Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Government launches seven-year NHS cyber strategy

The new Cyber Security Strategy for Health and Adult Social Care lays out a plan for promoting cyber resilience in the sector by 2030 to protect services and patients alike Continue Reading

Nordics move towards common cyber defence strategy

Nordic countries agree to work together to improve their cyber defences amid increasing threat Continue Reading

How Mimecast thinks differently about email security

Mimecast CEO Peter Bauer believes the company’s comprehensive approach towards email security has enabled it to remain relevant to customers for two decades Continue Reading

Hitachi Energy emerges as victim of Clop gang’s Fortra attack

The power and energy division of Japanese conglomerate Hitachi has disclosed that it has fallen victim to a Clop cyber attack, but insists customer data is safe Continue Reading

Ferrari rejects ransom demand after cyber attack

Italian carmaker Ferrari says it will refuse to pay a ransom after an unspecified threat actor broke into its IT systems and stole customer data Continue Reading

Ransomware gangs harass victims to ‘bypass’ backups

Analysis reveals how cyber criminal gangs are turning to extensive, targeted harassment campaigns to force victims to pay up, even if their backups are in good order Continue Reading

NCSC launches cyber check-up tools for SMEs

The NCSC has launched two new security services aimed at SMEs that lack the resources to address cyber issues, and may underestimate their vulnerability to attack Continue Reading

BEC attacks doubled in 2022, outstripping ransomware

Massive growth in the volume of Business Email Compromise or BEC attacks was linked to a surge in successful phishing campaigns, according to data from Secureworks Continue Reading

Rubrik customer, partner data exposed in possible Clop attack

Rubrik was supposedly compromised by the Clop ransomware gang via a zero-day vulnerability in a managed file transfer software package it uses Continue Reading

Mandiant: Dangerous MS Outlook zero-day widely used against Ukraine

A zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook that was fixed in the March Patch Tuesday update has likely been actively exploited by Russian actors for a year or more, and its use will now spread rapidly Continue Reading

New APT group targets ASEAN governments and militaries

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Chinese Silkloader cyber attack tool falls into Russian hands

A loader tool used by Chinese cyber criminals seems to have been enthusiastically taken up in recent weeks by Russian ransomware operators Continue Reading

Microsoft patches Outlook zero-day for March Patch Tuesday

A highly dangerous privilege escalation bug in Outlook is among 80 different vulnerabilities patched in Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading

NatWest introduces limits on crypto trading to prevent fraud

UK bank says its retail customers will benefit from daily and monthly limits on the amount they can pay into cryptocurrency exchanges Continue Reading

NCSC warns over AI language models but rejects cyber alarmism

The UK's NCSC has issued advice for those using the technology underpinning AI tools such as ChatGPT, but says some of the security doomsday scenarios being proposed right now are not necessarily realistic Continue Reading

MI5 to oversee new National Protective Security Authority

The new National Protective Security Authority will address various national security threats including state-sponsored cyber espionage against UK targets Continue Reading

How ForgeRock is tackling identity management

ForgeRock CEO Fran Rosch has set the identity and access management software supplier on a path to deliver a frictionless identity experience without compromising security or privacy Continue Reading

Nine in 10 enterprises fell victim to successful phishing in 2022

Egress annual email security risk report breaks down impacts of email-based phishing attacks and data loss, and the effect these can have on organisations in terms of staff retention and morale Continue Reading

Dutch hospitals underestimate impact of cyber attack

IT failures in acute care healthcare organisations in the Netherlands have considerably increased since 2010, affecting patient care and stressing the need to improve IT security in hospitals Continue Reading

What can security teams learn from a year of cyber warfare?

With the passing of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we reflect on the ongoing cyber war, and ask what security leaders can learn from the past 12 months Continue Reading

APAC IT leaders bullish on tech spending

Over half of respondents in this year’s IT Priorities study have bigger IT budgets as they continue to make strategic investments in cyber security, cloud and automation, among other areas Continue Reading

Flipper Zero explained: What to know about the viral hacker tool

The hacking tool blew up on TikTok. Unlike other TikTok trends, it is a powerful tool that can be used by serious pen testers and a learning device for new hackers. Continue Reading

WH Smith staff data accessed in cyber attack

The retailer has said that customer data has not been affected by the incident as it is held in different systems, and that investigations into the attack are ongoing Continue Reading

Salt Labs identifies OAuth security flaw within Booking.com

Security flaw in Booking.com OAuth implementation could be used to launch account takeovers, but researchers discovered and flagged the issue before it could be exploited in the wild Continue Reading

Data breaches in Australia on the rise, says OAIC

Cyber security incidents were the cause of most data breaches, which rose by 26% in the second half of 2022, according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Continue Reading

LastPass attack saw employee’s home computer hacked

The ongoing investigation into a series of linked security incidents at LastPass has found that the attacker was successfully able to compromise a developer’s home PC using a vulnerability in a media software package Continue Reading

How Dell is future-proofing its business

Dell Technologies is building a more resilient supply chain, investing in growth areas like edge and multicloud, and responding to shifts in consumption models to position itself for long-term growth Continue Reading

Royal Mail stands firm as LockBit leaks data and renews ransom demand

The LockBit ransomware gang has made good on its threat to leak data exfiltrated from Royal Mail’s systems, but the postal service is not entertaining the possibility of giving in Continue Reading

WithSecure proposes ‘undo’ button for ransomware

WithSecure’s Activity Monitor technology supposedly overcomes the shortcomings of sandbox test environments, and may be able to stop ransomware attacks from ever happening Continue Reading

ANZ CIOs flag priorities amid inflation concerns

CIOs in Australia and New Zealand are concerned about inflation and plan to adjust their technology priorities to optimise resources and combat cyber threats Continue Reading

UK forces lead live-fire cyber war exercise

The seven-day Defence Cyber Marvel 2 exercise put cyber responders from 11 countries through their paces Continue Reading

Researchers find new bug ‘class’ in Apple devices

A group of vulnerabilities in Apple products that stem from the ForcedEntry exploit used by spyware firm NSO constitutes a whole new class of bug, say researchers at Trellix Continue Reading

Dutch cyber security professionals experience stress akin to soldiers in war zone, claims expert

Cyber attacks are taking a heavy toll on Dutch IT professionals, with over a third reporting that their mental health suffers as a result Continue Reading

Royal Mail resumes full export service after cyber attack

Royal Mail resumes the last of its international services as it recovers from a ransomware attack, while the Post Office offers postmasters compensation for their lost business Continue Reading

US government Strike Force aims to prevent adversaries from accessing disruptive tech

The US Strike Force law enforcement initiative will target rogue nation-states that pose a national security threat Continue Reading

Singapore organisations struggle to operationalise threat intelligence

Organisations in the city-state were satisfied with the quality of their threat intelligence, but they struggled to operationalise the information due to talent shortages and other challenges Continue Reading

Twitter 2FA changes bring more risks than benefits

Twitter’s approach to nudging users away from insecure SMS-based 2FA is being questioned over its logic Continue Reading

Financial advisory firm Succession Wealth probes cyber attack

Aviva-owned wealth consultancy and financial advisory practice Succession Wealth was hit by an undisclosed security incident on 8 February Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: New trends and drivers in cyber security training

Self-paced, interactive, bite-sized learning is becoming the optimum path for cyber security training in the workplace, says John Tolbert of KuppingerCole Continue Reading

Multi-purpose malwares can use more than 20 MITRE ATT&CK TTPs

Report warns of the development of increasingly sophisticated, multi-purpose malwares, and calls on defenders to play close attention to the MITRE ATT&CK framework to ward them off Continue Reading

What charities should know about ransomware and reputational threats

The NCSC recently called for charities to elevate their cyber security practice. Find out why charities are a soft target for cyber criminals, and what they can do to fight back Continue Reading

Royal Mail refused to pay £66m LockBit ransom demand, logs reveal

Leaked chat logs reveal Royal Mail has supposedly refused to pay a £66m ransom demand from the LockBit ransomware gang Continue Reading

Vidar, nJRAT re-emerge as prominent malware threats in January

Trojans and infostealers once again dominate the list of most commonly observed threats, according to Check Point’s latest telemetry Continue Reading

UK authorities clamp down on illegal crypto ATMs

The Financial Conduct Authority and West Yorkshire Police have disrupted a number of illegal crypto ATMs Continue Reading

Researcher exposes crypto scam network exploiting YouTube

A massive network of fake YouTube videos promoted by automated sock puppet accounts is reeling in hundreds of cryptocurrency enthusiasts and persuading them to hand over their money, WithSecure researchers found Continue Reading

Where next for NHS IT?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as NHS Digital is folded into NHS England, we consider what the merger could mean for the future of NHS IT. We find out how data science and analytics has become an increasingly important function for the John Lewis Partnership. And we examine the importance of building empathy into metaverse applications. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How to protect your business from fraud during a recession

This winter, the chilly winds of a global recession have fraudsters turning up the heat. PJ Rohall of SEON Fraud Fighters shares some guidance on how to bundle up against fraud Continue Reading

Russian spear phishing campaign escalates efforts toward critical UK, US and European targets

Russian hacking group Seaborgium refines its tactics in a continuation of attacks against targets including not-for-profit organisations with geopolitical affiliations Continue Reading

Security buyers lack insight into threats, attackers, report finds

The majority of cyber security purchasing decisions are made without proper insight into the attackers organisations are facing, according to a Mandiant report Continue Reading

Killnet DDoS attacks disrupt Nato websites

A series of distributed denial of service attacks on various public websites belonging to the Nato alliance were largely repelled but some resources remain unavailable Continue Reading

Cyber security training: How to be as secure as is practicably possible

If you cannot secure all the people all the time, how should a business approach cyber security training and awareness programmes? Continue Reading

Social media platform Reddit breached in phishing attack

An unspecified threat actor obtained access to internal documents, code and business systems at Reddit after stealing employee credentials in a phishing attack Continue Reading

UK imposes sanctions on Conti ransomware gang leaders

Seven Russian nationals associated with the Conti and Ryuk ransomware operations have been sanctioned by the UK Continue Reading

Banking regulatory body wants a ‘tripwire’ to flag APP fraud

Banking code of practice organisation wants banks to monitor where authorised push payment scammers are sending stolen money Continue Reading

How Check Point is keeping pace with the cyber security landscape

Check Point Software CEO Gil Shwed talks up the company’s growth areas, its approach to cloud security and the impact of generative AI on cyber security Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Poor training is worse than no training at all

Bad security training is a betrayal of users, a security risk, and ultimately a waste of money, but there are some reasons to be optimistic about the future, say Mike Gillespie and Ellie Hurst of Advent IM Continue Reading

Russian hacking group Seaborgium targets SNP MP Stewart McDonald

Scottish National Party MP Stewart McDonald says his personal emails have been hacked by a group linked to the Russian state in a targeted phishing attack Continue Reading

Prolific social media fraudster jailed for three years

Ramzan Abubakarov of Hendon will serve three-year prison sentence after using Telegram to coordinate series of frauds which netted almost £2m Continue Reading

Campaigners lament lack of movement on Computer Misuse Act reform

Westminster has opened a new consultation on proposed reforms to the Computer Misuse Act of 1990, but campaigners who want the law changed to protect cyber professionals have been left disappointed Continue Reading

LockBit cartel finally claims Royal Mail ransomware attack

The LockBit ransomware gang claims it has stolen sensitive data from Royal Mail and will leak it later this week if its demands go unmet Continue Reading

APP fraud reimbursement proposal is ‘fundamentally flawed’, say MPs

MPs claim the involvement of a bank-sponsored organisation in reimbursing victims of APP fraud would be a conflict of interest Continue Reading

Cops make arrests and seize drugs after hacking Exclu encrypted messaging app

Police in the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland raided 80 addresses after covertly intercepting messages from the Exclu encrypted messaging app Continue Reading

Online banks still riddled with cyber security flaws, report says

Online bank Virgin Money was found to have the weakest online and application security measures in a Which? study but Nationwide, TSB and The Co-Operative Bank all failed on multiple points, too. Continue Reading

Making IT security training stick

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at IT security training, and asks whether gamification could be the secret to making it stick. We examine how the metaverse might change the way we work in real life. And we find out how job cuts across the tech sector affect employment opportunities for IT contractors in 2023. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Estonian anti-money laundering platform used to fight APP fraud

A real-time data-sharing platform originally built to identify money laundering is also being applied to the fight against authorised push payment fraud Continue Reading

Post Office branches struggling after Royal Mail cyber attack

Royal Mail has restored almost all of its international services to some extent, but remains unable to accept parcels bought over the counter in a Post Office branch Continue Reading

Executive interview, Eric Muntz, Mailchimp

We speak to Intuit Mailchimp’s former CTO about how the company manages IT engineering and supports different ways of working Continue Reading

Ransomware operator turns their fire on two-year-old VMware bug

A vulnerability in VMware ESXi servers that users should have patched in 2021 is now being exploited to spread ransomware Continue Reading

Australian organisations underinvesting in cyber security

Over half of Australian organisations failed to invest enough in cyber security over past three years, though awareness is improving in aftermath of high-profile data breaches Continue Reading

LockBit gang confirms Ion cyber attack as disruption continues

The LockBit ransomware cartel has taken responsibility for this week’s attack on financial software firm Ion, and is threatening to leak stolen data on Saturday 4 February Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: In 2023, we need a new way to cultivate better habits

Regular, small adjustments to behaviour offer a better way to keep employees on track and cultivate a corporate culture of cyber awareness, writes Elastic’s Mandy Andress Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Getting the training and development mix right

Rob Dartnall, CEO at SecAlliance and chair of Crest’s UK Council, describes the need for formal, varied and continuous development in the cyber security sector Continue Reading

North Korea’s Lazarus gang exposes itself in opsec failure

WithSecure researchers linked a campaign of cyber attacks targeting medical research and energy firms to North Korea’s infamous Lazarus APT after a group member accidentally screwed up Continue Reading

Suspected LockBit ransomware attack causes havoc in City of London

A suspected LockBit ransomware attack on trading software firm Ion has caused chaos for City of London traders Continue Reading

Arnold Clark customer data was stolen in Play ransomware attack

Arnold Clark confirms data leaked on dark web was stolen from its systems in ransomware attack Continue Reading

Romance fraudsters stole £65m from Brits since 2020

Online romance fraudsters have scammed Brits out of £65m in the past three years, according to retail bank TSB Continue Reading

NCSC for Startups inducts four companies into programme

Four more startups are set to join the NCSC accelerator, which helps the UK government develop technology and approaches to pressing cyber security challenges Continue Reading

Cisco fixes two bugs that could have led to supply chain attacks on users

Two vulnerabilities uncovered in Cisco hardware could have opened the door to serious supply chain cyber attacks, according to the Trellix researchers who found them Continue Reading

Cloud security top risk to enterprises in 2023, says study

A PwC study finds senior executives expect cyber attacks on cloud services to increase significantly this year Continue Reading

CryptoRom scam abuses Apple and Google app stores to claim victims

Sophos researchers report on two fake apps used by romance scammers to lure victims into parting with their money, both of which were able to escape the attention of Apple and Google app store safeguards Continue Reading

Malware variant can block contactless payments

Kaspersky warns that the latest variant of the Prilex malware can block contactless payments to force people to insert cards, enabling criminals to steal money Continue Reading

Russian DDoS hacktivists seen targeting western hospitals

A swathe of attacks by the Putin-supporting DDoS operation known as Killnet has targeted hospitals and other infrastructure in several Nato countries, with the UK thought to be at risk Continue Reading

GitHub warns Desktop, Atom users after code-signing certificates pinched

Threat actors stole encrypted code-signing certificates for GitHub’s Desktop and Atom applications in December 2022, prompting warnings for users Continue Reading

Royal Mail recovers more International Tracked services

Royal Mail is making further progress in recovering IT systems hit by a ransomware attack, and has re-enabled another tranche of international export services Continue Reading

ATO renews major Macquarie deal

The contract renewal will enable the Australian Tax Office to tap Macquarie’s security operations centre, among other services, to secure its IT environment and protect sensitive data Continue Reading

Data of 10 million JD Sports customers accessed in cyber attack

Data on 10 million people who shopped online at JD Sports over a two-year period was accessed and potentially stolen in a cyber attack Continue Reading

Hive ransomware gang taken down after FBI hacks back

The FBI hacked into Hive’s servers, stole its decryption keys and then took down its servers in a major action that has successfully disrupted a prolific and dangerous ransomware operation Continue Reading

Royal Mail resumes some international parcel services from UK

Royal Mail has successfully stood up its International Tracked and Signed, and International Signed, services as it continues to recover from a ransomware attack Continue Reading

Zero-trust implementations remain work in progress

Just one in 10 large enterprises are expected to have mature and measurable zero-trust programmes in place by 2026, study finds Continue Reading

NCSC exposes Iranian, Russian spear-phishing campaign targeting UK

Spear-phishing campaigns likely linked to Iranian and Russian espionage activity are targeting persons of interest in the UK, warns the NCSC Continue Reading

10 best cybersecurity podcasts to check out

Cybersecurity podcasts are an excellent way to raise cybersecurity awareness. Discover the top 10 cybersecurity podcasts and learn how to select the best ones for your playlist. Continue Reading

Arnold Clark cyber attack claimed by Play ransomware gang

A cyber attack that struck car dealer Arnold Clark prior to Christmas has been claimed as the work of the Play ransomware cartel Continue Reading

Boards struggle to resolve cyber risk in digital supply chains

Accelerated digitisation of supply chains is introducing more cyber risk for which many organisations seem unprepared, according to the BSI’s annual report on supply chain risk Continue Reading

Japan researchers develop new data encryption method

Researchers from Tokyo University of Science have combined the best of homomorphic encryption and secret sharing in a new method to handle encrypted data Continue Reading

Chinese IoT suppliers expose UK businesses to espionage and data theft

Chinese companies supplying network components, known as IoT modules, post a greater long-term threat to UK security than the now banned 5G supplier Huawei, according to a study by a Chinese expert and former diplomat Continue Reading

UK insurers need to up their game on cyber gaps, says PRA

Gaps and limitations in how insurers respond to cyber risk need to be addressed, according to the Bank of England regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority Continue Reading

SSRF attacks hit 100,000 businesses globally since November

There has been a dramatic increase in attacks exploiting the ProxyNotShell/OWASSRF exploit chains to target Microsoft Exchange servers Continue Reading

Fake online contest makes Yahoo! most phished brand of Q4 2022

Yahoo! was the most frequently phished brand during the last three months of 2022, according to a report Continue Reading

The rise of fraud in pop culture is impacting consumers’ digital trust

Shows such as The Tinder Swindler and Inventing Anna were big money-earners for Netflix in 2022, but Onfido’s Mike Tuchen says their popularity risks damaging consumer trust Continue Reading

NCSC warning over cyber risk to charity sector

Cash-strapped charities without the resource to tackle their resilience deficit are increasingly at risk from malicious actors, says the NCSC Continue Reading