Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Encryption hiding malware in half of cyber attacks

Cyber attackers are using encryption to hide malicious activity, making it increasingly difficult to find as more organisations turn to encryption to protect data, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Get protected: The importance of security

It is not uncommon for computer systems to be compromised by a company’s own employees. In this week’s issue we look at the Sage data breach, which highlights the risk every organisation faces from its staff. Staff are often motivated by revenge, but sometimes internal logins can be compromised, enabling hackers to circumvent firewalls. Our CIO interview is TalkTalk’s CTO, Gary Steen, and we have a report from the Intel Developer Forum on the chipmaker’s future plans. Continue Reading

French submarine maker data breach highlights challenges of IP security

French naval contractor data breach proves that protecting intellectual property is challenging, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK second only to US in DDoS attacks

Distributed denial of service attacks on UK organisations have eased from a peak in the fourth quarter of 2015, but the UK remains the world’s second most targeted country Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Expect ransomware arrests soon, says bitcoin tracking firm Chainalysis

Law enforcement organisations are set to ramp up arrests of cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks, according to financial technology startup Chainalysis Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police arrest woman in connection with Sage data breach

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with a data breach at accounting software firm Sage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Benelux: Painting by numbers

In this issue of CW Benelux, we describe how data scientists in the Netherlands have applied technology to art. The Dutch are renowned for being creative with technology and the country has a deep history in art, boasting some of the most celebrated painters. It is therefore apt that the combined tech brains of ING, Microsoft, the Technical University of Delft and other contributors have created The Next Rembrandt, which serves as a visual showcase for big data. The new portrait in the style of Rembrandt van Rijn was put together by a combination of big data technology and 3D printing. All of Rembrandt’s 346 paintings were analysed using data analytics, making it possible to create a seemingly genuine Rembrandt image, while a 3D printer made accurate emulation of his paint patterns and textures a reality. Also in the Netherlands, we feature a case study about how The Hague is solving a bike parking headache with a mobile app. Continue Reading

Cerber ransomware service reaps $195,000 profit in a month

Franchises such as Cerber are making highly profitable ransomware available to a broader range of cyber criminals, according to a report by security firm Check Point Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Financial sector faces era of cyber mega heists

Banks and other financial institutions are threatened by a new breed of elite cyber criminals running professional operations that will use any means to achieve their goals, says Barclays security chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sage data breach underlines insider threat

Organisations need to take insider threats more seriously say security experts, as Sage warns that a data breach using an internal log-in may have compromised employee data at nearly 300 UK firms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PwC Australia uses gamification to teach cyber security lessons

With the number of cyber incidents identified by Australian organisations more than doubling in the past year, PwC is using an online game to give enterprises first-hand experience of what it means to face a cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Strider cyber attack group deploying malware for espionage

Symantec security researchers have uncovered a spying campaign by a previously unknown group using modular malware as stealthware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Banner Health cyber breach underlines need for faster intrusion detection

A data breach at Banner Health has highlighted the importance of intrusion detection and prompted calls for greater cyber security investment in the increasingly targeted healthcare industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Artificial intelligence takes centre stage in cyber security

Artificial intelligence-led cyber security technology has been in the spotlight at two major industry conferences in Las Vegas, signalling a firm trend in cyber defence research Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Italian-based Android RAT spies on mobiles in Japan and China, say researchers

Researchers discover an Italian-based Android RAT designed for spying that is targeting mobile devices using their unique identification codes Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

One in five businesses hit by ransomware are forced to close, study shows

More than half of UK companies have been hit by ransomware in the past year, a study on the impacts of this popular attack method has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Barclays to use voice recognition for phone banking

Retail bank says technology will provide secure verification by recognising the unique characteristics of each person’s voice Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Six essential processes for keeping data secure

Data security is increasingly vital for organisations as the countdown begins for compliance with new rules imposed by the EU’s general data protection regulation Continue Reading

By

• Christine Andrews

UK education system failing to support cyber security profession

Countries and companies must act quickly to address the cyber security skills shortage through improvements in education, workforce diversity, training opportunities, security technology and data collection, a report says Continue Reading

Security industry welcomes cyber crime’s inclusion in official stats

The security industry welcomes the inclusion of cyber crime statistic in official crime reports to highlight the size and nature of the threat Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobile payments get Isaca’s security approval

Mobile contactless payments enable three key security controls that make them more secure than physical and e-commerce payments, according to a report by Isaca Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Carbon Black bets on next-generation antivirus

Carbon Black is betting on next-generation antivirus technology by acquiring Confer to extend the capability and appeal of its endpoint protection offerings Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Rémy Cointreau boosts security and productivity

Drinks firm Rémy Cointreau uses Centrify’s identity and mobile management to simplify security, improve business agility and reduce IT costs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

French public sector’s never-ending struggle with the cloud

The French government has more hurdles to overcome than many of its European neighbours when it comes to adopting cloud computing services Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Cyber attacks cost UK business more than £34bn a year, study shows

Nearly half of UK firms lack advanced cyber defences, despite the high level of concern about cyber attacks and associated costs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cost-effective managed IPS for small businesses

Small businesses typically struggle to afford cyber intrusion prevention systems, but the introduction of a service tailored for this market could change that Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

IBM sets up security centre in Canberra

IBM leads the charge as large private businesses invest heavily in security resources across Australia in an attempt to close the security gap Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Datadog calls for password reset after cyber breach

Monitoring and analytics firm detected unauthorised activity associated with production servers and database of user credentials Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: July 2016

Lessons from the Philippine government hack: In this issue we ask why a hack on the Philippine Commission on the Elections (Comelec) was allowed to happen and what organisations in Southeast Asia can learn from this breach of security. Retailers in the region are concerned – read how the theft of customer data is their biggest worry. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: July 2016

Australia knows it has a cyber security problem, but not the scale. In this month’s CW ANZ we describe how Australia's $230m security strategy serves as a wake-up call to enterprises. We also reveal the techniques and technologies being used to protect one Australian school, as well as a more general look at the main cyber threats to orgainsations in Australia. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The problem of passwords and how to deal with it

Security experts have long recognised passwords as inadequate, but finally technology is offering some viable alternative authentication methods that businesses can explore to keep their data safe Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Business has critical role in fighting cyber crime, says report

The National Crime Agency is calling for a stronger collaboration between business and law enforcement to fight cyber crime in the light of a report produced with private sector partners Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK's Darktrace aims to lead the way to automatic cyber security

Darktrace hopes to be a leader in the move to automated cyber security to free up security professionals to focus on business risk and innovation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

LizardStresser IoT botnet launches 400Gbps DDoS attack

Attack groups using the LizardStresser botnet are exploiting IoT devices to mount massive DDoS attacks without using amplification techniques, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lauri Love using illness as a shield against extradition, claims prosecution

Prosecution lawyer questions whether activist Lauri Love is not fit enough to stand trial in the US over hacking charges,as expert witnesses warn that US prisons are ill-equipped for people with mental health problems. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Fiona O'Cleirigh

Most cyber security strategies ignore the way attackers really work

Cyber attackers use more legitimate software than malware, which means most organisations are incapable of detecting much of the malicious activity in their networks, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lauri Love may be faking mental illness claims lawyer for US

Prosecution lawyer Peter Caldwell questions whether activist Lauri Love is exaggerating mental health problems to avoid extradition to face hacking charges in the US Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O’Cleirigh and Bill Goodwin

Lauri Love suicide risk if extradited to US over hacking allegations

Westminster Magistrates’ Court hears evidence from medical experts that alleged hacker Lauri Love is at risk of suicide if extradited to the US Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Fiona O'Cleirigh

Cyber security industry mostly welcomes report on TalkTalk breach

Most of the recommendations of a government committee inquiry into the TalkTalk breach have been welcomed, but pundits have expressed reservations about some, particularly proposed new fines Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lower average cost of Australian data breaches is not a sign of comfort

The average cost of a data breach to Australian organisations dropped in 2015, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

The password’s the problem – lessons from the LinkedIn breach

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after millions of LinkedIn users had their data compromised, we look at the lessons to be learned from this latest data breach incident. Our buyer’s guide looks at NoSQL technologies and compares the offerings from database leaders Microsoft and Oracle. And we examine the benefits of cloud-based data analytics and how to make it work for your organisation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

EU firms slow in detecting cyber attacks, study shows

European firms take an average of 469 days to discover a compromise, compared with an average of 146 days globally, according to Mandiant Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Philippines government data breach is a warning to Asean region

Security is a rising concern in the Asean region, with fears fuelled by incidents such as the recent hacking incident in Manila Continue Reading

By

• Zafar Anjum

IoT security: Lack of expertise will hurt, says Bruce Schneier

Government action at national and international levels is essential for addressing IoT security issues, but the relevant expertise is lacking, according to security expert Bruce Schneier Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Small businesses bearing the brunt of cyber crime, says FSB

The Federation of Small Businesses is calling for more government support for its members in defending against cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet traffic to triple by 2020, says Cisco

The latest edition of Cisco’s Visual Networking Index predicts a near tripling of internet traffic during the coming years as more than a billion people come online Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Millions of sensitive IT services exposed to the internet, study finds

Encryption should become the default as study reveals millions of sensitive services are exposed to the internet, says Rapid7 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Human error causes more data loss than malicious attacks

Stupid humans, you are the weakest link, at least according to the ICO Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

MPs’ private emails are routinely accessed by GCHQ

Computer Weekly investigation reveals the extent of interception of MPs’ and peers’ email communications and data Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell and Bill Goodwin

BSA warns of malware risk from unlicensed software

While piracy rates are declining, unauthorised software poses a big security risk, says the Business Software Alliance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK government details plans for National Cyber Security Centre

The objectives of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre are to address systemic vulnerabilities, reduce risks, respond to serious incidents and nurture national cyber security capability Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A new wave of cyber attacks targets the Middle East’s banks

Hot on the heels of the Qatar National Bank breach comes a campaign employing advanced social engineering techniques Continue Reading

By

• Tom Paye

Network Collapse: Why the internet is flirting with disaster

It’s surprising the internet works at all, given the age of its core software. The question is, can we catch it before it falls over? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK government announces CyberFirst bursary scheme

GCHQ will partner with other government departments and private industry to offer students a comprehensive package of financial assistance and cyber skills Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS data security standards to be designed around technology, people and processes

The Care Quality Commission’s delayed review of NHS data security standards will encourage NHS organisations to have senior information risk owners and Caldicott Guardians at board level Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Benelux: May-July 2016

Welcome to the Computer Weekly ezine focused on the Benelux region. This quarterly publication will look at the issues facing CIOs in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. Continue Reading

Lessons from LinkedIn data breach revelations

There are several important lessons to be learned from revelations about LinkedIn's 2012 data breach, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber espionage campaign targets Ukraine separatists

Security researchers discover a surveillance operation against separatists in Eastern Ukraine using spear phishing attacks to spread previously unknown malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police set for better engagement with UK tech firms

The policing lead for digital investigation and intelligence says new structures will improve engagement and collaboration between the UK tech industry and police forces Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Countdown begins to new EU data protection rules

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with the new EU data protection rules ready to become law, firms now have just two years to prepare for the stringent regulations – we assess the challenges. Manufacturing giant Rolls-Royce talks about why it moved its HR systems to the cloud and the lessons it learned. And we look back at 50 years of technology innovation in storage. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Time to shift information security focus away from prevention, says Swiss bank CISO

Organisations need a new approach which recognises security is “breakable”, according to Michael Meli Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Swift reports another Bangladesh central bank-style cyber attack

Global financial messaging organisation Swift warns of a highly adaptive cyber criminal campaign targeting banks with user credentials to submit transfer requests Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IAM central to Deutsche Bank’s digital transformation

Deutsche Bank is using a centralised identity and access management (IAM) system and an application program interface (API) architecture for digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK court rejects demands for Lauri Love to hand over encryption keys

Court rules against an attempt by the National Crime Agency to force activist Lauri Love to disclose encryption keys by bypassing the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act Continue Reading

By

• Julia Gregory and Bill Goodwin

Australian health sector an easy target for cyber criminals, says IBM

A push to encourage greater adoption of electronic health records has raised the spectre of online record theft Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Ransomware emerges as a top cyber threat to business

Security researchers at Kasperky Lab and FireEye confirm that the upward trend of ransomware is continuing and has emerged as a top threat to business Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security in Belgium will gain prominence after terror attacks

Belgium’s physical security has been branded inadequate, so how does the country’s cyber security measure up? Continue Reading

By

• Stef Gyssels

Payment card industry issues data security standard update

PCI DSS version 3.2 introduces six new requirements for compliance, some additional guidance and a raft of clarifications Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Technology moving too fast for governments to keep up, says former Darpa chief

Former US defence technology chief supports encryption and privacy, despite intelligence services’ fears Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Baker

IPv6 alone will not secure IoT, warns GE CISO

It is important for all users of the internet of things to understand what they are getting into with IPv6, and to be aware of the risks and myths, says GE CISO Hanns Proenen Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business failing to learn lessons of past cyber attacks, report shows

Organisations are still failing to address basic security issues and well-known attack methods, Verizon’s latest Data Breach Investigations Report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GCHQ told analysts to assume surveillance 'bulk data' is legal

Documents obtained by charity Privacy International reveal insights into GCHQ’s collection of sensitive bulk data, as lawyers question the impact of surveillance on legal privilege, fair trials and protection of whistleblowers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton and Bill Goodwin

The hunters who prey on cyber criminals

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the hunters – a new breed of security expert that proactively hunts down cyber attackers before they can strike. We visit Silicon Valley to meet some of the up-and-coming startups in data analytics and business intelligence. And we hear from IT leaders about the people, process and cultural aspects of managing digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Employees’ use of personal devices puts firms at risk of malware infection, says report

Downloaders care about their own security while grabbing pirated content, not that of their employers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Israeli volunteers ready their cyber defences as Anonymous affiliates attack

Every April, Israel braces itself for an onslaught from pro-Palestinian hackers, but the occupants of a small conference room in Tel Aviv stand in their way Continue Reading

By

• Niv Lilien

NCA attempts 'back door' access to obtain activist Lauri Love’s passwords

Court told that use of civil proceedings to force disclosure of alleged hacker Lauri Love's passwords is disproportionate and would breach human rights law Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

QA launches cyber attack defence training facility in London

Training firm QA launches a cyber attack simulation facility in London to enable organisations to test and learn cyber defence skills Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Activist Lauri Love faces order to disclose encryption keys

The UK’s National Crime Agency takes an unusual legal step to force a former university student accused of hacking to disclose encryption keys Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

'Citizens will be stripped naked' by Turkey’s data law

Turkey's data protection law, introduced in March 2016, will make Turkey a near total surveillance state, yet the EU, apparently more concerned about securing Turkey's help in controlling immigration, is turning a blind eye Continue Reading

By

• Craig Shaw & Zeynep Sentek

UK campaign launched against location data security risks

UK consumers are unwittingly signing up to be location tracked and this data is being used and sold on for commercial benefit, warns privacy campaign Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DDoS attacks on universities normally performed by “disgruntled” students or employees

The majority of distributed denial of service attacks on universities are made by students or employees, says the head of infrastructure services at the University of London Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Adwind at centre of cyber attack on Singapore bank

Kaspersky Lab has revealed that the Adwind malware-as-a-service platform was at the centre of an attack on a Singapore bank Continue Reading

By

• Zafar Anjum

CW@50: Fertile British breeding grounds for information security innovation

Computer Weekly is marking its 50th anniversary this year with a series of articles celebrating 50 years of British technology innovation. In this article, we look at the evolution of information security threats and some of the British innovation to counter those threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security should be driven by business, says Corvid’s Andrew Nanson

Information security should be business-driven and investments assessed for their effectiveness and business value, according to Corvid CTO Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals use Microsoft PowerShell in ransomware attacks

A newly discovered family of ransomware, dubbed PowerWare, uses Microsoft PowerShell to target organisations through macro-enabled documents Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hunters: a rare but essential breed of enterprise cyber defenders

They wait, they watch, they search the outer reaches of networks and the darkest corners of the web, setting traps, crafting tools, collecting evidence and going in pursuit: they are the hunters Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government warned of smart meter security threat back in 2012

The government was warned four years ago that its plans for a nationwide smart meter roll-out represented a “potentially significant” security and privacy threat, Computer Weekly has learned Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Businesses urged to update Apple software to dodge zero-day attacks

Security experts are urging Apple Mac, iPhone and iPad users to update their operating systems to avoid data-stealing attacks that exploit a new zero-day vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US hospital claims to have fought off a ransomware attack

A hospital in Kentucky claims to have regained control of its IT systems five days after cyber criminals hit it with a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

National Cyber Security Centre to be UK authority on information security

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is to be the UK's one-stop authority on infosec, based in London and led by GCHQ's Ciaran Martin Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian girls believe online harassment is endemic

There are clear signals that online threats against women and attempts to invade their privacy are becoming societal norms in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Most students say cyber security is a growing threat

Some 70% of higher education students say they are aware that cyber crime and attacks are a threat, but less than half think security is their responsibility Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

$1bn cyber bank heist thwarted by spelling error

Cyber thieves made 30 requests for the New York Federal Reserve to transfer nearly $1bn from the Bangladesh central bank’s account, but a typo and the volume of requests alerted banking officials Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lack of security knowledge limiting business initiatives, survey shows

Security concerns are limiting the adoption of cloud and mobility throughout organisations, according to the first Dell Data Security Survey Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Many breaches down to poor access controls

In the modern business environment, what are the most common access control mistakes – and how best are these corrected? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Yung

Building datacentres under the sea

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at Microsoft’s trial of an underwater datacentre and assess the technology and environmental implications of running cloud services under the sea. As PC suppliers build new products around Windows 10, we ask if the desktop PC is set to be reinvented. And with ransomware on the rise, we examine the threat of cyber extortion. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The problem with passwords: how to make it easier for employees to stay secure

An organisation’s IT security can be compromised if staff do not follow a strict policy of using strong passwords to access internal systems Continue Reading

By

• Jeremy Bergsman, CEB

RSAC16: Cyber criminals are hiding in plain sight, says RSA report

Cyber criminals are using social media as a communication and sales channel, not just for reconnaissance and phishing, an RSA study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Top five access control mistakes

In the modern business environment, what are the most common access control mistakes and what is the best way to correct them? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

RSAC16: RSA’s Amit Yoran comes out in support of strong encryption

A policy of weakened encryption would harm US economic interests and undermine those trying to defend digital environments, according to RSA president Amit Yoran Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst