Hackers and cybercrime prevention
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News
10 Apr 2024
Cyber crooks poison GitHub search to fool developers
Researchers share data on new technique whereby malicious actors are manipulating GitHub’s search function and using cleverly crafted repositories to distribute malware Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2024
Biden considering whether to end prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
US president Joe Biden says he is considering requests by Australia to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under espionage and computer fraud charges Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
Inquiry to explore cyber risk to Sunak-Starmer showdown
The UK’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy is opening an inquiry into securing the democratic process ahead of the next general election Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Feb 2024
dictionary attack
A dictionary attack is a method of breaking into a password-protected computer, network or other IT resource by systematically entering every word in a dictionary, or word list, as a password. Continue Reading
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Opinion
06 Feb 2024
Three predictions for responding to the cyber threat landscape in 2024
Nominet's Kim Wiles looks to the coming months and calls for cooperation and collaboration on tackling cyber security threats Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
Blackbaud blasted for failing to prevent customer breaches
A supply chain attack at software supplier Blackbaud in 2020 saw data on multiple UK organisations compromised. The US authorities are now taking steps to ensure it can’t happen again Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
US sanctions Iranians behind CNI cyber attacks
US government issues new sanctions against six Iranians suspected of being behind a series of cyber attacks targeting critical national infrastructure, notably water supply systems Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2024
US government disrupts Chinese botnet containing hundreds of end-of-life Cisco and Netgear routers
The US government has succeeded in halting a botnet comprised of hundreds of end-of-life routers that posed a threat to critical national infrastructure (CNI) organisations in multiple countries Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2024
security operations center (SOC)
A security operations center (SOC) is a command center facility in which a team of information technology (IT) professionals with expertise in information security (infosec) monitors, analyzes and protects an organization from cyberattacks. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: Expect more from GenAI in 2024
But 2024 also feels slightly different; the past 12 months have seen generative AI burst on to the scene, and this year its impact will continue to be felt, says Turnkey Consulting's Harshini Carey. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jan 2024
Quantum, AI and geopolitical conflict: '24 will be a big year for cyber
With big trends like quantum, generative AI and geopolitical conflict, 2024 looks set to be a big year in security, but defenders have an unparalleled opportunity to harness these trends for good, says Quorum's Federico Charosky Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2024
Akira ransomware gang claims Lush cyber attack
The Akira ransomware gang claims to have stolen over 100GB of data from cosmetics manufacturer and retailer Lush Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2024
Bugcrowd sees surge in vulnerability submissions, led by public sector
Crowdsourced vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty platform Bugcrowd says it saw a 151% uptick in submissions related to government and public sector organisations in 2023 Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
Mitigating the risks of modern application development
Organisations need to have visibility over their software supply chain, secure and monitor interfaces to legacy systems and adopt zero trust to mitigate the risks of modern application development Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Jan 2024
Security Think Tank: 2024 is the year we bridge the cyber divide
ISACA's Steven Sim Kok Leong shares his thoughts on the coming year in cyber security, considering the impact of regulatory change, the evolving role of the CISO, and advances in innovative cyber tech Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
WebKit vulnerability sparks Apple’s first major security update of 2024
A zero-day in the open source WebKit browser engine that powers Safari has sparked Apple’s first major patch roll-out of the new year Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Southern Water confirms cyber attack after Black Basta claims
Southern Water, which supplies millions of customers in southeast England, has confirmed it has fallen victim to a cyber attack, although its services appear to be running normally Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Inside Cisco’s security platform strategy
Raj Chopra, senior vice-president of Cisco’s security business, outlines the company’s security platform strategy and how it brought different products together into a single platform Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Critical vulnerability exposes Fortra GoAnywhere users
Fortra GoAnywhere MFT users must take steps to address a newly disclosed zero-day vulnerability without delay Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
AI will heighten global ransomware threat, says NCSC
The benefits of artificial intelligence to cyber criminals being well-known, the NCSC now assesses it’s likely AI will soon be widely used to enhance ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Salesforce’s bug bounty programme paid out $3m in 2023
Ethical hackers disclosed more than 4,000 vulnerabilities to Salesforce last year through its bug bounty programme, and received over $3m in rewards Continue Reading
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Podcast
23 Jan 2024
Podcast: Storage and compliance outlook for 2024
Interesting times ahead in 2024 as we talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, about updates to EU regs, PCI, NIST, post-Brexit divergence and 60 national elections across the globe Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
SolarWinds hackers attack Microsoft in apparent recon mission
Russian-backed threat actor behind infamous 2020 SolarWinds Sunburst intrusion hacked into Microsoft’s systems, apparently in an attempt to get hold of intel on themselves Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2024
Chat control: Tech companies warn ministers over EU encryption plans
Tech companies have written to EU ministers to urge them to back the European Parliament, rather than the European Commission, over proposed regulations to police child abuse Continue Reading
- Opinion 19 Jan 2024
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News
19 Jan 2024
Neighbouring Kent councils hit by simultaneous cyber attacks
Canterbury, Dover and Thanet Councils in Kent have all been struck by simultaneous cyber attacks knocking systems offline, with indications of a link between all three Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Jan 2024
dark web (darknet)
The dark web is an encrypted portion of the internet not visible to the general public via a traditional search engine such as Google. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2024
Cyber non-profit enlists ex-NCSC head as technical chair
Founding NCSC chief exec Ciaran Martin is to join the newly launched Cyber Monitoring Centre non-profit as chair of its technical committee Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
NCSC invites security pros to join the big leagues
The NCSC is inviting security pros from across the UK to sign up to work with its experts on an intelligence-sharing initiative Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
The Security Interviews: Rebecca Taylor, SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit
In October 2023, Rebecca Taylor of the SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit was recognised at the annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards for her work. Computer Weekly caught up with her to talk mentoring, cyber career development and diversity Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
Victims of 2023 Capita data breaches head to High Court
More than 5,000 people impacted by data breaches arising from two cyber incidents affecting outsourcer Capita have joined a group action lawsuit Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2024
Kaspersky shares Pegasus spyware-hunting tool
Kaspersky has developed a way of easily exposing the presence of Pegasus spyware on iOS devices and believes its methodology may also help users identify other such surveillance malware Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Jan 2024
The human toll of ransomware: how IT pros suffer during incidents
Any ransomware attack causes significant challenges for a business or organisation going through such incident. But ransomware attacks also have tremendous impact on the staff – especially IT teams – working on mitigating the attack’s effect Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
British Library catalogues back online after ransomware attack
The British Library has restored online access to its main catalogue of nearly 40 million items on a limited basis as it continues the long and arduous process of recovering from a ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
Cosmetics retailer Lush dealing with mystery cyber incident
Cosmetics retailer Lush confirms it’s investigating a cyber attack of an undisclosed nature, but key public-facing systems appear to be unaffected Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jan 2024
British Library cyber attack explained: What you need to know
In this essential guide, Computer Weekly investigates the cyber attack on the British Library that has rendered IT systems inoperable and caused service disruption to thousands of users Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2024
Russia hacked ex-MI6 chief’s emails – what they reveal is more Dad’s Army than deep state
A Russian hacking group that published emails of ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy, but it was more Dad’s Army than the ‘deep state’, Computer Weekly and Byline Times reveal Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Jan 2024
How the UK is supporting the Ukraine tech community
The launch of a TechBridge between UK and Ukraine allow IT experts from each country to collaborate and share experiences Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2024
Cisco fixes high-impact flaw in unified comms platform
Cisco unified comms customers are urged to patch a critical vulnerability in Unity Connection, a messaging and voicemail product Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Jan 2024
Redefining the cyber domain to tackle the challenges of tomorrow
Emerging technologies have brought about a new age of cyber – and we need a 360-degree collaborative approach more than ever to succeed Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
Davos 2024: AI-generated disinformation poses threat to elections, says World Economic Forum
Disinformation and misinformation are the top risks facing businesses, governments and the public over the next two years Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
Windows Kerberos, Hyper-V vulns among January Patch Tuesday bugs
Microsoft starts 2024 right with another slimline Patch Tuesday drop, but there are some critical vulns to be alert to, including a number of man-in-the-middle attack vectors Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
SEC social media hack highlights value of MFA
The US SEC briefly appeared to approve new bitcoin trading rules after a social media account was targeted by troublemakers, proving the value of MFA once again Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2024
Babuk Tortilla ransomware decryptor made available
A joint effort between Cisco Talos, Avast and the Dutch police will bring relief to many victims of a variant of the Babuk ransomware known as Tortilla Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2024
Study reveals cyber risks to US elections
With the 2024 US presidential election cycle beginning, a study produced by Arctic Wolf has highlighted big gaps in preparedness and resourcing at government bodies across the US Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2024
British Library ransomware attack could cost up to £7m
The cost of recovering the British Library’s ransomware-stricken IT systems could be up to £7m, it has emerged Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2024
Inside the Met Police’s investigation into EncroChat crime gangs
The Met’s senior investigating officer responsible for investigating criminals using the EncroChat encrypted phone network tells the inside story of the UK’s biggest organised crime bust in a BBC podcast series released this week Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2024
Dutch working to promote cooperation in Europe to keep internet safe
A Dutch cooperative approach offers national and international cooperation opportunities for ISPs to guard against DDoS attacks, lawful interception and detect abuse in networks Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2024
Fighting money laundering with AI
Mike Foster, CEO of SymphonyAI Sensa-NetReveal, talks up how AI can be used to fight financial crime and how the company’s technology can augment existing AML investments Continue Reading
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News
02 Jan 2024
China’s UNC4841 pivots to new Barracuda ESG zero-day
The Chinese state threat actor behind a series of cyber attacks on Barracuda Networks customers embarked on a campaign targeting the supplier’s email security products in the run-up to Christmas Continue Reading
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News
27 Dec 2023
Top 10 ASEAN IT stories of 2023
Organisations across the region have continued to shore up their cyber security posture while investing in infrastructure to pave the way for emerging technologies like GenAI Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2023
Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2023
Ransomware gangs dominated the cyber criminal underworld in 2023, a year that will prove notable for significant evolutionary trends in their tactics Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
Zero-trust principles: Your gateway to securing remote workers
Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
What we learned in cyber in 2023, and what to look out for
PA Consulting's Rasika Somasiri looks back at a busy 12 months in the cyber security world, and highlights some key learnings from 2023 Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
ALPHV/BlackCat operation down, but maybe not out
Multinational law enforcement has targeted the operations of the notorious ALPHV/BlackCat cyber extortion gang, but the group’s members appear to remain defiant Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2023
In the year we said goodbye to NHS Digital, the NHS has made some serious strides in digitising the health service, but many challenges remain. We look back at the stories that made the headlines in 2023 Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2023
Top 10 cyber security stories of 2023
The past 12 months have seen the security agenda dominated by the usual round of vulnerabilities, concerns over supply chain security and more besides, but it was the chaotic state of global geopolitics that really made an impact Continue Reading
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E-Zine
19 Dec 2023
The ransomware threat to UK critical infrastructure
In this week’s Computer Weekly, a parliamentary report warns that a lack of ransomware preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed – we analyse the risks. We examine how AI tools are helping to enhance cloud security. And the CTO at jewellery retailer Pandora discusses organisational change in IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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18 Dec 2023
Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware
A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2023
How threat intelligence is applied in DNS security
Infoblox’s director of security architecture explains how the company leverages its threat intelligence capabilities to help organisations stay ahead of DNS security threats Continue Reading
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Blog Post
17 Dec 2023
Cyber threats risk our progression as a society
This is a guest post by Jason Baden, regional vice-president for multicloud application services and security company, F5 A shadow of doubt has been cast over the preparedness of Australian ... Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2023
NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron to step down in 2024
NCSC chief exec Lindy Cameron, who helped lead and elevate the national dialogue on cyber security through major events such as Covid-19, SolarWinds Sunburst and Colonial Pipeline, is to step down in the New Year Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2023
How ransomware gangs use the tech media against their victims
Ransomware gangs are increasingly media-savvy operators, and this means incident response plans now need to account for communications and PR strategies too Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2023
Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware
A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2023
Top IT predictions in APAC in 2024
Generative AI will continue to leave its mark on many areas in business and IT, along with other trends such as sustainability, cyber security and smart factories that are expected to shape the region’s technology landscape in 2024 Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2023
Nordic governments join forces to protect data transfers
Nordic countries deepen their cooperation over cyber security amid heightened threat from neighbouring Russia Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2023
Fancy Bear targets Nato entities via critical Outlook flaw
A vulnerability patched in March has likely been exploited by the Russian state actor Fancy Bear, for over two years, according to the latest intelligence Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
UK names Russian FSB agents behind political hacking campaign
Russian hacking group, Star Blizzard, was part of a Russian intelligence operation aimed at interfering with UK politics and the democratic process, says government. Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
NCSC exposes Russian cyber attacks on UK political processes
The NCSC has firmly attributed a long-running campaign of cyber attacks targeting UK political processes to a group run out of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency, known as Star Blizzard Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
2023 may have seen highest ransomware ‘body count’ yet
Ransomware, or cyber extortion as it is increasingly being termed, remained the most prominent security threat in 2023 – and thanks to large-scale supply chain attacks, the past 12 months may have seen the most victims ever Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2023
How Proofpoint is helping to mitigate AI security threats
Proofpoint is offering monitoring tools to prevent leakage of sensitive information in generative AI models and other capabilities to mitigate AI mediated attacks Continue Reading
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E-Zine
07 Dec 2023
CW EMEA: Prepare for cyber war
When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, cyber security professionals and major government and private organisations braced for an inevitable accompanying online war. In this issue of CW EMEA, we outline cyber war, patterns of threat activity, and find out what security teams can do to protect their organisations. We also look at Finland’s advances in quantum computing, how Belgian researchers have developed technology to help datacentres process data faster, and the secrets of KPN’s successful business transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2023
Government launches UK-wide Cyber Explorers Cup
Schoolkids across the UK are being called on to team up and defeat Herbert the Hacker in a new government-backed competition Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Dec 2023
offensive security
Offensive security is the practice of actively seeking out vulnerabilities in an organization's cybersecurity. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Dec 2023
How to recover systems in the event of a cyber attack
Recovering compromised systems after a cyber attack isn’t easy, but understanding industry best practice offers a template for the key processes to follow Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2023
Operator of Sellafield nuclear facility denies hacking claims
The operator of the Sellafield nuclear site has denied allegations that senior managers covered up a series of cyber security lapses that enabled Chinese and Russian threat actors to compromise its networks Continue Reading
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E-Zine
05 Dec 2023
Technologies to support hybrid working
In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at technologies to support hybrid working – even when your business is as unique as farming. We examine the new guidelines on AI cyber security published by G7 government security chiefs. And we find out how the Jaguar Formula E racing team is using digital twins to improve electric vehicle performance. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
04 Dec 2023
Rhysida ransomware gang hits hospital holding royal family’s data
Ransomware gang boasts of having stolen data on the royal family in an attack on a private London hospital Continue Reading
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04 Dec 2023
What are the cyber risks from the latest Middle Eastern conflict?
The outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel in October 2023 has seen a wide variety of accompanying cyber attacks from hacktivists and other groups. We look at the risks to organisations Continue Reading
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01 Dec 2023
Supporting a hybrid workforce
The now permanent shift to cloud services and the necessity of dealing with a hybrid workforce have changed modern IT Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2023
Report reveals sorry state of cyber security at UK football clubs
Football clubs up and down the country are putting staff, players and fans alike at risk through outdated attitudes to cyber security, according to a report Continue Reading
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Opinion
30 Nov 2023
Prepare for your worst day: How to create a cyber incident response plan
What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Government’s Online Fraud Charter welcomed
The government has corralled 11 of the largest tech platforms in the world to commit to its Online Fraud Charter, designed to tackle online scams, fake adverts, and more Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2023
Rhysida gang stole hundreds of gigabytes of British Library data
The Rhysida ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the British Library has published almost 600GB of stolen data to its dark web leak site Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2023
Law enforcement dismembers major ransomware operation in Ukraine
A joint law enforcement operation between the Ukrainian authorities, Europol and Eurojust has seem five ransomware operators taken into custody Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2023
Scope of Okta helpdesk breach widens to impact all users
Okta has widened the scope of the October breach of its systems to include every customer that has used its helpdesk service, after new information came to light Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Nov 2023
timing attack
A timing attack is a type of side-channel attack that exploits the amount of time a computer process runs to gain knowledge about or access a system. Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2023
Scope of British Library data breach widens
Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2023
Volume of unique malware samples threatens to overwhelm defenders
A massive increase in malware volumes could cause problems for security teams tasked with adapting their defences against them Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2023
The Security Interviews: Zeki Turedi, field CTO Europe, CrowdStrike
Organisations are racing to keep their security up to date against the latest threats. CrowdStrike’s Zeki Turedi explains how to protect against novel and innovative cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2023
APAC organisations warm to microsegmentation
Nearly two-thirds of organisations in the APAC region see microsegmentation as a way to protect their IT assets, but lack the skills to deploy the technology Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2023
MOVEit incident spurred UK decision makers to spend big on cyber
The MOVEit cyber attacks that unfolded in the spring and summer of 2023 seem to have driven an increase in both ransomware awareness and spend, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2023
North Korean APTs go all in on supply chain attacks, warns NCSC
Threat actors linked to the North Korean regime are becoming more adept at targeting software supply chains in the service of their cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2023
Australia ups ante on cyber security
Australia’s new cyber security strategy will focus on building threat-blocking capabilities, protecting critical infrastructure and improving the cyber workforce, among other priorities Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2023
An inside look at a Scattered Spider cyber attack
Threat researchers at ReliaQuest share the inside track on a Scattered Spider cyber attack they investigated Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2023
CISA reveals how LockBit hacked Boeing via Citrix Bleed
As alarm grows around the world about the impact of the so-called Citrix Bleed vulnerability, Boeing has shared details of its experience at the hands of the LockBit ransomware crew Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Nov 2023
How do cybercriminals steal credit card information?
Cybercriminals have various methods at their disposal to hack and exploit credit card information. Learn what they are, how to prevent them and what to do when hacked. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2023
Over half of SME cyber incidents now ‘malware-free’
The age of malware-driven cyber attacks may have peaked, at least when it comes to incidents affecting small and medium sized enterprises Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2023
Internal documents leaked as Rhysida claims responsibility for British Library ransomware attack
Ransomware group Rhysida threatens to sell documents stolen from the British Library to the highest bidder Continue Reading
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E-Zine
21 Nov 2023
Can AI take education to a new level?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2023
Defence lawyers seek appeal of tribunal ruling on police EncroChat cryptophone hack
Defence lawyers are seeking leave to appeal against a tribunal ruling that found the National Crime Agency had lawfully obtained warrants to access messages from 9,000 cryptophones used in the UK Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Nov 2023
Automated Clearing House fraud (ACH fraud)
ACH fraud is the theft of funds through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Automated Clearing House financial transaction network. Continue Reading