News

Privacy and data protection

• 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

  Apple vows to raise security as FBI breaks into iPhone

  Apple says it will help law enforcement with investigations, but will increase the security of its products after the FBI broke into an iPhone

• 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 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  Canadian Elizabeth Denham set for the UK's next information commissioner

  Canadian privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham is to become the UK's next information commissioner as government pushes ahead with the snoopers' charter

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  Britain to pay billions for monster internet surveillance network

  New questions raised about Britain’s snoopers’ charter after Denmark abandons its own UK-style surveillance programme for a second time

• 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

  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

  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 11, 2016 11 Mar'16

  $1bn cyber bank heist thwarted by spelling error

  Cyber thieves made 30 requests for the New York Federal Reserve to transfer nearly $1bn from the Bangladesh central bank’s account, but a typo and the volume of requests alerted banking officials

• March 09, 2016 09 Mar'16

  Lack of security knowledge limiting business initiatives, survey shows

  Security concerns are limiting the adoption of cloud and mobility throughout organisations, according to the first Dell Data Security Survey

• March 04, 2016 04 Mar'16

  RSAC16: Cyber criminals are hiding in plain sight, says RSA report

  Cyber criminals are using social media as a communication and sales channel, not just for reconnaissance and phishing, an RSA study has revealed

• March 02, 2016 02 Mar'16

  RSAC16: RSA’s Amit Yoran comes out in support of strong encryption

  A policy of weakened encryption would harm US economic interests and undermine those trying to defend digital environments, according to RSA president Amit Yoran

• March 01, 2016 01 Mar'16

  RSAC16: US works on data access agreement with UK

  The US is negotiating with the UK to establish a new framework that will permit UK authorities to access electronic communications directly from US companies

• February 26, 2016 26 Feb'16

  Majority of Britons support government surveillance for national security

  A survey reveals that a majority of UK citizens support government surveillance for national security as Apple attempts to rally public support in its row with the FBI over encryption

• February 26, 2016 26 Feb'16

  Nissan acts on Leaf car app security flaw after researcher goes public

  Nissan suspends its electric car app after a researcher went public about a security flaw that could enable attackers to take control of heating systems

• February 23, 2016 23 Feb'16

  Social engineering confirmed as top information security threat

  Cyber attackers shifted away from automated exploits in 2015 and instead tricked people into doing the dirty work, Proofpoint researchers found

• February 19, 2016 19 Feb'16

  HSBC launches biometric security for mobile banking in the UK

  Bank claims UK’s largest planned roll-out of voice biometric security technology, with more than 15 million customers in line for voice and fingerprint authentication services

• February 17, 2016 17 Feb'16

  Judge orders Apple to unlock San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone

  A US judge has ordered Apple to help the FBI bypass the auto-erase function on the San Bernardino gunman's iPhone to find the passcode and access data, but the company says it will contest the order

• February 16, 2016 16 Feb'16

  EU managers need to up cyber security collaboration, study finds

  There is still much work to be done in the area of collaboration and sharing responsibility when it comes to preventing data breaches, a study has found

• February 12, 2016 12 Feb'16

  Interview: Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock on digital government

  The government’s minister for digital reform talks about creating a Digital Leadership Academy, learning valuable lessons, and his love for open data

• February 12, 2016 12 Feb'16

  US IT professionals overconfident in cyber attack detection, study finds

  Most US IT professionals are confident in key security controls to detect cyber attacks – but unsure how long it would take automated tools to discover a breach

• February 11, 2016 11 Feb'16

  Social engineering is top hacking method, survey shows

  Social engineering tops the list of popular hacking methods, underlining the need for continuous monitoring, according to security firm Balabit

• February 11, 2016 11 Feb'16

  TechUK calls on government to take reports on spy laws seriously

  Government must address the fundamental concerns raised by expert witnesses, MPs and Lords about the draft Investigatory Powers Bill, says TechUK

• February 08, 2016 08 Feb'16

  Bulk data collection unnecessary for surveillance, says cyber expert

  Opting for bulk data collection and other intrusive surveillance overlooks other means available that do not involve collateral damage to businesses and innocent people, says cyber expert

• February 04, 2016 04 Feb'16

  Google’s Chrome to flag deceptive embedded content

  Browser will warn of any embedded content such as ads that pretend to act like, and look and feel like, a trusted entity

• January 29, 2016 29 Jan'16

  HSBC online services hit by DDoS attack

  HSBC was hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which targeted its online personal banking services.

• January 29, 2016 29 Jan'16

  ICO launches data privacy assessment tool for SMEs

  The ICO has launched an online self-assessment tool to help SMEs to comply with data protection laws and improve data handling procedures

• January 28, 2016 28 Jan'16

  Business urged to take action on data privacy

  Security professionals use Data Protection Day to encourage businesses to do more to protect personal data

• January 27, 2016 27 Jan'16

  Keep data safe or risk financial impact, ICO warns business

  The knock-on effect of a data breach can be devastating for a company, warns information commissioner Christopher Graham

• January 27, 2016 27 Jan'16

  New government plan to support cyber security startups

  Government has announced a £250,000 programme to increase the rate of cyber security startup development in the UK

• January 27, 2016 27 Jan'16

  Average DDoS attacks fatal to most businesses, report reveals

  Criminal activity is top motivation for DDoS attacks as average attacks become strong enough to down most businesses, Arbor Networks report reveals

• January 22, 2016 22 Jan'16

  $54m cyber fraud hits aircraft supplier share price

  Austrian aircraft industry supplier reports cyber fraud loss of $54m, way above the average cost of the worst breaches in the UK of up to $4.4m in 2015

• January 21, 2016 21 Jan'16

  Candy Crush maker King secures mobile access through cloud

  Candy Crush maker King.com uses cloud-based Duo Security authentication for access to cloud services, customised apps and remote VPNs

• January 19, 2016 19 Jan'16

  Most Android devices running outdated versions

  Nearly a third of Android devices in enterprises today are running version 4.0 or older of the operating system, leaving them highly susceptible to vulnerabilities, a study shows

• January 19, 2016 19 Jan'16

  Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull calls for free, open and secure internet

  International norms of behaviour should prohibit states from conducting cyber intellectual property theft, says Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull

• January 18, 2016 18 Jan'16

  Chinese university targeted by Islamic State hacktivist

  Beijing’s Tsinghua University is the latest organisation to be attacked by hackers with a social or political agenda

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  UK not involved in mass surveillance, says Theresa May

  Coffee shops and libraries could be the target of interception warrants, Theresa May tells MPs and peers

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  Watchdog urges US nuclear agency to close cyber security gaps

  An audit report has called on the US nuclear agency to revise its IT contracts to ensure better cyber security

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  Firms can monitor employees’ online chats, EU court rules

  Human rights court says it is not unreasonable for employers to want to verify that staff are completing their professional tasks during working hours

• January 11, 2016 11 Jan'16

  ICO reiterates call for stronger sentences for data theft

  The information commissioner (ICO) reiterates his call for stronger sentences for data theft after a court fined a woman just £1,000 for selling 28,000 customer records

• January 08, 2016 08 Jan'16

  Tech firms critical of UK draft Investigatory Powers Bill

  Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo say they are particularly concerned about six key aspects of the UK's draft Investigatory Powers Bill

• January 06, 2016 06 Jan'16

  UK IoT research hub opens with support from academic world

  A consortium of nine UK universities have come together to work alongside the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on research into the internet of things

• January 06, 2016 06 Jan'16

  Upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 to reduce risk

  Failure to update to the latest version of Internet Explorer by 12 January 2016 could put users at risk, Microsoft warns

• December 31, 2015 31 Dec'15

  Top 10 internet of things stories of 2015

  2015 was the year the internet of things began to move from theory to widespread practice, and the fledgling industry shook off the millstone of connected kitchen appliances

• December 24, 2015 24 Dec'15

  Top 10 IT security stories of 2015

  Computer Weekly looks back at the most significant stories on IT security in the past 12 months

• December 23, 2015 23 Dec'15

  Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2015

  Computer Weekly takes a look back at the top cyber crime stories of 2015

• December 15, 2015 15 Dec'15

  Bracknell man arrested over VTech toy hack

  Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the hacking of Hong Kong-based toymaker VTech

• December 11, 2015 11 Dec'15

  Eight startups selected for Cyber London security accelerator programme

  Cyber London has selected startups from the UK, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Brazil and South Africa for its second cyber security accelerator programme

• December 11, 2015 11 Dec'15

  UK firms act quickly to fix payment card data encryption

  Security firm found that 16 global companies had failed to effectively encrypt traffic to the payment portion of their websites and apps