Endpoint security

Top 10 cyber security stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s 10 top cyber security stories of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Patching: Balancing technical requirements with business considerations

With an increasing reliance on subscription models alongside the regular patching of software, updates have become an essential part of modern business practices. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the optimum patching process is implemented Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Top 10 end-user computing stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 end-user computing stories of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dodgy browser extensions put social media users at risk

More than three million users of third-party browser extensions for Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo and others have been infected with malware, according to Avast Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Scotland taps Check Point to secure Covid-19 data

NHS National Services Scotland is working with security firm Check Point to safeguard its sensitive data in the cloud and support its work on the coronavirus Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How security will be different after Covid-19

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the world of cyber security will probably never return to its pre-pandemic state – we look ahead. The combination of remote working and streaming video is putting extra strain on networks. And we look at how digital transformation is changing the way contact centres are run. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

FireEye identifies flaw in networking monitoring software as US agencies attacked

Cyber security company says investigations have revealed security breach occurred because of a flaw in a network monitoring software Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Confidence in print security drops and data breach costs rise

As cyberattacks continue to increase, capitalising on the new vulnerabilities of remote working, securing the print infrastructure – across the office and home environments – must be a strategic ... Continue Reading

By

• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

Disputed PostgreSQL bug exploited in cryptomining botnet

PGMiner cryptomining botnet remained unnoticed by exploiting a disputed CVE in PostgreSQL Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Surge in Covid-19 vaccine phishing scams reported

Check Point and KnowBe4 share details of a growing number of phishing campaigns using the prospect of a Covid-19 vaccine as a lure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post-pandemic approaches to IAM for cloud security

Cloud technology may have saved businesses from catastrophe during the pandemic, but it has also introduced additional challenges around identity and access management. Here’s why IAM policies are crucial in the new normal Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

After critical year, Vodafone trains security sights on CNI market

Vodafone’s security head Steve Knibbs explains how he plans to bring the lessons of a transformative few years in cyber security to bear on new markets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amnesia:33 IoT flaws dangerous and patches unlikely, say experts

The disclosure of multiple flaws by Forescout has raised big questions for the developers of connected products, and for their users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft presents just 58 CVEs for Christmas

The final Patch Tuesday of 2020 contains 58 fixes, a minnow compared to some recent drops, but many are still of high importance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

There’s no going back to pre-pandemic security approaches

The cyber security world will probably never return to its pre-pandemic state, and different approaches to security will come to the fore in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top IT predictions in APAC in 2021

The Asia-Pacific region will continue to be a cradle for technology innovation in the new year, whether it is 5G services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing or cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Multiple D-Link routers found vulnerable to attack

Digital Defense discloses a remotely exploitable root command injection flaw in a number of D-Link wireless router devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian state actors exploiting VMware bug to hijack data, users warned

Russian APT groups are actively exploiting a vulnerability in VMware products to access protected data, according to latest warnings Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HMRC referred 11 data security incidents to ICO in 2019-20

HM Revenue & Customs shares details of a number of data security incidents that occurred during the 2019-20 financial year in its annual report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Grindr and others patch critical Android bug

Fixes for CVE-2020-8913 deployed as app developers shore up their defences against a disclosed Google Play vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Opportunistic Egregor ransomware is an emerging and active threat

Researchers at Recorded Future’s Insikt Group highlight links between the emerging Egregor ransomware and other strains, and offer guidance on defending against it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Avast and Borsetta to support Intel’s AI security project

Security firm Avast and AI security specialist Borsetta have signed up to support an Intel-led artificial intelligence security research project Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lax Android app developers putting millions of users at risk

Eight months after Google patched a critical vulnerability, developers have failed to update their apps, putting millions of users of apps such as dating services Bumble and Grindr at risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dangerous Trickbot evolves to target UEFI/BIOS firmware

Dubbed Trickboot by researchers, Trickbot’s new features enable malicious actors to read, write or even erase UEFI/BIOS firmware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

This Christmas, Covid-19 heightens retail security risks for everyone

Do you think it’s only retailers and consumers who need to consider cyber security when shopping online during the holidays? You’re dead wrong. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift to remote working has thrown a spanner in the works Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The authentication arms race continues

This week we are heading back to 2006, when we reported on that sadly-perennial favourite: IT access security, and more specifically, Managing Access Securely. As our contribution to the bit of fun ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

APAC plagued by APT, ransomware attacks

The Asia-Pacific region was a primary target of advanced persistent threat groups, mostly from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, that carried out 34 campaigns between June 2019 to June 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Use of abusive stalkerware against women skyrocketed in 2020

Rise in the use of malicious stalkerware correlates closely to increased domestic violence during lockdown Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Belgian security researcher hacks Tesla with Raspberry Pi

Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters once again succeeds in hacking a Tesla vehicle, this time by exploiting the Bluetooth Low Energy standard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Covid-19 has accelerated tech innovation in the NHS

Of all the terrible things that Covid is, what it has done is accelerate the digital journey. In this issue of Computer Weekly, we look at the track and trace app, which was redeveloped and enhanced at breakneck speed, and explore how the pandemic has accelerated the roll-out of new technology such as artificial intelligence and video conferencing tools at NHS trusts. We also present some research into how Covid has affected IT spending. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Finnish finance giant pilots fingerprint payments

OP Financial introduces biometric security technology to enable higher-value payments to be made safely using contactless cards Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020

Members of Parliament are targeted by millions of spam and phishing emails every month, according to a Freedom of Information disclosure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW APAC: Expert advice on zero-trust security

Zero trust is a security model that eliminates the traditional perimeter and assumes that no user or device can be trusted until proven otherwise. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how enterprises can take a zero-trust approach to securing their network, devices and workforce. Continue Reading

2021 the year of commodity ransomware, says Sophos

Sophos researchers anticipate a trickle-down effect in the cyber criminal underground Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Aarogya Setu is addressing scale and security challenges

India’s contact-tracing platform leverages microservices, encryption techniques and cloud-based visibility tools to address scale and security requirements Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How Mastercard is taking digital payments into a new era

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Mastercard about how the credit card giant is using new technologies to take digital payments into a new era. After months of unprecedented uncertainty, we ask CIOs how they are planning for the next 12 months. And we examine how the growth in remote working will affect IT salaries. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2020: Budgets rejigged to support 2021 recovery

IT has been essential in helping organisations remain operational. IT chiefs are now considering the IT to drive a sustained business recovery Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What businesses can learn from GovTech’s digital strategy

Modernising its infrastructure and putting digital at its core has given Singapore’s Government Technology Agency the agility it needs to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security pros coped admirably with remote working transition

Despite facing tight timescales at the onset of the pandemic, security professionals have come through the transition to remote working remarkably well, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gartner: IT spending to focus on fast time to value

There are no surprises in Gartner’s latest forecast. IT budgets are being spent on supporting remote workers, but CIOs have new metrics Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft drops fix for serious zero-day among 112 Patch Tuesday updates

November’s Patch Tuesday contains fixes for 112 bugs, including a potentially serious zero-day exploit that malicious actors are already taking advantage of Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Intel and AMD processors affected by another side-channel exploit

Two years after Spectre and Meltdown, the x86 processor faces another side-channel exploit – only this time, it is based on sensing temperature Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IT Priorities 2020: After Covid-19, security goes back to basics

This year’s transition to remote working highlighted big gaps in the fundamentals of security, as updated TechTarget/Computer Weekly data reveals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU moves closer to encryption ban after Austria, France attacks

Draft resolution document setting up an EU-wide ban on end-to-end encryption is set to be waved through this week Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Credential stuffing: When DDoS isn’t DDoS

Ten years ago, credential stuffing attacks posed a comparatively minor threat, but with an escalating number of data breaches, the threat posed has now increased. What are the solutions to this very human problem? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Microsoft to support next generation of security startups

Tech giant lends its support to the NCSC Cyber Accelerator scheme, which is seeking its seventh cohort of startups Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Consumer rights organisation warns of computer takeover scams

Consumers warned to be on guard against criminals pretending to be IT support staff to gain access to personal banking information Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Singapore government rolls out digital signature service

Individuals and businesses will soon be able to sign documents digitally using a new service on the Singapore government’s SingPass digital identity platform Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

India and Japan report stronger concern over cyber threats

Security operations teams in the two Asian giants see the increased volume of cyber threats as their biggest challenge amid the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Barracuda eyes Indochina markets

Barracuda is looking to expand its local presence and headcount in fast-growing emerging markets of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Pet project: How Pets at Home cares for customers with data analytics

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the chief data officer of Pets at Home, about using data analytics to care for customers. British Airways had its GDPR fine reduced to just £20m – we ask what this means for data protection regulation. And we look at GPT3, the language prediction tool that could revolutionise AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

APAC CISOs warm up to zero trust

Security leaders in Asia-Pacific are adopting zero-trust security, but challenges stand in their way of reaping the full potential of the security model Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Protecting remote workers an opportunity to do security better

Securing the fully remote workforce has been a challenge for IT teams, but it presents an opportunity to commit to a higher standard of cyber security, according to a Cisco report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NSA’s top CVE list a timely reminder to patch

Many of the CVEs detailed on the NSA’s top 25 chart are golden oldies Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft fixes 87 bugs in October 2020 Patch Tuesday

Smaller October Patch Tuesday update includes fixes for critical bugs in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Adapting defences to evolving ransomware and cyber crime

The threat of identity theft via a data breach is heightened with the rise of attacks where ransomware threat actors both encrypt and ransom, and exfiltrate and leak their victims’ data. How does this evolution in cyber crime heighten risk for the enterprise, and what steps can we take to safeguard the personal data we hold? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Trickbot forced offline in major cyber security victory

Coalition led by Microsoft obtained a court order enabling them to take down the infamous Trickbot botnet’s back-end server infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five Eyes spy group again demands access to private messages

Spooks are once again calling for the tech industry to break end-to-end encryption in messaging platforms Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security skills ad branded ‘crass’ by minister

Security skills campaign advert depicting a ballet dancer comes in for criticism as the arts sector struggles in the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Making sense of zero-trust security

Implementing zero-trust security is not an easy feat, but enterprises can still get it right if they approach it from a process perspective and get a handle on their infrastructure footprint Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

NCSC relaunches SME security guide with home working focus

The NCSC is issuing an updated version of its guide to security for SMEs, reflecting the long-lasting changes to the world of work seen in 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Threat of GDPR fines increasingly driving security buying decisions

Scaring the people who hold the purse strings may be the best option for CISOs who need a little extra budget Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Middle East: Egypt’s datacentre plans take a step forward

While it builds an IT services industry, Egypt is also investing in infrastructure and now plans to develop a datacentre industry. Read in this issue how, as part of this plan, Egypt’s parliament has passed a data protection law. Also read how the Europe, Middle East and Africa region has seen traditional IT outsourcing deals reduce in value by 21%, while the business process outsourcing market fell by 9%. Continue Reading

EU’s top court questions legality of UK phone and internet data surveillance

European Court of Justice rules that the UK and EU member states must comply with EU privacy laws when harvesting people’s sensitive communications data from telecoms and internet companies Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CISOs struggle to keep up with MITRE ATT&CK framework

Despite its proven benefits for security, the MITRE ATT&CK framework is proving difficult for many, according to a joint study from McAfee and UC Berkeley Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MosaicRegressor APT campaign using rare malware variant

Kaspersky researchers have shared details of a APT campaign utilising a rarely seen and hard-to-stop variety of malware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC expands schools programme to north-east England and Northern Ireland

Following an initial roll-out in Gloucestershire and Wales, the NCSC’s CyberFirst Schools programme is being extended to north-east England and Northern Ireland Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest offers online banking customers free security services

Bank responds to a surge in cyber crime targeting users of online banking services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security now main driving force behind digital transformation

Organisations are urgently remodelling their core technology stack in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is pushing security to the top of the agenda Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Third-party code bug left Instagram users at risk of account takeover

A critical vulnerability in Instagram’s image processing could have allowed attackers to take over not just their victim’s account, but their entire device Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS whistleblower privacy concerns passed on to regulator, but campaigners not holding their breath

NHS Improvement chair Dido Harding acknowledges receiving concerns raised about the anonymity of whistleblowers, but campaigners have little faith that anything will be done Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government blasted over ‘reckless’ contact-tracing security

The Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch accuse the government of endangering public health with a reckless attitude to contact-tracing data security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WikiLeaks video ‘electrified’ public to civilian war deaths, court hears

New Zealand investigative journalist and author Nicky Hager said that WikiLeaks’ publication of a video showing a US helicopter firing on civilians, along with the publication of secret war logs, ‘electrified’ the world to civilian deaths Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Rampant Kitten spent six years hacking Iranian dissidents

Details emerge of an ongoing campaign by Tehran-backed threat actors targeting dissidents and activists Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites

Saudi Arabian CIOs have been forced to increase their security posture as the Covid-19 pandemic transforms working methods Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Security Think Tank: Edge security in the world of Covid-19

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentre to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Lorca security scaleups to get Splunk data expertise

Lorca inducts Splunk onto its co-marketing programme, giving security scaleups access to new data expertise Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zoom adds two-factor authentication for all users

Latest enhancements to Zoom security make it easier for organisations to protect users and prevent breaches and unauthorised meeting access Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security is next frontier for open source

Open security will facilitate the interoperability and capabilities of cyber security tools while alleviating vendor lock-in for enterprises, says IBM Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Lorca security scaleups hit funding milestone

£153m of investment has been raised by Lorca cohort companies in just two years, almost four times the original target Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches £500k healthcare security plan

A £500,000 funding pot from the government aims to help support small and mid-sized healthcare firms during the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Branch-based anti-fraud scheme to be expanded to online banking

A successful branch-based anti-fraud scheme will be expanded by banks to include online and telephone banking Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

September’s Patch Tuesday heavy on RCE vulnerabilities

Microsoft’s September update contains patches for 129 common vulnerabilities and exposures, including a high number of remote code execution issues Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why predictive threat intelligence is key

Threat intelligence startup Cyfirma is using virtual agents to gather intelligence on potential cyber attacks that are being coordinated in underground forums before they occur Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Lockdown sees increase in girls applying for GCHQ cyber courses

The shift to online learning saw an increase in participants for its CyberFirst cyber security training programme, GCHQ found Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Only 10% of tech talent have cyber skills to fill skills gap

The UK has a growing need for cyber skills as a result of the pandemic, but few IT professionals have the skills firms actually need Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

New normal of remote working compounds enterprise security challenges

Sudden changes in priorities, poor network visibility and lack of time cited by Juniper Networks as key issues for security professionals struggling to cope with new norms Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Northumbria University suffers major disruption after cyber attack

Some exams cancelled as university appoints external specialists to investigate incident Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DDoS downs New Zealand stock exchange for third day

Distributed denial of service attack from overseas has left stock exchange offline for days Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

When algorithms don’t play fair

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the auditing of algorithms to countervail bias. We examine what CISOs can learn from Covid-19. And in our buyer’s guide to modern software development, we assess how competent artificial intelligence is at building applications that deliver the best possible customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Australian regulator sues RI Advice for cyber security lapses

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is suing RI Advice for cyber security breaches at the financial firm’s authorised representatives Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Reports Oracle to enter TikTok bidding war

Oracle may be about to make a bid to acquire the US operations of TikTok from its Chinese parent ByteDance, according to the FT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia’s Fancy Bear targets Linux environments with Drovorub malware

The Russian intelligence-linked Fancy Bear group is deploying a new malware called Drovorub against Linux environments as part of a cyber espionage operation, according to US warnings Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Benelux: Security system concerns at Schiphol Airport

A report has revealed problems with critical security systems at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Also read why the Netherlands’ digital sector is yearning for attention from the government, and how data weaknesses persist despite Dutch companies investing heavily to comply with GDPR. Continue Reading

APAC consumers do not feel responsible for data security

Just one in four consumers believe they should protect their own data, underscoring the tightrope between security and convenience that organisations have been walking on Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How Dharma ransomware became an effective services business

New research looks under the bonnet of a Dharma ransomware attack, with the ransomware's ease of use being particularly dangerous for small to medium-sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft patches two zero-days with active exploits

Microsoft drops another major Patch Tuesday update, including fixes for two zero-day exploits that are already being exploited by cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS hit by thousands of malicious emails at height of pandemic

The NHS received nearly 30,000 malicious emails at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March and April Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Citrix users urged to patch five XenMobile CVEs

Patches are available for CVEs 2020-8208 through 8212 and should be installed as soon as possible Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

French data protection authorities to probe TikTok as suitors circle

France’s CNIL has confirmed a new investigation into TikTok’s data protection practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor