Hackers and cybercrime prevention

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 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

LGA goes live with Digital Pathfinders Programme

Programme offers £20,000 in funding to councils that come up with ‘pioneering solutions’ for cyber security, digital inclusion and connectivity Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Openness can protect Dutch companies against ransomware

 Continue Reading

US wins bid to widen grounds of appeal in Julian Assange extradition case

The US government accused medical expert professor Michael Kopelman of misleading the court by failing to disclose details of Assange’s relationship  Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Hacker makes off with $600m in world’s largest crypto-heist

Despite bagging $600m worth of cryptocurrency in what has been described as the biggest decentralised finance hack, the hacker has already started returning the funds Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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 Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Ransomware demands and payments hit new records

Ransomware groups continue to intensify their operations as ransom demands and payments increase alongside use of “quadruple extortion” tactics during first half of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How Grab is using Kafka in fraud detection

Grab is using Apache Kafka in its fraud detection and prevention platform to ingest event streams from its mobile software development kits and client backends to pick up fraudulent activities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Possible ransomware attack hits Italian vaccine booking system

It is still unclear who is behind the attack that caused Covid-19 vaccine bookings in Lazio, Italy, to grind to a halt, as despite masses of files being encrypted no specific ransom demands have been made for the decryptor Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Nine security flaws found in critical hospital infrastructure

The ‘PwnedPiper’ vulnerabilities identified in systems used by 80% of US hospitals could be used to launch ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

BlackMatter goes on the record about DarkSide and REvil links

BlackMatter gives details of its ransomware-as-a-service operation and distinguishes itself from now-defunct ransomware gangs in interview with cyber security analysts from Recorded Future Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cloud misconfiguration a growing cause of security incidents

Rapid cloud adoption during the pandemic has increased the attack surface and heightened the risk of misconfiguring services, leaving organisations more vulnerable to cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Six Isle of Wight schools hit by ransomware attack

Authorities are still working to manage the fallout from the attack, which has already forced at least one school to delay the start of the new term in September Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Initial access brokers unaffected by ransomware content bans

Banning ransomware content from cyber crime forums has done little to prevent initial access brokers from advertising their services, with the number of access listings increasing in the second quarter of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK MoD turns to hackers to help secure digital assets

Hackers given direct access to internal Ministry of Defence systems to identify and report security vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

New ransomware gang spins out of DarkSide

The emergence of a ransomware gang known as BlackMatter raises questions that it could be a re-brand of REvil or DarkSide Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Destruction and integrity cyber attacks on the rise

Cyber security professionals have reported a sharp rise in debilitating attacks aimed at destroying or manipulating data Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Ransomware attacks increase dramatically during 2021

Dramatic increase in ransomware attacks globally during first half of 2021 driven by triple extortion technique, and is only set to expand further Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The fears and benefits of virtualising reality

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the mingling of virtual and physical worlds and find positive applications and worrisome implications from augmented reality. We find out how to run a virtual hackathon during the pandemic – pizza still included. And we look at how to improve performance of your private cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government publishes second version of digital identity trust framework

The second iteration of the framework, still in alpha version, sets out how organisations can become certified digital identity service providers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Technical hiccups force Babuk ransomware gang to change tactics

The Babuk ransomware operation backed away from encrypting its victims’ files, and technical difficulties may be to blame, reports McAfee Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds UK spy agencies unlawfully collected personal data

Campaign groups Privacy International and Liberty are gearing up to bring further legal action after a court found that UK spy agencies unlawfully collected phone and internet records Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top vulnerabilities target perimeter devices

The most frequently exploited CVEs of the year so far are to be found in perimeter and network access devices, according to a joint advisory from the NCSC and partners Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

COP26 cyber resource hub launched for Glasgow businesses

New digital information hub for Glasgow business to help organisations keep secure both physically and online ahead of major climate change summit Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US lawmakers call for probe into ‘arrogant’ spyware firm

US members of Congress have called for an investigation into NSO Group, the spyware supplier at the centre of a massive surveillance scandal Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TikTok sets up cyber security hub in Dublin

Dublin-based cyber centre will oversee the security of TikTok’s users across Europe Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How IBM is solving the data privacy problem

IBM’s fully homomorphic encryption technology lets enterprises apply analytics and machine learning to encrypted data without compromising data privacy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Are we getting cyber security skills all wrong?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the chair of the new UK Cyber Security Council tells us how she plans to fundamentally reimagine what working in IT security means. Our latest buyer’s guide examines ERP modernisation and its role in digital transformation. And we take an in-depth look at the first preview version of Windows 11. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Malicious actors turn to obscure programming languages

Using new, lesser-known or otherwise uncommon programming languages to code new malwares can help skirt cyber defences Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

No More Ransom initiative saves £850m over five years

Initiative’s free ransomware decryption tools have been used by more than six million people since 2016 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tokyo 2020 hit by data breach

The user names and passwords of Tokyo 2020 ticket holders and event volunteers were reportedly compromised, but government official claims the data leak was not large Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

OAIC: Uber failed to protect personal data of Australians

Uber did not take reasonable steps to protect Australians’ personal information from unauthorised access, says Australia’s national privacy watchdog Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Kaseya obtains universal ransomware decryptor

Kaseya says it obtained a ransomware decryptor key from a trusted third party, but there is no word on whether a ransom was paid Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Respect in Security challenges abuse and harassment in cyber

With around a third of cyber pros saying they have personally experienced harassment at work or online, a new initiative is urging organisations to pledge their support to help free the community from the scourge of abuse. We met its founders Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New thinking and systems required to tackle online fraud in retail

Online fraud is a growing problem for retail, but are merchants doing enough to update systems and how should they change their actions to address it? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Five ways to ensure remote working security and compliance

A mix of on-site and remote working has become a fact of life for many organisations. We look at five key things you should consider to ensure compliance and security Continue Reading

By

• Valéry Rieß-Marchive, Rédacteur en chef
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

France’s Macron among alleged Pegasus targets

Data relating to devices used by French president Emmanuel Macron and the head of the World Health Organization, among others, has been uncovered in a dataset linked to government use of spyware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC’s Cameron urges deeper cyber alliance-building

Speaking to an event in Israel, NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron has praised joint UK-Israeli efforts on security collaboration Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sparsely staffed offices: the new post-pandemic cyber gap

With many offices still operating at limited capacity, a red teaming expert reveals how his job is getting easier, and why this is a problem Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Gaertner

The Secret IR Insider’s Diary: It’s all gone quie...

The ‘Q’ word isn’t one that’s really used in incident response, says the Secret IR Insider, largely because as soon as you use it, something happens Continue Reading

By

• The Secret IR Insider, Check Point

Ripe for change – mixing digital innovation with traditional winemaking

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how global winemaker Concha y Toro uses the latest tech to enhance 150-year old traditional processes. Pharma giant GSK explains how an API strategy is changing its business model. And we talk to retailers using video technology to bridge the gap between in-store and online selling. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK, US confirm Chinese state backed MS Exchange Server attacks

UK and US governments, alongside the EU and Nato, have formally attributed the March 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks to Chinese state-backed actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pegasus mobile RAT abused to monitor journalists and activists

Israel-based surveillance specialist NSO Group is facing renewed pressure after it emerged its Pegasus mobile surveillance tool may be being widely abused by repressive regimes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Legacy SonicWall kit exploited in ransom campaign

Users of older versions of SonicWall Secure Mobile Access 100 and Secure Remote Access products are at risk from a new ransomware campaign Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Macquarie Data Centres to build Sydney North facility

Macquarie Data Centres’ latest 32MW facility will come with a cyber security centre that monitors and manages cyber security events Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Covid-19 vaccine supply chain under attack by unknown nation state

An unknown nation state actor is attempting to disrupt the supply of coronavirus vaccines Continue Reading

The rise and rise of supply chain attacks

Supply chain attacks in Asia-Pacific and elsewhere have intensified as cyber threat actors look to exploit the weakest links in business and digital supply chains Continue Reading

CW APAC: Trend Watch on supply chain security

In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at the rise of supply chain attacks, the challenges that come with zero trust security and attacks on the Covid-19 vaccine supply chain Continue Reading

Lawyers take EncroChat hacking operation to French supreme court

Lawyers head to French supreme court after appeals court finds EnroChat inception legal under French law Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Singapore to invest S$50m in ‘digital trust’ capabilities

The Singapore government is pumping in S$50m to bolster research in technologies that will foster digital trust in areas such as privacy protection and identity management Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

REvil ransomware crew drops offline, reasons murky

The REvil ransomware operation appears to have gone dark, but claims about its demise are almost certainly exaggerated Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited

Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Modipwn vulnerability puts millions of building systems at risk

Authentication bypass vulnerability in a Schneider Electric product could lead to device takeover Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Met Police seize £180m worth of Bitcoin

The largest ever seizure of cryptocurrency in the UK comes just weeks after a previous multi-million pound confiscation, as law enforcement clamps down on money laundering Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch prosecutor ordered to give evidence on EncroChat hack

Netherlands court rules that a public prosecutor should give evidence about the role of the Dutch in the EncroChat cryptophone hack which has led to arrests of organised gangs worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Kaseya VSA services coming online after week-long outage

Kaseya has successfully deployed a patch to its ransomware-hit VSA product as per a revised schedule, and customers are beginning to come back online Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NSW department of education hit by cyber attack

Australia’s New South Wales department of education takes some systems offline as a precautionary measure in response to a cyber attack last Thursday Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Ransomware and botnets among top cyber threats in Singapore

The city-state saw more ransomware threats and command-and-control servers hosted out of its highly connected network infrastructure last year, as threat actors capitalised on the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Professionals need protection from the Computer Misuse Act

The UK needs cyber legislation fit for the 21st century, so it is important for the industry to get behind the government’s proposed reform of the Computer Misuse Act Continue Reading

By

• Martin Smith, SASIG

Ransomware gangs seek people skills for negotiations

The process of negotiating a ransomware payment is delicate, hence cyber criminal organisations are prepared to offer good terms to those with the right skillsets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Met Police should release information on British WikiLeaks journalists passed to US, tribunal told

The Metropolitan Police should release correspondence with the US Department of Justice about three UK based WikiLeaks journalists, despite national security claims, a tribunal heard Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Are you betting your future on the worst gambling odds in the world?

Gambling is a high-risk strategy. Doing nothing in the face of the threat from ransomware and hoping for the best provides some of the worst odds you will ever come across Continue Reading

By

• Elliot Rose, PA Consulting

Kaseya apologises for extended downtime after ransom attack

CEO of Kaseya apologises after pushing back the restoration of the firm’s VSA service following a REvil ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PrintNightmare haunts Microsoft as patch may miss mark

Microsoft dropped an out-of-band patch to fix PrintNightmare, but there are concerns it may not be totally effective. This does not mean it shouldn’t be applied Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US government given permission to appeal UK’s decision to not extradite Julian Assange

US offers assurances that Assange could serve time in his home country of Australia if convicted Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How the UK Cyber Security Council plans to professionalise security

As chair of the new UK Cyber Security Council, Claudia Natanson is in a superb position to develop professional standards in IT security and she intends to fundamentally reimagine what a security job actually is Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims

Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

About 60 Kaseya customers hit by REvil

Kaseya has revised upward the number of managed service providers compromised by the REvil ransomware gang in a supply chain attack at the weekend Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber insurance costs up by a third

The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BA reaches settlement in data breach group action

A group action against BA following its 2018 data breach has been successfully settled Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

REvil crew wants $70m in Kaseya ransomware heist

Two days after one of the largest ransomware attacks in history by the REvil/Sodinokibi gang, the security community is assessing its next moves, while over 1,000 victims remain in limbo Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Berlin court finds EncroChat intercept evidence cannot be used in criminal trials

In a major setback for police hacking operations, Berlin’s regional court has decided that intercepted data from the EncroChat phone network should not be used in criminal prosecutions Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber attackers up the ante on embattled IT teams

Opportunistic threat actors are pouncing on embattled IT teams that are under pressure to expand remote work arrangements Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NCSC joins US authorities to expose Russian brute force campaign

A joint attribution by the British and American authorities accuses Russia’s GRU intelligence services of conducting a campaign of brute force attacks on enterprise and cloud environments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber espionage campaign targeted central Asian states

The Afghan, Kyrgyz and Uzbek governments are all thought to have been targeted by the same APT Continue Reading

NHS IT fraudster Barry Stannard sentenced to five years in prison

Stannard used his position as head of unified communications at an Essex NHS Trust to cheat the taxpayer of more than £800,000 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nominations open for 2021 Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards

Nominations are now open for this year’s edition of the Unsung Heroes Awards for cyber professionals and educators Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Half of mobile phones sold in the UK at risk of security issues

Lengthy mobile phone contracts leave buyers at risk of their devices losing support for security updates Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

REvil affiliates offer hefty ransom discounts, data reveals

REvil or Sodinokibi ransomware activity is higher than ever, but its success appears to be relative, with some affiliates prepared to dramatically cut their prices Continue Reading

By

• Valéry Rieß-Marchive, Rédacteur en chef
• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LinkedIn denies exposure of 700 million user records is a data breach

Data relating to 700 million users of the LinkedIn networking platform has appeared for sale, but the firm says it is the victim of data scraping, not a security breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

active attack

An active attack is a network exploit in which a hacker attempts to make changes to data on the target or data en route to the target. Continue Reading

By

• TechTarget Contributor

Cops seize criminal VPN used by ransomware gangs

A coordinated sting has ended the operations of the DoubleVPN service, the owners of which are accused of harbouring cyber criminal activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ethical hacking: What, why, and overcoming concerns

We find out why and how hitting your own business with a cyber attack can help improve security Continue Reading

By

• Declan Doyle

New Nobelium attacks a reminder to attend to cyber basics

A new campaign from the same threat group that broke into SolarWinds serves as a reminder that cyber crime gangs will try to exploit any avenue they can, even if technically unsophisticated Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Banking tech fraud: How to trace and recover your money

Even when stolen assets are sent offshore, the special powers of the English civil court system mean all may not be lost Continue Reading

By

• Nathan Capone and Stephen Cartwright

Video game industry under relentless cyber attacks

Web application attacks against the global video game industry grew by 340% in 2020 as more people turn to gaming during pandemic lockdowns Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK’s FCA bans crypto exchange Binance as crackdown spreads

Ban on Binance Markets comes amid a wider global crackdown on the largely unregulated global market for cryptocurrencies and related assets. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HMRC-branded phishing scams surge despite protections

The number of HMRC-branded phishing scams surged 87% in the past 12 months, according to latest revealed figures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How CIOs can help their organisations accelerate digital transformation

Companies need to win the trust of their customers to gather the data they need to transform their businesses Continue Reading

By

• Dan Higgins, EY

Lazada rolls out public bug bounty programme

Regional e-commerce giant Lazada is looking to uncover more vulnerabilities that could compromise data security in a public bug bounty programme that offers up to $10,000 per bounty Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Anglesey schools offline after cyber attack

Isle of Anglesey County Council is investigating a cyber attack that has forced it to shut down systems at all five secondary schools on the island Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CMA to probe Amazon and Google over fake reviews

The CMA has opened an investigation into Amazon and Google over possible breaches of consumer protection law Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC recognises cyber degree apprenticeships for the first time

Addition of new cyber courses to National Cyber Security Centre’s accredited list will supposedly help students make better choices and help universities get more funding Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Revealed: Crypto platform’s role in Cl0p ransomware raid

Crypto infrastructure provider Binance provided assistance to law enforcement after finding its exchange was being used by cyber criminals to launder their ransomware profits Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor