Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Cyber resilience lacking due to apathy of UK leaders

An unwillingness to accept that cyber is a real threat to critical national infrastructure by UK political and business leaders has resulted in a lack of resilience, says security industry veteran Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FCA deeply concerned as no end in sight for IT failures in banking

The FCA has reported a massive increase in the number of banking IT failures in the UK and admitted there is no end in sight Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

York teen crowned 2018 UK cyber security champion

Teenager beat off competition from 41 other cyber security enthusiasts from across the UK, and six from Singapore, in the UK Cyber Security Challenge final Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR is encouraging UK IT directors to pay cyber ransoms

As predicted ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation enforcement deadline, research shows that fear of fines under the new laws is making some firms more likely to pay cyber ransoms Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IBM pushes boundaries of AI, but insists companies take an ethical approach

Researchers at IBM are pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence and machine learning can do, but remain wary of the ethical implications that accompany the proliferation of this technology Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government lacks cyber resilience leadership, according to MPs

The government lacks political leadership and urgency in dealing with cyber threats, according to Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, calling for a minister in charge of delivering cyber resilience Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Credit card fraud in ANZ showing no signs of abating

The value of fraudulent transactions more than doubled that of legitimate purchases during the third quarter this year Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Three factors marginalising the CISO role

Chief information security officers are typically marginalised due to three factors, and de-coupling the technical and managerial aspects of the job will enable empowerment, says consultant Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms in the dark around the impact of cyber attacks

UK firms have a long way to go in building the business resilience required to withstand cyber threats and other major disruptions, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: Blockchain is no ‘magic wand’ for security

Blockchain is all the rage, although the technology is so much more than just about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. In this issue of CW ASEAN, we examine how blockchain is being applied in cyber security, and whether the technology is really as secure as claimed by its proponents. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Exploring blockchain

Blockchain technology has been in the news due to its ability to provide much better security, transparency and efficiency. In this issue of CW ANZ, we look at how enterprises in ANZ are using blockchain technology to improve security and efficiency, and what it takes to spur greater adoption among ANZ enterprises. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Enterprises lack capability against persistent cyber attacks

A report urges organisations to strengthen their cyber defence capabilities to pre-empt, detect and respond to post-breach attacks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI-enhanced security tools necessary for today’s threats

Machine learning-enhanced tools are necessary to keep up with current threats, but are not perfect and will not solve the security skills gap problem, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Zero-trust security not an off-the-shelf product

The zero-trust security model is a business enabler that needs to be supported by a strategy and security architecture, analyst warns cyber security leaders Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Prepare now for quantum computers, QKD and post-quantum encryption

The predicted processing power of quantum computers is likely to make existing encryption algorithms obsolete. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a possible solution - we investigate whether QKD is viable. Continue Reading

User behaviour analytics adding new insight

User behaviour analytics is helping to add new insights by providing the missing element in security event information management approaches, says Martin Kuppinger Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Office to use smartphone ID for EU Exit scheme

The Home Office will use smartphone digital identity verification to support applications for the government’s EU Exit Settlement Scheme   Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government considering dedicated internet regulator, says digital minister

An upcoming white paper is likely to set out proposals for an internet regulator, a House of Lords committee has been told Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Norway’s IT industry must tackle security vulnerabilities

Report reveals growing threat posed by “hostile foreign actors” against Norway’s IT systems and critical national infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Firms lack responsible exec for cyber security

Narrow gap between CEO, CIO and CISO roles means no single executive function is stepping up to take responsibility for cyber security, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GCHQ offers help to embryonic Irish cyber security organisation

Ciaran Martin head of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, builds bridges with the Republic of Ireland's intelligence community during an official visit to Dublin Continue Reading

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• Kevin Cahill

Post-quantum cryptography a major challenge, says expert

The crypto wars are just beginning and open systems are key to improved security in future, says cryptography expert Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Researcher urges IoT security legislation

Suppliers of internet connected devices are largely failing to improve the security of their products, exposing users to privacy risks, so there is no choice but to legislate in this area, says a researcher Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why the tech industry needs a moral compass

Technology has unintended consequences, says Martha Lane Fox – but technologists have an opportunity to make a difference Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Decentralised ID key to identity security

Enterprises need to step up protections around identity-related compromises and look to decentralised identity in the longer term to improve security, says computer scientist Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Top considerations to reduce application layer attacks

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

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• Tim Holman, 2-sec

Cyber security high on European Commission agenda

The European Commission is recognising the growing importance of cyber security to the digital economy and is increasing funding to support research, resilience and cooperation Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Making the UK the safest place to live and work online

Government, industry and individuals all have to play their part in enhancing cyber security practices Continue Reading

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• Cate Pye, EY

Security Think Tank: Gap, risk and business impact analysis key to application security

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Ramsés Gallego, Isaca

Security Think Tank: Three ways to safeguard against application layer vulnerabilities

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

DevSecOps not limited to coding, says analyst

DevSecOps is seen as a way of ensuring application security, but security leaders must understand that embedding a security culture and taking the inter-dependencies of new development frameworks into account is key, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Deploy multiple defence layers to protect data-rich applications

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

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• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Facebook to appeal EU-US data transfer ruling in Irish Supreme Court

Facebook will appeal a decision by the Irish High Court to refer questions over the legality of EU-US data transfers to the European Court of Justice in January, as the Dublin court rejects attempt by a UK IT expert to join the case Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government fails in first attempt to hire chief security officer

The government’s initial recruitment campaign for the UK’s "biggest and most important security job” has been unsuccessful, Cabinet Office admits Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Microsoft chief urges industry to focus on ethics and privacy

Businesses must focus on GDPR and ethical AI if they are to become software firms, says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: A three-pronged approach to application security

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Facebook emphasises security drive during third-quarter earnings call

Social media giant admits it has a lot of work to do to keep on top of security as it looks to extend payment option to Messenger Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Think Tank: Application layer attack mitigation needs to start with risk analysis

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

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• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Australia’s data breaches are a ‘sign of naiveté’

McAfee executive attributes Australia’s poor cloud security record to the lack of data protection measures amid “new and confusing” cloud configurations Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Aim for long-term customer identity relationship

Consumer identity management can deliver competitive advantage, but only if businesses follow some golden rules, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Defend application layer with good security hygiene

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

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• Mike Gillespie

Security Think Tank: Counter application layer attacks with automation

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

British Airways data breach worse than thought

British Airways has admitted that up to 185,000 more people than first thought may have had personal details compromised in August’s data breach Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DNS attacks cost finance firms millions of pounds a year

Average cost of recovering from a single DNS attack is $924,390 for a large financial services company, survey shows Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Focus on security before app deployment

What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Absalom, Information Security Forum

IoT ecosystem needs to be investigated, say experts

A conference of IoT experts convened by Enisa and Europol has made key recommendations to ensure security vulnerabilities do not overshadow benefits Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Trusted nodes: The next generation in quantum key distribution

QKD is a form of protection against interception by quantum computers, but cost and technical limitations have made the technology impractical. Could trusted nodes make all the difference? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Belgian startup makes a game of creating secure software code

A global tech startup has placed its research and development centre in Belgium, taking advantage of regional financial support as well as cooperations with local educational organisations Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

GandCrab decryption tool released by No More Ransom

Another decryption tool has been made available free of charge in the battle against ransomware to help victims avoid paying to release their data Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cathay Pacific under fire over breach affecting 9.4 million passengers

Hong Kong-based airline reveals massive data breach of the most sensitive personal data of passengers five months after loss was confirmed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Becrypt security platform helps ease cloud adoption

Becrypt’s secure operating system is driving a new service aimed at helping organisations reduce cost and increase agility in using cloud-based services and online applications Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Choose security tools wisely to gain upper hand

The cyber threat landscape is continually changing, but staying abreast of attacker and defender innovation can help business leaders gain the upper hand, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sibos 2018: ‘Black swan’ cyber event is inevitable

With security experts and bankers expecting a 9/11-style cyber event, deeper collaboration between companies and governments is necessary to identify emerging threats before they occur Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Yahoo to pay at least $85m for data breach settlement

Yahoo has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit on behalf of 200 million consumers affected by a data breach in 2013 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Steve Grobman, McAfee CTO shares his views on some burning security questions

Cyber security technology innovator and veteran Steve Grobman shares his views on adversarial artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and security for next-gen tech Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee CTO raises concerns about election cyber security

The security industry needs to look at the security of election processes around the world as well as the security of voting and counting machines, says McAfee CTO Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Kaspersky advances plans to encourage women into cyber

Cyber security provider Kaspersky Lab has partnered with several other organisations to try to encourage more women into cyber Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

McAfee combining threat intel with AI

Simulations show that threat intelligence and artificial intelligence is a powerful combination, according to McAfee’s technology head Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Learn lessons from attacks, says McAfee investigations chief

Organisations should use every cyber attack as an opportunity to learn, identify weaknesses and improve security posture, according to McAfee’s head of cyber investigations Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee researchers uncover ‘significant’ espionage campaign

Researchers discover campaign targeting South Korea, the US and Canada with links to eight-year-old source code from a threat group that has been dormant for five years Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Time to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee CEO Chris Young

Convergence of threats and technologies and an increasingly complex regulatory environment are driving the need to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee chief Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

APAC security spending tipped to reach new highs

Security services will be the largest and fastest-growing slice of the overall security pie in the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Detail of Dutch reaction to Russian cyber attack made public deliberately

Four Russian intelligence officials were expelled from the Netherlands after an attempted hack on the global chemical weapons watchdog. The Dutch government has been open about the detail. Continue Reading

Drilling into AI at Shell

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how oil giant Shell is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to boost workforce safety and productivity. We analyse the attempted Russian cyber attack revealed by the Dutch government. And we look at how blockchain is being used in the food and drink industry to improve supply chain management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Zero-trust security model gaining traction

The zero-trust model of security is finally gaining traction as security professionals tap into new tools and executive buy-in to support this approach in an effort to improve security posture and practices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK faces 10 cyber attacks a week as hostile states step up hacking, says NCSC

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has thwarted more than 1,600 attacks over the past two years – many by hostile nation states Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cost of WannaCry attack to NHS set at £92m

Department for Health and Social Care estimates the immediate cost of the May 2017 WannaCry attack on the NHS was £92m, and says it will have spent about £275m on improvements to its cyber security infrastructure by the end of 2021 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IoT firms sign up to UK security code of practice

Internet of things technology firms have begun signing up to a UK code of practice to strengthen the security of internet-connected devices. The code is expected to form the basis of an international standard Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple challenges Australia’s proposed decryption law

Tech giant Apple argued that the lack of judicial oversight could reduce customer trust and security, among other reservations over Australia’s draft decryption legislation Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

FS-ISAC awards cyber security scholarships in Europe

Five women have been awarded cyber security scholarships at FS-ISAC’s 2018 EMEA Summit Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Some 10% of user-reported emails malicious

On average, 1 in 10 user-reported emails is identified as malicious, and more than half can be tied to credential phishing, a Cofense report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Crypto-mining malware poses as Flash updates

Cryptocurrency mining malware is posing as Flash updates that appear to be legitimate, Palo Alto Networks security researchers warn Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RATs and Mimikatz among top publicly available hacking tools

Remote access Trojans (RATs), web shells and Mimikatz among the top publicly available tools that are used in cyber attacks around the world, a five-nation cyber intelligence report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nato to be fully operational in cyber space by 2023

Nato is aiming to achieve full operational readiness in cyber space within five years Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MEPs urge Facebook to roll out election fraud prevention measures

Facebook is coming under pressure from European lawmakers to do more to prevent its user data from being misappropriated during elections Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Optus to acquire Hivint in cyber security deal

The deal is expected to bolster the telco’s security pedigree in a market that is grappling with more data breaches and cyber incidents Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Detail of Dutch reaction to Russian cyber attack made public deliberately

Four Russian intelligence officials were expelled from the Netherlands after an attempted hack on the global chemical weapons watchdog. The Dutch government has been open about the detail Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Bug bounties not a silver bullet, Katie Moussouris warns

Targeted bug bounties have a role to play in cyber security, but they are not a "silver bullet", and run the risk of wiping out talent pipelines if poorly implemented, warns bug bounty pioneer Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC head says attribution of GRU attacks important

The head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has described the attribution of a wave of cyber attacks to Russia’s military intelligence service as “historically important” at a conference in Poland Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Monitoring key to outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based, and how can an organisation test if its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Ramsés Gallego, Isaca

Cooperation vital in cyber security, says former Estonian minister

States acting alone cannot be efficient in cyber security and need to cooperate with others to build trust, says a former foreign minister of Estonia Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC head calls for technocratic partnership to fix cyber risks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is appealing for collaboration with the technology industry to remedy key vulnerabilities in current IT Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Airbus secures European institutions against cyber threat

Airbus CyberSecurity has partnered with Atos to help protect 17 European government institutes from cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: Enable outcomes-based security in software development

What is the first step towards moving from a tick box approach to security to one that is outcomes based, and how can an organisation test if its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Google Safety Center goes live in the UK

Google says its commitment to transparency is as strong as ever as its new Safety Center goes live in the UK to help keep businesses and consumers safe online Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Security Think Tank: C-suite needs to drive outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Security Serious Unsung Heroes announced

Awards celebrate the people of the cyber security industry on the front lines of organisations battling cyber threats Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How does stegware malware exploit steganography techniques?

Researchers at the 2018 RSA Conference discussed the increasing availability of malware that uses steganography, dubbed stegware. Discover how this works with expert Nick Lewis. Continue Reading

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• Nick Lewis

Security Think Tank: Use Cyber Essentials to kick-start outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Business email compromise made easy for cyber criminals

Poor security practices and access to hacking services are making it easy for cyber criminals to compromise business email, research reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apps are gateway to business data for cyber attackers

Application security is becoming increasingly important because apps are often the main way cyber attackers are getting into corporate networks, a threat researcher warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK and allies accuse Russia of cyber attack campaign

The UK National Cyber Security Centre has identified a campaign by the Russian military intelligence service of “indiscriminate and reckless” cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How Starbucks is using Splunk to automate mundane security tasks

Coffee giant Starbucks is using Splunk to automate some of its more tedious security tasks to reduce the workload for its cyber staff Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Companies failing to recognise the internal cyber threat

The focus at many companies is on external cyber threats, and internal threats are being overlooked as a consequence, a researcher warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Majority of businesses believe they are open to cyber attack

More than two-thirds of businesses believe their network is open to attack, a report on the state of web application security reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Rise in data-stealing Betabot malware

Researchers are warning about an increase in Betabot malware after detecting multiple infections in recent weeks, underlining the importance of software patching Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI full of possibilities with the right tools and understanding

Artificial intelligence has the potential to assist in the analysis of data in a range of topics, but businesses need to understand its limitations and have the right tools to get the most benefit, says a Swiss entrepreneur Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Shift to outcomes-based security by focusing on business needs

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

How Bank of England is using Splunk for proactive security

Head of the Bank of England’s security operations centre talks about how Splunk is helping it to take a more proactive approach to preventing cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor