Hackers and cybercrime prevention

DDoS on the rise, warns Kaspersky

Security researchers at Kaspersky are among those warning business that, more than ever, mitigation of distributed denial of service attacks needs to be a key element of cyber defence strategies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: CIA at heart of infosec-data architect partnership

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

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Most UK university applicants at risk of email fraud

The majority of hundreds of thousands of applicants to UK universities are at risk of email fraud before and after A-level results day, due to a failure to implement full Dmarc protection, a study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Developing innovative security analytics approaches in the digital age

With security threats growing in scale and complexity, security analytics provide a way for IT teams to stay one step ahead of cyber attackers. The challenge is to ensure this technology continues to be effective in the face of new security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Would you trust a criminal with your cyber security?

Several industry sectors have set a good example by hiring ex-offenders, and the cyber security industry could benefit in similar ways by looking at members of the hacker community Continue Reading

By

• Ian Glover, CREST

Lack of resources top challenge to IT security

A lack of resources is the top challenge to information security professionals, followed by a lack of experience and skills, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government continues probe of UK cyber security labour market

The government has announced a second phase of research to help understand the UK's cyber security labour market Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control system cyber security risk high, report warns

The industrial control system cyber risk to global oil and gas companies is high and rising, as new attack groups continue to enter the arena Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Leaked Sephora databases peddled on dark web

Cyber security firm finds two databases likely to be related to the Sephora data breach that affected online customers in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Cisco pays $8.6m after whistleblower discloses security flaws in video surveillance system

James Glenn, a video surveillance expert working for a Cisco reseller in Denmark, alerted Cisco to security faults and stands to gain a share of a multimillion-dollar settlement with the US government Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Financial services top cyber attack target

Financial services are among the most attractive targets for cyber attackers, security researchers reveal, with phishing and credential stuffing among the top threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobiles top target of nation state surveillance

Nation states are targeting individual mobile users for intelligence gathering and disruption of rivals as security on mobile devices lags behind traditional computing, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei ‘galvanised’ by Trump ban

Huawei has found itself caught in the crossfire of the US president’s trade war with China, but chairman Liang Hua says the firm is rising to the challenge Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Former AWS engineer arrested for Capital One data breach

Capital One announces data breach affecting more than 100 million customers as US federal authorities arrest a Seattle woman formerly employed by Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Visa card vulnerabilities enable contactless limit bypass

Security researchers have discovered vulnerabilities on Visa cards that could be exploited to bypass contactless payment limits and result in huge losses Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Space – the new frontier in cyber security

50 years after the Moon landings, our growing reliance on satellite communications presents a new target for malicious cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Elliot Rose

WannaCry hero Marcus Hutchins spared jail

British security researcher who helped halt the global WannaCry ransomware attack that hit the NHS in 2017 has avoided jail in the US for creating other malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber kill chain is outdated, says Carbon Black

The chief cyber security officer of Carbon Black calls for a new cognitive paradigm to fend off cyber adversaries that are now attacking in cycles Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Email security as important as ever, report shows

Cyber security professionals need to keep up to date with email-borne threats because they continue to evolve and have a major impact on business, research reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

86 million reasons to support No More Ransom

Anti-ransomware cross-industry initiative says it has prevented more than £86m in ransom payments as it marks its third anniversary, which coincides with a resurgence in ransomware in many parts of the world Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

F-Secure talks up threat-hunting to stay ahead of cyber attacks in APAC

Cyber security firm calls for organisations to double up on threat-hunting now that nearly all attack and reconnaissance traffic is automated Continue Reading

By

• Avanti Kumar

Mobile banking malware surges in 2019

Mobile banking malware surged in the first half of the year, email scams geared up and attacks on cloud increased, while illicit cryptocurrency miners declined, report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most SMEs severely underestimate cyber security vulnerabilities

Small businesses are the primary target for cyber attacks, yet most are unprepared and do not think they will be targeted, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet crime costs global economy £2.3m a minute

Cyber crime cost the global economy £2.3m every minute in 2018, reveals a report aimed at defining the scale of cyber attacks taking place over the internet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global malware down but ransomware up, with UK hard hit

Despite a global decrease in the volume of malware in the past year, ransomware is surging once again, and the UK is one of the worst-hit countries, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI to advance Swedish military systems

Swedish report into use of artificial intelligence in military systems reveals opportunities and concerns Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Phishing attack highlights cyber security need at universities

UK university cyber security is once again under the spotlight after Lancaster University reveals that it has been targeted by a phishing attack used to send fake invoices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norsk Hydro cyber attack could cost up to $75m

March 2019 ransomware attack could cost Norwegian aluminium giant up to $75m in the first half of the year, according to latest estimates Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data breach costs on the rise, IBM study shows

Data breach costs have risen in the past decade, and the financial impact can be felt for years. Breaches posing a growing risk for small businesses, a study shows, underlining the importance of incident response Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government delays final decision on Huawei

Culture secretary says he cannot yet make specific decisions about Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s telecoms and mobile networks due to a lack of clarity from the US, effectively green-lighting its use Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft talks up benefits and pitfalls of machine learning in security

Software giant Microsoft uses machine learning models to detect emerging threats while keeping an eye on potential bias in security data points that could derail its analysis Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

US fines Equifax $700m over 2017 breach

Global settlement with US authorities follows systems breach that saw more than 140 million customer records stolen Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Big tech firms back UK cyber security initiative

Big technology firms have pledged their support for UK investment in an initiative to “design out” of new tech the most damaging cyber security threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Latest ICO fine highlights privacy due diligence

A week after issuing the first serious GDPR fines, the ICO has further underlined the importance of data stewardship and due diligence regarding privacy practices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Second CyberThreat Summit announced by NCSC and SANS Institute

CyberThreat 2019 aims to bring together a more diverse set of technical professionals in cyber security from the private and public sectors in the UK and abroad to encourage collaboration Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Warzone bulletproof hosts protecting Magecart group

Security researchers have discovered a Magecart group operating with impunity using bulletproof hosting services, including one in battle-scarred Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How IT pros are building resilience against email security threats

For most people, emails are an easy and harmless way to communicate in the workplace, but they could also be a security disaster waiting to happen Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

How ASEAN firms are using AI to combat cyber threats

Artificial intelligence tools are becoming a vital part of the security arsenal for organisations and cyber criminals alike. Continue Reading

CW ASEAN: Trend Watch – Security

Artificial intelligence tools are becoming a vital part of the security arsenal for organizations and cyber criminals alike. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how ASEAN firms are using AI to combat cyber threats and experts discuss the latest smart cyber security tools. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Trend Watch – Security

With regulations pushing data protection up the business agenda, we look at how Australia’s Notifiable Data Breaches scheme has been received and consider why a survey that found Australian firms are experiencing fewer cyber breach incidents appears to conflict with anecdotal evidence that suggests the opposite. Continue Reading

UK poor cyber security practice undermining controls

UK firms investing in the latest cyber security products and services risk this being undermined by poor security practices, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lateral phishing used to attack organisations on global scale

Lateral phishing is a growing type of account takeover that has enabled attackers to target more than 100,000 people by hijacking just 154 email accounts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most security pros still concerned about public cloud security

Despite accelerated adoption of public cloud services by companies keen to benefit from increased efficiency, scalability and agility, most security professionals have reservations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Suspected malicious MS Office tool maker arrested

Dutch police have arrested a man suspected of producing and selling toolkits to create malicious Microsoft Office documents Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Vulnerable firmware in enterprise server supply chain

Researchers are warning of vulnerabilities in firmware from a third-party supplier that put some servers from Lenovo, Gigabyte and six other manufacturers at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC calls out Microsoft over Dmarc reports

The UK’s cyber security agency has called out Microsoft for seriously undermining global email security by failing to provide crucial reports from its email platforms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital safety skills initiative launched against cyber crime

Security industry partners have launched an initiative aimed at raising individuals’ digital safety skills to enable them to protect themselves and their families from most common cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UN resolution ignores special rapporteur’s call for halt to spyware sales

UN’s Human Rights Council adopts resolution to explore the impact of new and emerging digital technologies on human rights, but the text ignores a damning report by the council’s own expert on freedom of expression Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NCSC reports on second year of cyber defence at scale

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre releases a report on the second year of its Active Cyber Defence programme to demonstrate its effects in the public sector and wider UK cyber ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Organisations turn to AI in race against cyber attackers

Businesses are racing to automate their defences as hackers and nation states launch increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK public sector needs to prioritise mobile device security

Only 10% of public service stolen and lost mobile are recovered, underlining the need for mobile-centric, zero-trust model to reduce the risk, says MobileIron Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK boards ignoring £30bn cyber risk

Despite the danger posed by cyber attacks to mid-sized companies, boards are not prepared to manage the risk and firms are over-confident in their cyber capabilities, report finds Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Don’t dismiss the business benefits of GDPR

What strategies can infosec pros use to shift focus from GDPR fines to enabling business gains and success, changing the way data is used, and aligning data privacy with business purpose? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Hunt, Turnkey Consulting

New FinSpy versions extend surveillance capabilities

New versions of the FinSpy malware for iOS and Android smartphones have extended targeted surveillance capabilities, warn security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Windows 10 to enable passwordless sign-in

Windows 10 users will soon be able to sign in to devices without using a password to encourage the use of two-factor authentication methods to improve security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Attacks against AI systems are a growing concern

European research group says attacks against AI systems are already occurring, difficult to identify, and could be far more common than currently understood Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RiskIQ uncovers new Magecart campaign

A fresh Magecart campaign is breaching websites on a massive scale using indiscriminate attacks exploiting misconfigured Amazon S3 buckets, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Align compliance objectives with business goals

What strategies can information security professionals use to shift focus from GDPR fines to enabling business gains and success, changing the way data is used, and aligning data privacy with business purpose? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Agent Smith mobile malware hits millions of devices

New mobile malware that exploits Android vulnerabilities has infected millions of devices, security researchers have discovered Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Changing the GDPR focus to business benefit

What strategies can information security professionals use to shift focus from General Data Protection Regulation fines to enabling business gains and success, changing the way data is used, and aligning data privacy with business purpose? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Demand for ICO help escalates in GDPR's first year

The past year has seen increased demand across all support services offered by the UK’s privacy watchdog as new data protection laws went into force Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Benefits of GDPR compliance

What strategies can information security professionals use to shift focus from General Data Protection Regulation fines to enabling business gains and success, changing the way data is used, and aligning data privacy with business purpose? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Nearly half of firms fear cloud apps make them insecure

Survey shows more than one-third of global companies appoint a CISO in the face of data breaches, and the UK is giving CISOs more power despite making fewer appointments Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TfL launches wireless device tracking to gather Tube data

Transport for London aims to use passenger movement data to make using the London Underground a more pleasant experience Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Airways facing £183m GDPR fine

British Airways is to appeal against a record fine for infringement of data protection rules for a breach of customer data in 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IISP gains Royal Charter status

The UK finally has its first national professional body for cyber security that will be responsible for setting the standards for skills and knowledge in the industry to reduce the skills gap and increase diversity Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

St John Ambulance praised for response to ransomware attack

Charity’s response to ransomware attack demonstrates that it is possible to ensure minimal disruption if properly prepared Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security and privacy key to smart buildings and cities

Security and privacy capabilities are essential for stakeholders if they are to realise the benefits of smart buildings and cities, says expert whitepaper Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FireEye ties Microsoft Outlook exploit to Iranian hackers

US Cyber Command has issued a warning that a patched Microsoft Outlook vulnerability is being exploited by unnamed threat actors, and recommended immediate patching Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Email still top security vulnerability, survey shows

Email is still the top security vulnerability, a survey shows, but security researchers caution that switching to instant messaging is not necessarily a solution in the longer term Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

APAC experts weigh in on cyber security trends

The onslaught of cyber attacks being reported each day has been a wake-up call, but experts say businesses need to be mindful of the limitations of certain security measures Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Sodin ransomware exploiting Windows zero-day, Kaspersky warns

Security researchers are warning that a recently discovered type of ransomware is now exploiting a zero-day Windows vulnerability, and does not require user interaction to trigger an infection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top VPNs secretly owned by Chinese firms

Nearly a third of top VPNs are secretly owned by Chinese companies, while other owners are based in countries with weak or no privacy laws, potentially putting users at risk, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sweden’s Protective Security Act targets cyber risks

IT suppliers must comply with tighter cyber security requirements, but are being offered help from government agencies Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Orvibo data leak puts security spotlight on IoT back end

The security of devices that make up the internet of things (IoT) is a top concern for many in the industry, but leaks from an IoT database highlights the importance of back-end security too Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Perfect storm for data science in security

After nearly 20 years of research, the perfect storm of computing technologies is finally enabling data science to realise its potential to make valuable contributions to improving cyber security capabilities Continue Reading

The UK manufacturing sector needs a digital upgrade

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK manufacturing sector is lagging behind on digital technology – we examine the challenges for the industry in becoming a global leader. Our buyer’s guide looks at enterprise social media and collaboration tools. And we find out how data science is helping to boost cyber security strategies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Singapore to beef up police tech capabilities

Singapore government singles out biometrics, data analytics and digital forensics as promising areas to boost crime-fighting efforts Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Few UK firms are cyber insured despite financial losses

More than one-fifth of UK firms have been impacted financially by cyber attacks, yet potentially more than three-quarters of companies polled have never been insured for cyber-related losses Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Symantec gearing up for future cyber security

Symantec is focusing on enabling businesses to secure data in the cloud after a string of acquisitions, but it also has its eye on the future, which will be all about empowering people, says CTO Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huge jump in cyber incidents reported by finance sector

The number of cyber incidents reported by financial services firms increased nearly 12-fold in 2018 from 2017, mainly due to third-party failures, highlighting several key areas that need improvement Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TIN coalition calls for industry action against cyber fraud

An industry group aimed at improving cyber security by tackling enduring challenges has called for collaboration in the fight against cyber fraud Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber crime reporting crucial, say UK police

UK police are gearing up to make it easier for business to report cyber crime, saying that under-reporting continues to be a challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch bank and researchers begin defence against quantum computing’s dark side

ABN Amro is working with QuTech to ensure that banks can protect data against quantum computers in the future Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fido Alliance announces new standards

Fido Alliance announces new identity verification and IoT initiatives to expand the reach and impact of Fido authentication, which seeks to eliminate the world’s dependence on password-based security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Commercial interests put customer security at risk, survey shows

Firms are bypassing security to push products and services into the market, increasing security risks for the organisation and its customers, a poll of information security professionals shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Wider threat campaign behind Wipro breach

A sophisticated, far-ranging threat campaign was behind the breach at Indian IT services firm Wipro in April, which was not an isolated incident, RiskIQ report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Six arrested over €24m cryptocurrency theft

Police have arrested six people in the UK and the Netherlands in connection with the theft of cryptocurrency worth €24m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore government forms digital industry office

New office will help local tech firms grow their regional footprint and build new capabilities in order to thrive in APAC’s booming digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How facial recognition technology threatens basic privacy rights

As adoption of facial recognition systems continues to grow worldwide, there is increasing concern that this technology could undermine fundamental privacy rights and how it can be kept in check Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

UK cyber security progress stalled, says report

UK firms rank cyber attacks as a top business issue, but are stalling in cyber security best practice, lagging behind top performers in India Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

APT attack on telcos highlights need for comprehensive defence

A global cyber attack against multiple telecommunications firms underlines need for comprehensive approach to cyber defence, say researchers and industry commentators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Airbus opens cyber innovation hub in Wales

Newport hub will focus on industrial control systems, artificial intelligence and data analytics Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attackers using wider range of threats

Businesses need to ensure they are able to defend against a wide range of threats in the face of increased malicious Office documents, Mac malware and web application exploits, report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms downloading vulnerable open source software

Vulnerable open source software components are posing a security threat to UK firms, according to a report that also shows how best practice, including automation, can reduce the risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hospitality industry at highest risk of phishing

Benchmarking report shows average phish-prone percentage across all industries and sizes of organisations at 29.6% – up 2.6% since 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK takes world lead in surveillance camera security

Although the UK is sometimes referred to as “the most surveilled country” in the world, it has taken the lead in setting minimum security requirements for surveillance cameras. But how will this make a difference internationally? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nominations open for UK’s security unsung heroes

The Security Serious cyber awareness campaign has opened nominations for the fourth annual cyber security Unsung Heroes awards Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Parents don’t know enough about cyber careers

Research by the SANS Institute finds that while parents are aware of cyber security, they don’t know enough to encourage their children into cyber roles Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Small business not necessarily weakest security link

Small businesses may not be the weakest link in the supply chain after all, with a lack of skills and best practices being bigger factors, a study by (ISC)² reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst