Hackers and cybercrime prevention

BEIS launches multimillion-pound security investment package

Government is making available more than £50m to support a range of new cyber security initiatives and collaborations, including the latest phase of its Digital Security by Design programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHSX could transform NHS security capabilities

The health sector is increasingly confident that NHSX can deliver a streamlined, effective cyber security policy for the health service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security threat landscape becomes more organised and business-like

Approaches to securing the enterprise need to change in the face of a rapidly maturing threat landscape Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pitney Bowes ‘considering options’ after malware attack

Mailing and shipping services firm in recovery mode after key systems were encrypted by a malware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Attackers hunt iPhone jailbreakers in click fraud campaign

Research by Cisco’s Talos threat intel unit has identified a new click fraud campaign targeting people looking to jailbreak their iPhone devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Researchers reveal the cyber campaign that built China's new airliner

CrowdStrike has published details of a coordinated campaign of cyber espionage and hacking, forced technology transfer and physical theft as China seeks to gain an advantage in the commercial aviation industry Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to mitigate IoT security risks to tap business benefits

Security concerns are preventing many businesses from adopting IoT-based technologies, but with a bit of planning, the business benefits can be realised by mitigating the risk. Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: Applying AI to Lego, and security

Ann Johnson, Microsoft corporate vice-president of cyber security, is on a mission to prove that artificial intelligence holds great promise for the security sector, and she has the analogies to back it up Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Middle East: Saudi banks trial biometrics in ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines. Also read about the first government organisation in Bahrain to migrate to Amazon Web Services, and an interview with Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain. Continue Reading

Small business guide: How to keep your organisation secure from fraudsters and hackers

Doing a few things well can keep your organisation protected from common cyber attacks and fraudsters Continue Reading

By

• Jan Youngren

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 33

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna and Clare McDonald are joined by Alex Scroxton to talk about cyber warfare and digital healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor
• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Security Think Tank: The operational approach to integrated risk management

How can security professionals help their organisations move from traditional governance, risk and compliance to integrated risk management that integrates risk activities from across an organisation to enable better strategic decision-making? Continue Reading

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• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Showcasing the potential of 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit an ambitious trial in Bristol that is showcasing the possibilities offered by 5G roll-out. We look at how emerging automation technologies are enhancing the use of identity and access management tools. And we assess the Government Digital Service plan for transforming public services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK and US call on Facebook to walk back encryption plans

The US, Australian and UK governments have asked Facebook to ditch plans to deploy end-to-end encryption across Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT contractor charged over cyber attack on property valuation firm

Australian police charge 49-year-old man with stealing and posting more than 170,000 data records belonging to ASX-listed Landmark White on the dark web Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

LogRhythm touts unlimited data plan for SIEM systems

SIEM supplier introduces three-year, term-based pricing plan that lets enterprises ingest as much data as they want without breaking the bank Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Local authorities hit by 800 cyber attacks every hour

Local authorities and councils in the UK have reported being hit by more than 263 million cyber attacks in the first six months of this year Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New threat group behind Airbus cyber attacks, claim researchers

Context Information Security’s threat intel and response teams says it has evidence that the recent supply chain attacks on Airbus are the work of a newly identified group called Avivore Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber war as big a threat as nuclear war, says ex-RSA head Coviello

Former RSA chairman Art Coviello has been speaking about the devastating potential of cyber weapons, and warned that humanity must learn from history in order to control them Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A security breach is inevitable, IT leaders warned

No matter how much IT security tech and training is in place, sophisticated, targeted attacks are going to breach company defences, Carbon Black warns Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Singapore outlines initiatives to tackle OT and IoT security

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore has developed a blueprint to secure operational technology systems in critical sectors, among other measures to secure cyber-physical systems and the internet of things Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Nodersok malware campaign is infecting thousands, Microsoft warns

Thousands of Windows endpoints in the US and Europe have been infected by a new fileless malware campaign in the past few weeks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five million DoorDash customers’ details lost in data breach

Takeaway delivery service was breached in May 2019, resulting in the data of millions of users and delivery drivers being stolen Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Attackers breached supplier systems to steal Airbus secrets

Airbus has been the subject of at least four major cyber attacks in the past 12 months, with contractors and suppliers targeted through their VPNs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Overinvestment breeds overconfidence among security pros

CISOs have made an abundance of security investments in multiple suppliers, but this might not be the right approach Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Teen TalkTalk hacker accused of cryptocurrency fraud in US

Elliott Gunton, one of the teenage hackers who broke into TalkTalk’s systems in 2015, faces extradition to the US to face fraud charges Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Instagram and WhatsApp – the new tools of social media propaganda

Facebook and Twitter have been cast as the villains of the piece, but social media disinformation and propaganda are evolving in new and alarming directions, say Oxford University researchers Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Latest Lorca cyber security challenge has IoT focus

Government-backed cyber security innovation centre Lorca has issued new challenges around connectivity for its next intake of scaleups Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore payment card data compromised by JavaScript sniffers

Raw data of thousands of payment cards issued by Singapore banks stolen by the online equivalent of a traditional card sniffer Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

GandCrab ransomware writers still active despite ‘retirement’

Apparent links between an emerging ransomware family known as REvil and GandCrab suggests the GandCrab authors are keeping busy despite having “retired” in June Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Enterprises exposed to data loss by cloud configuration errors

Only 1% of misconfigured cloud environments are spotted and attackers are capitalising on this, claims McAfee Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google pushes back on scale of YouTube phishing threat

Millions of YouTubers may be at risk after some high-profile influencers reported their accounts were compromised in an apparent phishing attack, but the platform’s owner, Google, is not so sure Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Universities tempting targets for cyber criminals, warns NCSC

As hundreds of thousands of students prepare for the new academic year, universities have been warned that they are at high risk of cyber attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WannaCry variants accidentally protecting against WannaCry

New variants of the infamous WannaCry malware continue to emerge, and many of them have accidentally turned themselves into a somewhat effective, although ill-advised, vaccine against infection Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotet phishing botnet returns from summer vacation

The Emotet phishing trojan-turned-botnet is back in action after a three-and-a-half month break, say threat researchers Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ecuador citizens’ data breach holds lessons for enterprises

What caused the mass breach of Ecuadorian citizens’ data, and what can businesses learn from it? Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ensign InfoSecurity opens global headquarters in Singapore

The Singapore-based cyber security firm’s new headquarters will also be home to a new security operations centre that will be supported by Singapore-centric threat intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Ditch hoodies and hackers to encourage diverse security recruitment

The cyber security industry needs to address a systemic image problem if it is to succeed in recruiting more diverse teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

When AIs go to war: Autonomous cyber weapons ‘inevitable’

CISOs must start thinking about how to engage with intelligent, adaptive, non-human attackers, says Trend Micro’s Rik Ferguson Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government seeks views on post-Brexit security alignment

The government has called for views on its proposals to align the UK’s post-Brexit cyber security policy to that of the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mirai descendants dominate IoT threat environment

Attacks leveraging compromised IoT devices are growing in size, scale and frequency, report security experts at F-Secure and Trend Micro, with Mirai-related botnets a major source of trouble Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Equifax and Heartbleed are most-Googled cyber security terms

Analysis of 15 years’ worth of Google search data has revealed some insight into what cyber security trends are capturing the imagination Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic countries deepen collaboration with Estonia-based cyber security operation

Nordic countries are now working closer with Nato’s Estonia-based centre of excellence in cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O’Dwyer

UK calls for cyber capacity-building at UN security group

The UK’s representative to a United Nations cyber security working group has called for increased investment in capacity around cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: The case for blockchain-based identity

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

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• Richard Hunt, Turnkey Consulting

A tech boost for social care

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we explore how local authorities across the UK have been looking at assistive technologies, ranging from collaborative robots to voice assistants, to support delivery of adult social care services. We also look into the ramifications of HMRC targeting 1,500 GlaxoSmithKline IT contractors. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Ransomware has evolved into a serious enterprise threat

Ransomware has seen a resurgence since the start of 2019, with cyber criminals changing code and tactics to target enterprises and local authorities for higher ransom payments, McAfee researchers warn. Continue Reading

Social engineering a factor in virtually all cyber attacks, report claims

Almost every single cyber attack will, at some stage, require a human to be tricked into doing something, according to research by Proofpoint Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Too soon to dismiss blockchain in cyber security

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Australia government to chart 2020 cyber security strategy

Australia’s home affairs ministry has released a discussion paper to seek views from all segments of society on the country’s next cyber security blueprint Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Use blockchain for integrity and immutability checks

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• Eoin Keary

Singapore’s SecureAge eyes US market

The Singapore-based supplier of encryption and anti-malware tools has set up a new office in Greater Washington, DC as the next logical step in its global expansion plan Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security pros doubt officials can enact effective security laws

Elected officials cannot be trusted to enact effective cyber security legislation and social media firms should be subject to strict privacy regulation, according to most information security professionals in a survey Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Latest Facebook security lapse exposes millions to account hijack

18 million UK users are among the more than 400 million at risk of account hijacking after phone numbers linked to their Facebook accounts were found in an open online database Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Blockchain is not for everyone, so look carefully before you leap

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Check Point warns of Android phishing attacks

Researchers at Check Point have identified a security flaw in Android-based smartphones that exposes vulnerable users to phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Blockchain utility depends on business type and cost

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

TrickBot Trojan switches to stealthy Ostap downloader

Operators of the TrickBot banking Trojan have switched to a new downloader to evade detection and analysis for a high-volume malicious spam campaign targeting business, researchers warn Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals tap into web social engineering toolkit 

Security researchers have discovered a web social engineering toolkit that enables cyber criminals to create fake update notification campaigns  Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CISOs think cloud safer, but security fears remain

The majority of information security leaders think cloud is now safer than on-premise, but security fears remain, with recently breached and highly regulated organisations most concerned, poll reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

At least 47,000 servers vulnerable to remote attack

All organisations using Supermicro servers are being urged to update firmware to block remote attacks exploiting vulnerabilities in baseboard management controllers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Risk mitigation is key to blockchain becoming mainstream

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Yeomans, Information Security Forum

UK organisations join quantum comms pilot

Four UK companies are taking part in a pilot project to build the most secure communication infrastructure in Europe Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Blockchain – balance risk and opportunity for smart security

What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology? Continue Reading

By

• RV Raghu, ISACA

CISOs turn to AI, detection, response and education

Information security leaders are looking to artificial intelligence, better detection and response capabilities and user education in the face of cyber threats, but need more budget, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to mitigate IoT security risks to tap business benefits

Security concerns are preventing many businesses from adopting IoT-based technologies, but with a bit of planning, the business benefits can be realised by mitigating the risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Social media and enterprise apps pose big security risks

The lack of security policies in many business applications is putting enterprise data at risk and social media apps are the biggest source of malware, a poll of IT professionals reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

UK gets first millionaire ethical hacker

Six months after the first millionaire ethical hacker was announced, five more have been recognised, including a Briton, who have collectively discovered nearly 5,000 vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Finland’s security agencies collaborate after cyber attacks

National Bureau of Investigations and National Cyber Security Centre aim to increase expertise and capability to defend Finland’s critical IT infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Targeted cyber attacks, including ransomware, on the rise

Governments and healthcare institutions are prime targets of ransomware operators, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mitigating social engineering attacks with MFA

The growing frequency of social engineering attacks highlights the increasing need for organisations to take steps to mitigate the effects of phishing Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Most UK firms ignore security in tech investments

Less than a quarter of UK firms prioritise security when investing in new technology, despite the threat of cyber attacks and data protection regulations, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware has evolved into a serious enterprise threat

Ransomware has seen a resurgence since the start of 2019, with cyber criminals changing code and tactics to target enterprises and local authorities for higher ransom payments, McAfee researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employees, MSPs and developers top third-party risks

Employees, managed service providers and developers are the top sources of third-party risks in terms of data security, a survey reveals, highlighting the value of workplace monitoring Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

VMware’s latest acquisitions point to emerging platform war

VMware’s buyout of Carbon Black and Pivotal is a sign of an emerging platform war following the IBM-Red Hat deal Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How to bolster IAM strategies using automation

Identity and access management processes and technologies play an important role in security strategies, but organisations and IT professionals need to ensure these strategies are robust enough to deal with new threats Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Majority of organisations struggling with cloud security

The majority of organisations find securing the cloud difficult and more than a quarter feel the shared security responsibility model is unclear, according to a survey of information security professionals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Kaspersky eyes enterprise business, opens APAC transparency hub

The security firm wants to engage with enterprises and use its newly launched Malaysian Transparency Centre to burnish its credentials Continue Reading

By

• Edwin Yapp

Security pros reiterate warning against encryption backdoors

The majority of security professionals believe countries with government-mandated encryption backdoors are more susceptible to nation-state cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A helping hand from the Nordics in the eye of the GDPR storm

Nordic IT companies are well suited to supporting enterprises in their data protection projects, even though openness is more natural to them Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Tech firms join forces to boost cloud security

Top tech firms are to collaborate on open source technologies, tools, frameworks and standards that accelerate the adoption of confidential computing to boost security in cloud and edge computing Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: Copenhagen woos tech startups

Copenhagen offers all the advantages startups need to get off the ground and many are setting up with the intention of staying there for the long haul. Also read how shipping giant Maersk is employing a cloud-first strategy to disrupt competition and build innovation, and why three Finnish banks are sharing a core IT platform. Continue Reading

Cyber attackers exploiting poor cloud security

More than a third of organisations report a cyber attack on the cloud environment due to a lack of basic cloud security hygiene Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Healthcare faces triple cyber threat, says FireEye

Criminal and nation-state cyber attackers are increasingly targeting the healthcare industry to steal data, carry out espionage and cause disruption, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Silence APT group eyes APAC banks

Russian-speaking advanced persistent threat group has set its sights on banks in the region, customising its arsenal for targeted attacks Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Human error a big risk to ICS cyber security, study shows

Despite the rise in automation, industrial processes are at risk due to human error, a report on industrial cyber security reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Who will win the world’s biggest cloud contract?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the $10bn Pentagon cloud contract – codenamed JEDI – and ask why it is taking so long to choose a supplier. We discuss with IT chiefs how AI will transform technology leadership. And we look at how to improve your email security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Malware still top security threat, say infosec pros

Malware remains the top security threat to organisations, with ransomware still considered to be the top malware threat and lack of budget the biggest obstacle to defence, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei to US: Ban violates free market principles

Huawei has hit back at the US government’s latest moves to restrict its activities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Even fintech startups battling to meet cyber security challenges

A study shows that most fintech startups, like most banks, are failing to address vulnerabilities in the web and mobile applications, underlining the scale of the challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK financial account takeovers up, report warns

Commercial cyber criminal services are helping to drive up the number of account takeovers, a fraud report for the first half of the year shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Q2 shows ransomware proliferation, Kaspersky warns

Ransomware modifications have more than doubled in the past year, the number of ransomware families has grown, and the number of attempted infections is up nearly 50% Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US extends temporary stay on Huawei ban

American network operators given extra wiggle room to wean themselves off Huawei’s hardware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How EDR is moving beyond the endpoint

An emerging breed of detection and response offerings is going beyond endpoints to collect and decipher telemetry data from across the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Passwordless enterprise already possible, says RSA

The passwordless enterprise is getting easier to attain as the security industry gears up to support a passwordless future, says RSA’s identity chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New approach to risk management needed, says Gartner

Most third-party risks are discovered after the initial due diligence period, Gartner study shows, highlighting the need for a new approach to risk management and the importance of effective access controls Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

2019 set to be another record year for data breaches

The number of data breach incidents continues to rise and looks set to reach another record this year, with the business sector first in the firing line, according to a mid-year breach report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most UK financial firms hit by cyber attack in the past year

The majority of UK financial companies are failing to prevent cyber security incidents, mainly because of employees failing to follow security policies and a lack of security budget, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Formjacking dominates web-related data breaches

Formjacking has become one of the most popular data stealing methods, say researchers, who urge commercial websites to review all third-party coding practices without delay Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Data architecture and security must evolve in parallel

How can infosec pros and data architects work together to support business goals and achieve a good level of cyber security? Continue Reading

By

• Deshini Newman, (ISC)²