News

Security policy and user awareness

• November 29, 2021 29 Nov'21

  British Army picks Immersive Labs for cyber training

  The British Army will make Immersive Labs’ security training platform available to all serving personnel

• November 29, 2021 29 Nov'21

  Three latest trends and developments around the Mitre ATT&CK framework

  Framework is set to receive important updates to help organisations and businesses evolve their cyber security. Learn more about what it offers

• November 26, 2021 26 Nov'21

  UK’s surveillance culture may be normalising use of tech for abuse

  Intense surveillance of public spaces by UK authorities may be playing a part in the normalisation of cyber stalking in intimate relationships

• November 25, 2021 25 Nov'21

  UK consumers warned of increase in credit card application fraud

  There has been a sharp rise in fraudsters using stolen personal details to open credit card accounts

• November 23, 2021 23 Nov'21

  NCSC commits to new diversity measures

  The National Cyber Security Centre’s second annual report on diversity in cyber security finds room for improvement

• November 22, 2021 22 Nov'21

  Upcoming holidays prompt ransomware warning from authorities

  Ransomware gangs know how calendars work, and may target their attacks around major holidays to take advantage of more people being off work, according to a new alert

• November 22, 2021 22 Nov'21

  Black Friday cyber warning for 4,000 card-skimming victims

  NCSC warns thousands of small retailers that their websites are being exploited to steal customer data

• November 19, 2021 19 Nov'21

  Why is Emotet back, and should we be worried about it?

  The sudden reappearance of Emotet this week has security teams on high alert, but do we need to be worried about its return, and what should we be doing about it?

• November 19, 2021 19 Nov'21

  GCHQ, NSA chiefs recommit to counter cyber threats

  UK and US intelligence services reaffirm a joint commitment to disrupt and deter new and emerging cyber threats

• November 18, 2021 18 Nov'21

  Government to legislate to make APP fraud reimbursement mandatory

  UK payments regulator wants to reduce the huge sums of money lost to authorised push payment fraud and is calling on the banking and tech industries to play their part

• November 17, 2021 17 Nov'21

  Security startups line up on Cyber Runway

  Some 108 cyber security startups representing the UK’s most cutting-edge innovators are to join Plexal’s Cyber Runway accelerator

• November 17, 2021 17 Nov'21

  Zero-days: The next element of the service-based cyber economy?

  Digital Shadows researchers have reported on the emergence of zero-days as a service, which could be the next big thing in the cyber criminal underworld

• November 17, 2021 17 Nov'21

  Out of the shadows: The rise of ethical hackers in 2021

  Ethical hackers working on the Bugcrowd platform have saved organisations almost $30bn in risk during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the community sheds old stereotypes

• November 16, 2021 16 Nov'21

  One-fifth of NCSC-supported cyber incidents linked to Covid-19

  National Cyber Security Centre has helped to thwart multiple cyber incidents that could have seriously disrupted the UK’s response to the pandemic

• November 15, 2021 15 Nov'21

  UK government proposes new rules for digital supply chain security

  Proposals could see IT service providers legally required to adhere to the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework, among other things

• November 11, 2021 11 Nov'21

  HPE’s Aruba networking unit hit by cyber attack

  Undisclosed threat actor compromised data buckets used to run the Aruba Central cloud environment using a stolen access key

• November 11, 2021 11 Nov'21

  Scale of crime-as-a-service economy a growing concern, say researchers

  The cyber criminal underground continues its evolution towards a service-based economy

• November 11, 2021 11 Nov'21

  Bank of England loses 161 computing devices in three years

  Bank cannot account for phones, laptops and tablets that have gone missing over the past three years

• November 10, 2021 10 Nov'21

  November Patch Tuesday drop fixes bugs in Excel, Exchange Server

  Another relatively light Patch Tuesday drop from Microsoft addresses 55 vulnerabilities, two of them already being exploited

• November 09, 2021 09 Nov'21

  US seeks to extradite REvil affiliate who attacked Kaseya

  US Department of Justice unseals charges against a Ukrainian national accused of being behind the summer 2021 REvil ransomware attack on Kaseya

• November 04, 2021 04 Nov'21

  The Netherlands works on resilience with large-scale national cyber exercise

  For the Netherlands, the biggest challenge in a large-scale cyber crisis is to maintain speed while exercising due care

• November 03, 2021 03 Nov'21

  Spyware firm NSO and others added to US banned Entity List

  US government bans target Israeli spyware makers and cyber firms in Russia and Singapore

• November 03, 2021 03 Nov'21

  UK’s Labour Party hit by third-party data breach

  Data on Labour Party members was recently compromised in an apparent cyber attack on a third-party data processor

• November 03, 2021 03 Nov'21

  BlackMatter ransomware crew shuts down, leaves victims in a bind

  The BlackMatter ransomware gang appears to be winding down its activities, possibly due to pressure from law enforcement

• November 01, 2021 01 Nov'21

  Businesses and governments urged to take action over Trojan Source supply chain attacks

  Businesses and governments have been put on alert to guard against Trojan Source hacking attacks

• October 29, 2021 29 Oct'21

  Facebook rebrands to Meta amid continuing controversies

  Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta to support its work on the next generation of “social technologies”, but concerns around trust and privacy persist

• October 28, 2021 28 Oct'21

  How ransomware crews pile on the pressure to get victims to pay

  Sophos researchers share some of the more common tactics ransomware gangs use to pressurise their victims into paying up

• October 27, 2021 27 Oct'21

  Government commits millions to security investment

  Spending Review adds more than £750m of funding to improve cyber security resilience across government

• October 27, 2021 27 Oct'21

  Cyber sector growth exacerbating skills shortage

  Data from security association (ISC)² shows demand for cyber pros is still outpacing supply as the sector continues an upward growth trajectory

• October 26, 2021 26 Oct'21

  Cyber experts on how to nobble a Nobelium attack

  A recent spate of attempted Nobelium cyber attacks were mostly unsuccessful, but serve as a reminder to pay attention to some more fundamental aspects of security

• October 21, 2021 21 Oct'21

  Airport operator MAG boosts threat visibility with hybrid SOC

  With budget concerns weighing heavy during the pandemic, Manchester Airports Group ditched an impending capex-heavy cyber investment in favour of a hybrid managed/in-house approach. Learn more about its experience

• October 20, 2021 20 Oct'21

  LightBasin hackers breach 13 telcos in two years

  Hackers have obtained an undisclosed volume of subscriber information and call metadata in a sustained campaign against telecommunications firms

• October 14, 2021 14 Oct'21

  NHS Digital enhances in-house cyber awareness drive

  Keep IT Confidential campaign aims to help NHS staff understand more about security threats and learn how to reduce risk

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  FCA warns over future hybrid working security risks

  Earlier this week, the Financial Conduct Authority issued fresh guidance to regulated organisations on keeping hybrid workers safe and secure

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  Microsoft warns of MysterySnail on October Patch Tuesday

  Microsoft has fixed a zero-day that is being actively exploited to deliver a new remote access trojan dubbed MysterySnail to targets

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  Former signals intel leader named godfather of UK security

  Sixth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards honours former Royal Corps of Signals colonel and infosec pioneer John Doody

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  Australia unveils ransomware action plan

  The Australian government has established a task force to address the ransomware menace and is proposing legislation to mandate reporting of ransomware incidents by businesses

• October 12, 2021 12 Oct'21

  BCS calls on government to retain protections against AI

  BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, wants the government to retain protections that allow people to have decisions about them made by an AI reviewed by humans if needed

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  Covid-19 will loom over cyber strategy for years to come

  In remarks delivered to a Chatham House conference, NCSC head Lindy Cameron reflects on the security challenges facing the UK, and sets out some plans for the future

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  Sensitive documents to stay with whistleblower after deadline for agreement for their return passes

  A deadllne to agree the safe return of the sensitive banking details of former and current NatWest Group customers has passed without agreement

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  Singapore refreshes cyber security strategy

  The city-state updates its national cyber security strategy to shore up the security of critical infrastructure and enterprises while growing its cyber security industry, among other goals

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Craft beer specialist Brewdog fixes serious app vulnerability

  Vulnerability in brewer’s mobile app could have resulted in serious consequences for its shareholders and customers

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Fast-moving Ryuk campaign targets healthcare organisations

  Newly designated FIN12 gang leverages the work of the cyber criminal ecosystem to conduct lightning-fast ransomware attacks

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  ICO expresses concerns over its future independence

  In its response to the government’s data protection consultation, the Information Commissioner’s Office has raised worries over its future ability to function independently of government interference

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  Twitch data breach investigations continue

  Investigations are ongoing into a 125GB data breach that hit livestreaming platform Twitch, apparently the work of hacktivists

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  US lawmakers propose ransomware reporting rules

  Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren lends her support to a bill that would require corporate ransomware victims to disclose more information about their attacks to the authorities

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Gaming service Twitch hacked, data leaked

  Users of livestreaming platform Twitch may be at risk after a 125GB torrent of data was leaked

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Apache web server users urged to patch immediately

  New zero-day in Apache HTTP Server is already being actively exploited and must be addressed immediately

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Auto-enrolment begins for Google multi-factor authentication

  Google has started to turn on multi-factor authentication on consumer accounts by default, and aims to auto-enrol 150 million users by the end of 2021

• October 05, 2021 05 Oct'21

  New Python-based ransomware attacks unfold in record time

  Sophos researchers detail a new variety of Python-based ransomware attack targeting VMware ESXi-hosted VMs

• October 04, 2021 04 Oct'21

  Two arrests made in European ransomware investigation

  Unnamed ransomware operation was disrupted last week in Kiev, Ukraine, following a coordinated investigation

• October 01, 2021 01 Oct'21

  Amnesty International exploited in malware campaign

  According to new intelligence from Cisco Talos, Amnesty International’s branding and profile is being used as part of a new malware campaign that exploits people’s fears of the notorious Pegasus spyware app

• October 01, 2021 01 Oct'21

  JVCKenwood hit by Conti ransomware attack

  Nearly 2TB of data was stolen from Japanese electronics firm in a Conti ransomware hit

• September 30, 2021 30 Sep'21

  UK consumers would collectively pay over £1bn a year for control of their data

  UK consumers are willing to pay a small fee per month to have control of the data they share with Google and Facebook

• September 29, 2021 29 Sep'21

  FoggyWeb malware latest tool of dangerous Nobelium APT

  Microsoft’s threat intelligence team warns of a new strain of malware being used by the Russia-linked Nobelium APT

• September 29, 2021 29 Sep'21

  The Security Interviews: How SolarWinds came through its darkest hour

  In his first major UK press interview, SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna tells Computer Weekly how a relentless focus on transparency saw the company safely through a nightmare cyber breach scenario

• September 28, 2021 28 Sep'21

  How one red team exercise averted a new SolarWinds-style attack

  Palo Alto Networks shares details of how its red teamers found and sealed a customer vulnerability that could have led to another SolarWinds-style supply chain attack

• September 27, 2021 27 Sep'21

  Women and BAME people bear brunt of cyber crime impact

  Cyber crime has a disproportionate impact on women and BAME people, according to a new report

• September 26, 2021 26 Sep'21

  What it takes to attract and retain women in cyber security

  The narrowing gender gap may be a cause for cheer, but more needs to be done to curb discrimination, and attract and retain women for cyber security roles in Asia-Pacific

• September 24, 2021 24 Sep'21

  How Australia punches above its weight in cyber security

  Australia is playing to its strengths in niche areas such as governance and deep tech to punch above its weight in the cyber security industry

• September 23, 2021 23 Sep'21

  Fresh alert over Conti ransomware surge

  Conti ransomware crew appears increasingly active, prompting fresh warnings from the US authorities

• September 23, 2021 23 Sep'21

  Threat actors target VMware vCenter Server users

  Users of VMware vCenter Server are advised to patch a series of vulnerabilities post haste

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  US sanctions Suex crypto exchange over ransomware links

  US Treasury cracks down on cryptocurrency exchange that supposedly facilitated proceeds from multiple ransomware gangs

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  Investigation launched after MoD email blunder

  Exposure of PII on Afghan interpreters who worked with the UK may put hundreds at risk of Taliban reprisals

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  Spanish police bust Mafia-linked phishing gang

  A joint operation between European authorities has dismantled a cyber criminal gang with links to the Italian Mafia

• September 16, 2021 16 Sep'21

  Dutch education administrators underestimate threat of cyber crime

  Research shows educational establishments in the Netherlands are becoming favoured targets of cyber criminals and administrators are underestimating the risks

• September 16, 2021 16 Sep'21

  Bitdefender launches free REvil ransomware decryptor

  Working alongside law enforcement partners, Bitdefender has developed and released a tool to help REvil victims recover their data for free

• September 16, 2021 16 Sep'21

  Travel-themed phishing lures spiked this summer

  As people begin to take holidays again after more than a year of restrictions and lockdowns, opportunist cyber criminals have taken note, according to new data from Palo Alto’s Unit 42

• September 15, 2021 15 Sep'21

  Microsoft patches 66 vulnerabilities in September update

  Another lighter-than-usual Patch Tuesday update includes important fixes for recently disclosed vulnerabilities, including a dangerous zero-day, and an update in the PrintNightmare saga

• September 14, 2021 14 Sep'21

  Mass health tracker data breach has UK impact

  The leak of a database of 61 million users of health-tracking devices includes records on individuals located in the UK

• September 14, 2021 14 Sep'21

  Cost of ransomware attack in financial sector exceeds $2m

  Mid-sized financial services organisations worldwide spend an average of over $2m recovering from ransomware attacks

• September 14, 2021 14 Sep'21

  Apple patches ForcedEntry vulnerability used by spyware firm NSO

  Apple patches ForcedEntry vulnerability that was used to target political activists with spyware

• September 13, 2021 13 Sep'21

  Smishing attacks up sevenfold in six months

  Scam text messages are reaching pandemic proportions, thanks in part to the pandemic

• September 09, 2021 09 Sep'21

  UK GDPR faces changes under planned reforms

  DCMS is launching a major consultation on proposed changes to the UK’s data protection regime, under which several key elements of the GDPR are likely to change

• September 08, 2021 08 Sep'21

  REvil reappearance may herald new ransom campaigns

  The re-emergence of the infamous REvil ransomware gang is a likely sign that more high-profile attacks will unfold over the coming weeks

• September 08, 2021 08 Sep'21

  Covid positive for security market, but still a source of stress

  CIISec’s latest “State of the profession report” highlights both positives and challenges for cyber pros arising from the past two years

• September 08, 2021 08 Sep'21

  Stolen credit card data worth about £13 on dark web, PayPal worth more

  The average price of a stolen credit card on a dark web marketplace comes in at around $17.40, or £12.60, according to new data – but the real money for cyber criminals is in hacked PayPal accounts

• September 07, 2021 07 Sep'21

  OT security in APAC remains work in progress

  Two operational technology security experts shed light on the state of OT security in the region, and what’s being done to address skills, competency and organisational challenges

• September 07, 2021 07 Sep'21

  ICO in bid to end cookie pop-ups

  Outgoing information commissioner Elizabeth Denham will call on her equivalents across the G7 group of countries to collaborate on an overhaul of cookie consent pop-ups

• September 03, 2021 03 Sep'21

  Berlin court reverses ban on use of EncroChat evidence in criminal trials

  Berlin Superior Court allows use of EncroChat evidence in criminal trials but lawyers say the question will ultimately need to be decided by the German Supreme Court

• September 03, 2021 03 Sep'21

  Mandiant, Sophos detail dangerous ProxyShell attacks

  Threat researchers and incident responders continue to track threat activity around the dangerous ProxyShell Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, including impactful ransomware hits

• September 02, 2021 02 Sep'21

  WhatsApp fined €225m over GDPR breaches

  Irish data protection watchdog has issued one of the largest GDPR fines to date against Facebook-owned WhatsApp

• September 02, 2021 02 Sep'21

  Twitter tests auto-block feature for accounts at risk of abuse

  Latest Twitter feature automatically blocks abusive users, and is intended to help victims regain control of their experience on the platform

• September 01, 2021 01 Sep'21

  Experts warn on Office 365 phishing attacks

  Newly observed campaign is particularly dangerous because it appears to neutralise one of the most widely known anti-phishing techniques

• September 01, 2021 01 Sep'21

  Remote workers routinely bypassed security tools during pandemic

  New data from Palo Alto Networks reveals that over 25% of UK security leaders saw their employees circumventing or switching off security measures at the height of the pandemic

• August 27, 2021 27 Aug'21

  Are proposed data protection changes a threat to UK citizens’ privacy?

  Though changes are as-yet undefined pending an upcoming consultation, concerns are already being expressed over the government’s plan to liberalise data protection laws in the service of innovation and growth

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  Tech giants commit to Biden's cyber security action plan

  Some of the world’s most prominent tech giants have made a series of commitments to enhance the US’ national cyber security posture following a high-profile meeting with president Biden

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  NZ privacy lead John Edwards named new information commissioner

  DCMS has named John Edwards, currently New Zealand privacy commissioner, to succeed Elizabeth Denham as UK information commissioner

• August 25, 2021 25 Aug'21

  Calling the cops for ransomware attacks doesn’t help, say cyber pros

  A new study for the #Ransomaware campaign reveals some insight into why so few victims report ransomware attacks

• August 25, 2021 25 Aug'21

  UK loses £1.3bn to fraud and cyber crime so far this year

  New figures from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau show a threefold spike in reported financial losses to fraud and cyber crime in the first six months of 2021

• August 24, 2021 24 Aug'21

  Half of MS Exchange servers at risk in ProxyShell debacle

  Up to 50% of MS Exchange users in the UK are exposed to three vulnerabilities that are now being actively exploited

• August 24, 2021 24 Aug'21

  More data breaches in Australia arising from ransomware

  The number of data breaches in Australia arising out of ransomware attacks grew by 24% during the first half of 2021, according to OAIC’s latest data breach report

• August 19, 2021 19 Aug'21

  Pub apps harvesting swathes of customer data unnecessarily

  Some pub and restaurant chain apps demand data such as gender and marital status, raising eyebrows among privacy campaigners

• August 19, 2021 19 Aug'21

  IT leaders fear ‘trickle-down’ of nation-state cyber attacks

  Three-quarters of IT decision-makers are concerned that the tactics, techniques and procedures used by nation-state attackers could be used against them

• August 13, 2021 13 Aug'21

  Cyber Runway programme supports new security businesses

  The Cyber Runway programme is a government-backed scheme to support entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups in launching and growing new security businesses

• August 13, 2021 13 Aug'21

  Hospitals see cyber security investment as a low priority

  Almost half of hospitals have experienced an IT shutdown as a result of a cyber attack in the past six months, but just over one in 10 hospital executives see cyber security investment as a high priority

• August 12, 2021 12 Aug'21

  ICO consults on new international data transfer agreement

  Information Commissioner’s Office to consult on its draft international data transfer agreement and guidance, which will replace standard contractual clauses to protect personal data during overseas transfers

• August 11, 2021 11 Aug'21

  The Netherlands still lacks digital resilience, says report

  Report by National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security says the Netherlands’ digital resilience has improved, but is still insufficient

• August 10, 2021 10 Aug'21

  Third of finance firms accelerate use of artificial intelligence to detect money laundering

  Financial services firms are stepping up their use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to fight increasing money laundering activity

• August 06, 2021 06 Aug'21

  Apple unveils plans to scan US iPhones for child sex abuse images

  Apple will introduce child sexual abuse material detection for US users later this year, but some experts are worried that the technology could be repurposed to scan phones for other kinds of content