payment security standard
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
NHSX on track for May launch of Covid-19 contact-tracing app but challenges remain

Leading UK scientific experts assure MPs that much-anticipated application will be ready for launch in May but concede that challenges exist on achieving meaningful uptake
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
Under the spotlight, video apps rush to strengthen security

Most popular videoconferencing applications now meet Mozilla’s minimum security standards, with fierce competition and public pressure driving rapid improvement
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
Almost half of security pros being redeployed during pandemic

Close to half of cyber security professionals say they have been taken off some or all of their security duties to focus attention elsewhere during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
Black Rose Lucy ransomware now posing as FBI porn warning

A new strain of Russian-developed ransomware impersonates US federal law enforcement to force payment, says Check Point
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
Julian Assange extradition hearing postponed amid coronavirus lockdown

Julian Assange’s lawyers say they have been unable to communicate or share legal documents with the WikiLeaks founder to enable them to prepare a defence in time for a planned extradition hearing in May
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
Microsoft patches .gif file vulnerability in Teams

Vulnerability could have enabled cyber criminals to use a malicious .gif file to scrape user data and take over Teams accounts
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
UK tech companies launch online safety body

Online Safety Tech Industry Association unites 14 technology companies to drive conversation and policy around online safeguarding
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
How Vonage is riding the e-commerce wave in Asia

The surge in online sales across Asia has boosted demand for cloud-based communications services as more e-commerce players look to integrate text messaging, voice and video into customer engagement platforms
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
Australia’s CovidSafe app debuts, source codes to follow

Australia’s contact tracing app has been downloaded more than 1.1 million times, even as privacy concerns linger on
April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Dutch Covid-19 tracking app stirs national debate

Privacy concerns raised over mobile app to help track and control the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands
April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20
The Security Interviews: Can AV go from dodgy scareware to cyber hero?

Alun Baker, CEO of Clario, is on a mission to rehabilitate the image of consumer security products and take the fear out of selling antivirus. We find out how things are changing
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Ransomware-stricken Travelex up for sale

Travelex’s parent Finablr is washing its hands of the ransomware-stricken forex provider as it struggles with the twin shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic and a developing fraud scandal
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Public authorities set to receive expanded surveillance powers

UK government wants to extend the number of public authorities able to obtain communications data using mass surveillance
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
iOS zero-day leaves iPhone users dangerously exposed

Researchers identify dangerous vulnerabilities in Apple’s iOS operating system that allow remote code execution on target devices
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Zoom to roll out fresh cyber security updates

New features include support for advanced AES 256-bit encryption
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
NCSC overwhelmed by response to coronavirus campaign

The UK’s NCSC has taken down more than 80 malicious web campaigns and received 5,000 reports of suspicious emails within 24 hours of launching reporting service
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Banking and mobile sectors collaborate to stop text scams

Initiative aims to protect 50 genuine brands and government organisations from being impersonated by cyber criminals
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Cyber criminals may be changing tactics

Cyber criminals “may soon shift to heavier exploitation of footholds established through phishing and other scams”, warns Cyber Threat Coalition
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Amazon’s Whole Foods uses heat mapping to track unionisation efforts

Whole Foods is using mapping technology to predict where strikes or union activity will happen, but organisers can use similar tools for the inverse of bolstering their actions too
April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20
Revealed: The man behind the first major computer virus pandemic

After 20 years of silence, Onel de Guzman has admitted unleashing the “Love Bug”, the computer virus that caused havoc by infecting 45 million machines around the world
April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20
Coronavirus: HMRC job retention scheme targeted by cyber criminals

The UK government’s scheme to pay furloughed employees 80% of their wages is being targeted by cyber criminals
April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20
When data protection is not enough

Organisations should take a holistic approach to data protection and cyber security in what the CEO of Acronis deems a “cyber protection” strategy
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
NCSC launches coronavirus cyber security campaign

The National Cyber Security Centre has launched a reporting service for scam emails as part of a campaign to help people protect themselves from cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
IT services company Cognizant warns customers after ‘Maze’ ransomware attack

US IT services company Cognizant alerts customers after the Maze ransomware group launches a cyber attack
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
Zoom and WebEx users targeted by credential stealing attempts

Videoconferencing apps such as Zoom and Cisco’s WebEx are being targeted by cyber criminals trying to steal users’ personal data
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
Dutch organisations address business email compromise fraud

Public-private partnership in the Netherlands works to break the chains used by fraudsters to carry out BEC attacks
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
Australian workers are weakest link in fight against cyber attacks

About four in 10 employees are sharing inappropriate data across mobile devices and half of all security incidents in 2019 occurred through inappropriate IT use, new study finds
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Coronavirus: How Nominet fights back against malicious domains

Domain name registry has thwarted hundreds of attempts to register malicious .uk domain names during the coronavirus pandemic
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
EU warns no compromise on privacy as NHS clashes with tech firms on contact tracing

EU and UK regulators express data privacy concerns days after Silicon Valley giants announce collaboration on contact-tracing apps to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Security certification body puts exams online

Candidates for certification by the International Association of Privacy Professionals will now be able to sit their exams remotely
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Check Point sounds alarm over double extortion ransomware threat

Researchers say double extortion ransomware attacks are likely to increase in frequency, and warn organisations to be on guard
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
DWP turns to Government Gateway to support Universal Credit claims

Existing users of HMRC’s digital identity system can use their credentials to apply for benefits, in a move designed to ease bottlenecks caused by Gov.uk Verify performance problems
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Coronavirus: India eases lockdown restrictions for IT service providers

Indian government allows IT services firms to bring half their staff back to delivery centres
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
NHS Wales to get free security services during coronavirus pandemic

NHS Wales Informatics Services enlists Thales to help it face down security threats and let its teams focus on the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Cyber attacks on banks seen spiking, says Carbon Black

VMware’s Carbon Black observes a spike in cyber attacks on financial services organisations
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Indian IT sector takes hit

India’s IT market will see slower growth this year though opportunities abound in artificial intelligence and cyber security
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Coronavirus: ICO temporarily relaxes regulatory approach

The Information Commissioner’s Office sets out a revised approach to its regulatory duties during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Standard Chartered bans employees from Zoom

Standard Chartered is the first bank to have instructed its staff to refrain from using Zoom
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Researcher finds security vulnerability in Slack

Some common assumptions about the security of cloud-based messaging platform Slack may not be entirely accurate, says an Alien Labs researcher
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Microsoft patches 19 critical bugs in another heavy Patch Tuesday

The volume of vulnerabilities being uncovered by Microsoft remains high, with more than 100 fixes pushed out in April’s Patch Tuesday
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
Apple and Netflix most imitated brands in phishing attacks

A new report highlights the brands which are being most frequently spoofed by cyber criminals in phishing attacks
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Zoom user credentials for sale on dark web

IntSight researchers say they have found a database containing thousands of Zoom usernames and passwords being sold on the dark web
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
Coronavirus puts brakes on 5G core deployments

Research firm identifies short- and long-term impacts that global pandemic will have on 5G core and edge networks
April 13, 2020 13 Apr'20
How Singapore’s Niometrics is changing network analytics

By extracting granular data and emphasising privacy protection, Niometrics’ network analytics technology is being put through its paces in a variety of use cases
April 10, 2020 10 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Warning over surge in Zoom security incidents

Check Point researchers have observed a surge in suspicious Zoom domains as cyber criminals target popular remote working and collaboration tools
April 09, 2020 09 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Zoom restricted or banned at multiple organisations

Use of videoconferencing tool has been banned at Google and in parts of the German and US governments
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Revealed: Estonia targeted by Russia-linked disinformation deluge

Kremlin-linked threat actors are undermining the government of Estonia and its relationship with the European Union through a concerted disinformation campaign, with wider ramifications
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Despite coronavirus, overall cyber crime volumes hold steady

The UK’s NCSC and the US’s CISA see little change in overall volumes of cyber crime in spite of the coronavirus crisis – for the time being
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Australian open source project to expand global reach

Data61’s open source seL4 microkernel project will be supported by a new foundation created under the auspices of the Linux Foundation
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Coronavirus: McAfee unearths dark web blood bank

Cyber criminals are selling fake goods and running scams on online marketplaces during the Covid-19 pandemic. Don’t be taken in
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Coronavirus threats ramp up as more hospitals come under attack

The Covid-19 Cyber Threat Coalition finds the majority of security pros have been targeted by cyber criminals exploiting the coronavirus pandemic, and adds to warnings of increased activity targeting the health sector
April 07, 2020 07 Apr'20
Judge refuses to delay Assange's extradition hearing over coronavirus pandemic

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser says extradition proceedings will go ahead against Julian Assange, after his lawyers argued that the coronavirus lockdown means they cannot prepare their defence
April 07, 2020 07 Apr'20
Happy developers write secure code, report claims

DevOps specialist Sonatype claims to have found a direct correlation between satisfied developers and application security hygiene
April 07, 2020 07 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Criminals using Zoom installer to spread cryptominer

Videoconferencing application targeted to deliver cryptomining malware to unsuspecting victims
April 06, 2020 06 Apr'20
Two-factor authentication is broken: What comes next?

Two-factor authentication is seen by many as a robust authentication method, but is it really as impervious as it seems?
April 06, 2020 06 Apr'20
BA and Marriott get GDPR fine reprieve

Both British Airways and Marriott International have had their General Data Protection Regulation fines deferred until later in 2020
April 06, 2020 06 Apr'20
Zero-day exploits increasingly commodified, say researchers

The exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities increasingly demonstrates access to cash, rather than skills
April 05, 2020 05 Apr'20
Interpol warns of more ransomware attacks against healthcare sector

Purple notice issued to alert police forces around the world of ransomware attacks against hospitals and other healthcare institutions
April 05, 2020 05 Apr'20
Google data shows high interest in security and remote working

An analysis of the most Googled technology terms during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the scale of the cyber security challenge presented by the crisis
April 03, 2020 03 Apr'20
Covid-19 apps pose threat to digital privacy on a global scale

Digital security firm Surfshark has reviewed a number of apps aimed at tackling the spread of coronavirus, and found that many pose a threat to people’s digital privacy
April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Magecart attacks on online retailers jump 20%

RiskIQ researchers have observed a sharp uptick in Magecart credit card attacks, driven by increased traffic to online retailers during the coronavirus pandemic
April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20
Morrisons appeal success is cold comfort for enterprises

The success of Morrisons’ appeal against judgments that it should be held vicariously liable for an insider data breach will be welcomed by businesses, but may be of limited comfort to them
April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Is Zoom safe and should security teams ban it?

Zoom’s rapid rise to prominence has highlighted a score of security problems with the service. Should CISOs try to steer their organisations away from it, or ban it outright?
April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Three tips to maintain remote productivity

As the lockdown continues, businesses are having to make use of remote working technologies. We investigate
April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20
Australian broadband providers team up to meet network demand

NBN Co and five retail service providers have formed a working group to manage congestion and take steps to address the surge in demand for broadband connectivity amid the Covid-19 outbreak
April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20
What we can learn from Marriott’s new data breach embarrassment

Marriott International has egg on its face once again following a second data breach in as many years, but there are encouraging signs in its response that suggest it is at least trying to learn from its experiences
April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20
Morrisons not liable for 2014 data breach, says Supreme Court

Court allows supermarket chain’s appeal against judgments holding it liable for a 2014 insider data breach, saying previous rulings misunderstood the concept of vicarious liability
April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20
Swedbank to rebuild anti-money laundering systems after damning report

Report finds that €36.7bn in transactions, all carrying a high risk for money laundering, were processed through the bank’s branch network in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20
Coronavirus: WHO, Rakuten collaborate on anti-disinformation chatbot

The World Health Organisation and Rakuten Viber have built an interactive, multi-language chatbot to try to get on top of the growing problem of disinformation during the coronavirus pandemic
April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20
CDN and cloud suppliers join routing security initiative

Akamai and Amazon Web Services are among a group of cloud and content delivery network providers to participate in a global initiative to address the security threats to internet routing systems
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Nigerian email attacks evolving into credible, dangerous threat

Palo Alto’s Unit 42 reports on Nigeria’s SilverTerrier cyber crime group, which is becoming a highly dangerous threat to businesses worldwide
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Marriott International hotel chain in second data breach

Marriott International notifies customers of a major data breach that unfolded earlier in 2020 – the second it has experienced in the past two years
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
How IT leaders and their teams are supporting employees through the coronavirus crisis

We talk to four top IT chiefs across the UK to find out how their teams are supporting their organisations and staff to keep working through the Covid-19 outbreak
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Too late to protect online privacy, say Brits

Most UK consumers are concerned about data privacy, but think it’s too late to do much about it, according to a report
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Coronavirus readiness: Three technology-led steps the NHS is taking

With the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading, NHS Digital has needed to make rapid changes to its 111 service
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Houseparty denies hack as credential stuffing attacks spread

Social media service denies its service has been hacked, and is offering a million-dollar bounty to anybody who can prove otherwise
March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20
Hackathon launched to help fight coronavirus pandemic

Virtual hackathon seeks to develop a suite of applications to help people during the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak through ethically built technology
March 30, 2020 30 Mar'20
Coronavirus: Don’t fall for fake cures, warns UK government

Government urges people to be more vigilant about what they read and share online as it relaunches its Don’t Feed the Beast campaign to counter coronavirus disinformation
March 29, 2020 29 Mar'20
Australian government unveils Covid-19 app

Federal government launches Coronavirus Australia app to keep Australians updated on the latest developments in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak
March 27, 2020 27 Mar'20
Insurance firm Chubb may be latest Maze ransomware victim

Maze ransomware group claims to have stolen personal data from the systems of cyber security insurance firm Chubb
March 27, 2020 27 Mar'20
Lorca calls on security scaleups to tackle coronavirus challenge

Lorca innovation programme has launched an open call for its next cohort of cyber security scaleups, with a timely focus on coronavirus challenges