Hackers and cybercrime prevention

At the gates – How to survive the era of cyber insecurity

Businesses face more legal risks, a mine field of regulation, and individual liability for failures. Getting the basis right is more important than ever. Continue Reading

BlackCat and Clop gangs both claim cyber attack on Estée Lauder

Cosmetics conglomerate Estée Lauder is experiencing operational disruption in the wake of a cyber attack that seems to involve two different cyber crime gangs Continue Reading

Cyber criminal AI tool WormGPT produces ‘unsettling’ results

A newly discovered generative AI tool dubbed WormGPT is being sold to the cyber criminal underground via the dark web, and poses a significant danger, researchers warn Continue Reading

NATO membership to drive Nordic cyber security sector growth

The Nordic cyber security sector will see increasing demand as Finland and Sweden joint NATO Continue Reading

Critical Adobe ColdFusion flaws chained in ongoing cyber attacks

Two vulnerabilities in Adobe ColdFusion have been chained by threat actors to target victim systems, apparently after one of them was accidentally disclosed Continue Reading

Microsoft issues new warning over Chinese cyber espionage

A newly uncovered Chinese espionage campaign exploited forged authentication tokens to access its victims’ email accounts, says Microsoft Continue Reading

One month after MOVEit: New vulnerabilities found as more victims are named

Five weeks after the mass MOVEit breach, new vulnerabilities in the file transfer tool are coming to light as the Clop cyber crime group continues to terrorise victims. But has the gang bitten off more than it can chew? Continue Reading

Forensic Institute provides Hansken viewing method for Dutch lawyers

Dutch lawyers can now view crypto communication in criminal cases from their own workplace via digital search engine Hansken. Previously, this had to be done at an external location Continue Reading

Cozy Bear lures victims with used BMW 5 Series

A recent Cozy Bear campaign saw the Russian APT group pivot to exploiting an advert for a used car as it targeted diplomatic missions in Kyiv Continue Reading

Hackers: We won’t let artificial intelligence get the better of us

AI is changing how ethical hackers go about their work, and will continue to do so, but the community is convinced the technology will never be able to replicate the creativity of a flesh-and-blood hacker Continue Reading

Microsoft users on high alert over dangerous RCE zero-day

A serious RCE vulnerability in Microsoft Office and Windows is among several zero-days disclosed in Redmond’s July Patch Tuesday update, but this one does not have a patch yet Continue Reading

Malicious URL volumes soar as cyber criminals pull on Threads

Malicious actors have been quick to exploit the buzz around Meta’s newly launched Threads platform, with thousands of new suspicious domains registered exploiting its branding Continue Reading

Suspicious email reported every five seconds in UK

National Cyber Security Centre report reveals a suspicious email was reported by UK citizens and organisations every five seconds last year Continue Reading

Vodafone tests quantum-safe business network solutions

Telco announces initiative looking at transition to a quantum safe world, exploring and trialling new algorithms with upgraded smartphones to provide protection against possible quantum-empowered attackers in the future Continue Reading

Germany: European Court of Justice hears arguments on lawfulness of EncroChat cryptophone evidence

The European Court of Justice will decide whether the collection and sharing of data intercepted by law enforcement from EncroChat crypto phone network is compatible with European law Continue Reading

How data is beating heart disease

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how a new data strategy is helping the British Heart Foundation to raise money and support medical research. We examine the benefits of using AI in advanced malware detection. And we reveal why the Information Commissioner is under fire for weak responses to serious data breaches. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Over half of ANZ organisations hit by ransomware

Amid the rising ransomware threat, almost four in five organisations in ANZ expect to pay a ransom if they could recover data and business processes Continue Reading

BlackCat gang claims cyber attack on Barts NHS Trust

Investigations continue into a claim by the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang that it has stolen 7TB of data from Barts NHS Trust in London Continue Reading

NHS data stolen in Manchester Uni ransomware attack

The ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the University of Manchester appears to have got its hands on an NHS dataset being used by the university for research purposes Continue Reading

How real and present is the malware threat from AI?

One of the most talked about concerns regarding generative AI is that it could be used to create malicious code. But how real and present is this threat? Continue Reading

Three years on, EncroChat cryptophone hack nets 6,500 arrests and seizures of €900m

French and Dutch prosecutors say three years after they infiltrated the EncroChat cryptophone network in a novel hacking operation, Europe’s courts are opening the way for more collaboration and data sharing between law enforcement agencies Continue Reading

SolarWinds hack explained: Everything you need to know

Hackers targeted SolarWinds by deploying malicious code into its Orion IT monitoring and management software used by thousands of enterprises and government agencies worldwide. Continue Reading

A tenth of kids claim they could hack you

More and more young people are at risk of being drawn into cyber criminality, and parents must shoulder some of the blame, according to a report Continue Reading

AI cyber monitoring: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this podcast, Darktrace’s Max Heinemeyer discusses the good – and the bad – to come out of artificial intelligence in IT security Continue Reading

ChatGPT’s phishing ‘problem’ may not be overstated

Some data now suggests that threat actors are indeed using ChatGPT to craft malicious phishing emails, but the industry is doing its best to get out in front of this trend, according to the threat intelligence team at Egress Continue Reading

Phishing and ransomware dominate Singapore’s cyber threat landscape

Phishing and ransomware attacks continued apace in Singapore last year amid signs of improving cyber hygiene Continue Reading

Manchester University students threatened by ransomware gang

Students and staff members at the University of Manchester are being pressurised by an unnamed ransomware gang Continue Reading

Nearly quarter of a million malicious websites reported and removed through NCSC service

A suspicious email and text message reporting service in the UK has directly led to a quarter of a million malicious websites being removed Continue Reading

Podcast: Cloud security, compliance and data classification

The rise of cloud has led to a proliferation of enterprise data and a rise in risk. We talk to Vigitrust CEO Mathieu Gorge about how to ensure compliance in a multicloud world Continue Reading

The security interviews: Exploiting AI for good and for bad

The chief product officer of AI security firm Darktrace explains how large language AI models are making it harder for people to spot email attacks Continue Reading

ChatGPT is creating a legal and compliance headache for business

ChatGPT’s increased use in the workplace has led many to question its legal and compliance implications for businesses. Experts warn that the software poses major security and copyright risks Continue Reading

Prime minister Rishi Sunak faces pressure from banks to force tech firms to pay for online fraud

The UK’s major banks have told the prime minister to force tech firms to do more to prevent fraud that the banks end up paying for Continue Reading

How Fastly thinks differently about CDNs and the edge

Fastly is counting on its developer chops and different approaches towards security and other areas to compete with its rivals Continue Reading

Early June Microsoft outages were result of large-scale DDoS hit

Investigations into recent outages on Microsoft Azure and Outlook services have turned up evidence of a massive distributed denial-of-service attack Continue Reading

UK to contribute up to £25m to Ukraine cyber defences

Prime minister Rishi Sunak announces an expansion to the Ukraine Cyber Programme, with a cash boost of up to £25m over the next two years Continue Reading

Exploitation of Barracuda ESG appliances linked to Chinese spies

Intelligence from Mandiant links exploitation of a flaw in a subset of Barracuda ESG appliances to a previously untracked China-nexus threat actor Continue Reading

NCSC warns over ‘enduring’ LockBit threat

Although its activity volumes have been lower of late, LockBit is still a highly dangerous ransomware gang and is now the subject of a new international cyber advisory Continue Reading

Clop begins naming alleged MOVEit victims

Clop uploaded details of 12 new victims to its dark web leak site late on 14 June, many of them likely linked to the ongoing MOVEit cyber attack Continue Reading

Ransomware-stricken Capita to run Action Fraud successor

A £50m deal to replace the Action Fraud service has been handed to PwC and Capita, which is facing investigations over its handling of customer data in a ransomware incident Continue Reading

No zero-days for June Patch Tuesday, but plenty to chew over

On the face of it, Microsoft’s monthly round of updates is a lighter-than-usual load for security teams, with no zero-days in evidence, but there are still plenty of issues needing attention Continue Reading

TSB calls on Meta to intervene and protect users from fraud losses of £250m this year

TSB is the latest bank to demand more action from social media sector in helping to reduce online fraud Continue Reading

Clop’s MOVEit ransom deadline expires

A seven-day deadline set by Clop for victims of its latest attack to contact it to arrange payment passes today Continue Reading

Cyber attacks against APAC commerce sector surpass 1.1 billion

Retailers, hotels and travel-related organisations in the region saw over a billion cyber attacks last year amid the surge in e-commerce activity and online travel bookings Continue Reading

Ofcom data stolen in MOVEit cyber attack

Communications regulator Ofcom says data on employees and regulated communications companies was stolen by the Clop gang Continue Reading

Progress Software releases patch for second MOVEit Transfer vulnerability

Progress Software releases a patch for a second MOVEit Transfer issue, which was uncovered by third-party security specialist Huntress Security during post-incident code scanning Continue Reading

Extreme Networks emerges as victim of Clop MOVEit attack

Network equipment and services supplier Extreme Networks has revealed its instance of Progress Software’s MOVEit tool was compromised in the ongoing Clop cyber attack Continue Reading

University of Manchester hit by cyber attack

The University of Manchester has been hit by a cyber attack of an undisclosed nature Continue Reading

Bishop Fox’s Vinnie Liu talks offensive security skills

There is growing demand for offensive security testing, but it needs a multi-layered skillset that can be hard to quantify. Bishop Fox’s CEO and co-founder explains why and some potential mitigation strategies Continue Reading

CW EMEA: IT budgets buck economic trends

Despite the gloomy economic outlook across the world, IT leaders in the EMEA region appear confident that they will have more to spend on IT this year, with 44 expecting IT budgets to increase, according to TechTarget/Computer Weekly’s IT Priorities survey for 2023. Also in this issue, we look at how health authorities in the United Arab Emirates are increasing their emphasis on new, smart technologies to modernise healthcare services, we find out how global tech pioneers Finland and Estonia are increasingly sharing their expertise, and we look at what the Dutch government is doing to address unconscious stereotypes and bias that are still preventing girls in the Netherlands to study engineering or IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Clop cyber gang claims MOVEit attack and starts harassing victims

The Clop cyber extortion and ransomware operation is demanding organisations pay a ransom to avoid data stolen via an exploited vulnerability in a file transfer product being leaked Continue Reading

Payments regulator makes APP fraud reimbursement mandatory

UK payments regulator confirms changes to rules around repaying customers who lose money to authorised push payment fraudsters Continue Reading

Victims of MOVEit SQL injection zero-day mount up

The BBC, Boots, and British Airways are among the victims of cyber incidents arising from a recently disclosed vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer, exploitation of which is spreading fast Continue Reading

Cyber spotlight falls on boardroom ‘privilege’ as incidents soar

Three quarters of data breaches now involve a significant human element, and the higher up they get in an organisation, the more risks people seem to take, according to Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report Continue Reading

Bank of International Settlement sets up channel secure from quantum breach

The Bank of International Settlement has worked with two of Europe's central banks to explore preventing the security risks posed by quantum computers Continue Reading

HSBC explores quantum computing for finance sector

UK banking giant works with quantum computing specialist to explore the technology’s potential in the finance sector Continue Reading

Generative AI – the next biggest cyber security threat?

Following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, several reports have emerged that seek to determine the impact of generative AI in cyber security. Undeniably, generative AI in cyber security is a double-edged sword, but will the paradigm shift in favour of opportunity or risk? Continue Reading

Why we need advanced malware detection with AI-powered tools

AI-powered cyber security tools have now developed to a point where they are becoming an effective approach to protecting the organisation. Learn how you can benefit from adopting them Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank calls on tech companies to control social media ‘wild west’

Lloyds Banking Group is calling on tech giants to step forward in the fight against online fraud, which emanates in the social media ‘wild west’ Continue Reading

Downstream breaches of Capita customers spreading

As many as 90 organisations that used Capita services have now reported data breaches arising from various security incidents at the outsourcer Continue Reading

Bumbling IT security analyst convicted of blackmail offences

A Hertfordshire man has been convicted of blackmail and other offences after piggybacking on an in-progress ransomware attack to try to defraud his employer, but failing to cover his tracks in any meaningful way Continue Reading

Cabinet Office publishes response to data sharing for digital ID consultation

The majority of respondents to government’s consultation on data sharing for digital identity are critical to the plans and concerned about data privacy, but Whitehall’s response says many of the responses ‘were driven by anti-digital commentaries’ Continue Reading

Alert over Chinese cyber campaign targeting critical networks

A Chinese threat actor known as Volt Typhoon has been observed infiltrating CNI networks in a cyber espionage campaign, according to intelligence Continue Reading

Almost all ransomware attacks target backups, says Veeam

Some 93% of ransomware attacks go for backups and most succeed, with 60% of those attacked paying the ransom, according to a Veeam survey Continue Reading

Two-thirds of all 2022 breaches resulted from spear phishing

Research by Barracuda Networks has found that, despite the low volume of spear-phishing attempts, the attacks are highly successful and have major consequences Continue Reading

Cohesity Turing aims AI tools at backup and ransomware

Backup supplier continues to enrich its ecosystem with more artificial intelligence for backup and ransomware, with chat-like reporting functions and new security partners in its alliance Continue Reading

How to secure your software supply chain

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at secure coding, and kicks off by examining the challenges of securing your software supply chain. Cyber law enforcement leaders are calling on firms to end the secrecy around ransomware attacks. And we find out how facial recognition technology is being adopted by retailers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Mimecast thinks differently about email security

CEO Peter Bauer believes a comprehensive approach towards email security has enabled it to remain relevant to customers for two decades Continue Reading

CW APAC: Expert advice on security and threat intelligence

Organisations are all too aware of the importance of cyber defence. In this handbook, focused on security and threat intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at the software supply chain, Mimecast’s email security, Australian data breaches and Singapore’s threat intelligence. Continue Reading

Pentera ups ante in penetration testing

The Israeli startup, which expanded to the APAC region last year, scans for vulnerabilities and emulates cyber attacks through its automated security validation platform Continue Reading

Scality pushes anti-ransomware features in Artesca object storage

Object storage specialist announces v2.0 of Artesca, with a heavy focus on functionality that can protect against ransomware such as object locking, sharding, backup to object etc Continue Reading

Let’s put an end to secrecy and cover-ups in ransomware attacks

The NCSC and the ICO are calling for organisations to bite the bullet and be more open about cyber security and ransomware incidents, and the community is firmly behind them Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2023: Budgeting for IT innovation

In spite of the economic slowdown, IT leaders are driving forward investments in IT Continue Reading

How Splunk is driving security automation

Splunk’s head of security in APAC talks up the company’s efforts to ease the workloads of security analysts amid lower adoption of security automation and analytics in the region Continue Reading

Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds NCA EncroChat hacking warrants were lawful

Investigatory Powers Tribunal refers questions over whether messages obtained from the EncroChat encrypted phone network are legally admissible back to the criminal court Continue Reading

Australia to shore up cyber and digital capabilities in Budget 2023

Australia is spending more than A$2bn to strengthen cyber resilience, improve digital government services and fuel AI adoption, among other areas, in its latest budget Continue Reading

AI outcry intensifies as EU readies regulation

Policymakers are battling to keep pace with AI developments, while experts warn of societal impact Continue Reading

Black Basta ransomware attack to cost Capita over £15m

Exceptional costs arising from the March 2023 Black Basta ransomware attack on the systems of outsourcer Capita will be somewhere between £15m and £20m, the organisation says Continue Reading

How datacentre operators can fend off cyber attacks

Applying zero-trust principles in the form of strong authentication controls and network segmentation can help datacentre operators to mitigate cyber threats Continue Reading

Capita pension clients told data may have leaked

Capita has told trustees of some of the pension funds for which it provides outsourced services that their customer data may have been stolen by the Black Basta ransomware operation Continue Reading

Santander reports increase in scams and admits fraud head was impersonated

Santander has reported an increase in impersonation scams, and admitted its own head of fraud was impersonated by a fraudster Continue Reading

Inside BlackBerry’s cyber security playbook

BlackBerry’s president of cyber security discusses the company’s cyber security strategy and what it is doing to deliver an integrated set of capabilities for enterprises Continue Reading

Cyber Action Plan for Wales launched

The devolved Welsh government has set out four priorities in an action plan designed to foster cyber resilience, talent and innovation across the country Continue Reading

TikTok fixes vulnerability that could have exposed user activity data

A potentially dangerous vulnerability in the TikTok video-sharing platform was discovered by Imperva researchers, and has now been fixed Continue Reading

Government anti-fraud strategy targets the tech behind the scams

The UK government’s anti-fraud strategy proposes to make it much harder for criminals to target their victims by cracking down on the exploitation of technology Continue Reading

Researchers see surge in scam websites linked to coronation

Scammers and fraudsters continue to take advantage of large public events, with the coronation of King Charles III no exception Continue Reading

Government is playing ‘psychic war’ in battle over end-to-end encryption

Peers hear that the UK government is being deliberately ambiguous about its plans to require technology companies to scan the content of encrypted messages Continue Reading

Tenable opens playground for generative AI cyber tools

A set of generative AI cyber tools designed to help security researchers in reverse engineering, debugging and other areas of work have been made available for the community to experiment with Continue Reading

Researchers deal blow to Gootloader gang that supported REvil

Thousands of compromised WordPress blogs have been spreading the Gootloader malware for years, but eSentire’s security research team are turning the tables on the gang that played a key role in REvil ransomware attacks Continue Reading

Ransomware gang exploiting unpatched Veeam backup products

Cyber criminals with links to multiple virulent ransomware strains are exploiting a recently disclosed vulnerability in Veeam’s Backup & Replication product, threat analysts have warned Continue Reading

Cyber security and analytics propel jobs boost in Scotland’s tech sector

A tech industry survey from ScotlandIS indicates the country’s tech sector is set to grow, with cyber security as the hottest domain Continue Reading

CISOs under-supported, under pressure, Trellix finds

The vast majority of CISOs say they are finding it difficult to get sign-off on the resources they need to do their job Continue Reading

Podcast: Ransomware, data protection and compliance

Ransomware is a huge and ever-present threat, but there are ways to avoid it and to mitigate its effects. We get key practical steps from Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading

Almost three-quarters of cyber attacks involve ransomware

Data from Sophos’s annual Active Adversary Report reveals that almost three-quarters of the cyber security incidents it responded to in 2022 involved ransomware Continue Reading

CyberUK 23: New advice on smart city security issued

The NCSC and key allies have drawn up new guidance to help communities balance the cyber security risks involved with creating smart cities Continue Reading

Bumblebee malware flies on the wings of Zoom and ChatGPT

Bumblebee malware, often used as a stepping stone to ransomware, is now spreading via trojanised installers for popular software applications Continue Reading

UK Emergency Alert Test sparks cyber fraud warning

Fraudsters and scammers are likely to use the upcoming test of the UK's new mobile Emergency Alert system as bait in their attacks, while misinformation and conspiracy theories spread Continue Reading

3CX incident may be world’s first double supply chain attack

It’s supply chain attacks all the way down as Mandiant publishes information suggesting that the 3CX software supply chain compromise was initiated via a prior software supply chain compromise Continue Reading

Good Friday Agreement key to growth of Northern Ireland cyber hub

Now 25 years since the historic Good Friday Agreement ended the Troubles, Northern Ireland has become a flourishing centre of cyber security excellence and has ambitions to grow further Continue Reading

Capita customer data was stolen in March ransomware attack

Capita says it has uncovered evidence of data exfiltration from a small proportion of its server estate following a cyber attack at the end of March Continue Reading

CyberUK 23: Ukraine offers masterclass in withstanding cyber war

Russian cyber activity has seen an unprecedented evolution in scale and pace over the past year, but Ukraine’s resilience has enabled it to mount a masterful response, says the NCSC Continue Reading