IT for leisure and hospitality industry

Thirteen plead guilty to Anonymous DDoS attack on Paypal

Thirteen people have pleaded guilty to taking part in DDoS attacks on eBay’s Paypal, organised by the Anonymous hacker group in 2010 Continue Reading

Ransomware looks set to increase, warns Sophos

Cyber criminals are planning to produce new forms of ransomware on an unprecedented scale, according to IT security firm Sophos Continue Reading

Computer system failure delays hundreds of UK flights

Hundreds of flights at several UK airports were delayed or cancelled at the weekend because of a computer failure at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) Continue Reading

Automation key to balancing agility and security, says AlgoSec

Automated critical business application management enables a more agile business and enhances security, says security policy management firm AlgoSec Continue Reading

Proof-of-concept malware jumps air gap with sound card

Researchers demonstrate proof-of-concept malware exfiltrating data using high-frequency transmissions inaudible to humans Continue Reading

The Guardian denies Snowden stories damaged national security

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger defends decision to publish stories on documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden Continue Reading

UK proposes formal talks on cyber security with China

Prime minister David Cameron has called on China to be more open about cyber security Continue Reading

EU calls on US to rebuild trust in post-Snowden era

The EC has called on the US to provide guarantees to restore trust in the wake of spying revelations Continue Reading

NCA changed UK cyber crime fighting, says NCCU head

The NCA has changed the UK law enforcement landscape, says Andy Archibald, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit Continue Reading

Government lays out 2014 cyber security agenda

The UK government has reiterated its commitment to addressing cyber security and laid out some plans for 2014 at the Cyber Security Summit 2013 Continue Reading

White hat Wi-Fi hacking shows vulnerability of business data

Whitehat hackers have shown that senstitive data can be sniffed easily from public Wi-Fi hotspots Continue Reading

FTSE 350 firms complete cyber risk assessment

Most FTSE 350 companies put cyber risk on the board agenda, but many need to improve how they manage that risk Continue Reading

CSA appoints Microsoft’s Adrienne Hall to board

The CSA has appointed Adrienne Hall, from Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, to its board of directors Continue Reading

Report highlights poor UK attitudes to mobile security

Businesses should note that many UK mobile users do not take security precautions and do not know how to guard against data theft Continue Reading

Google reaches $17m multi-state settlement over Safari snooping

Google has reached a $17m settlement agreement with 10 US states for bypassing Apple Safari privacy settings Continue Reading

Google and Microsoft to block searches for child porn

Google and Microsoft have announced measures to make it more difficult to find child abuse images online Continue Reading

Cyber collateral damage a concern for all, says Lancope

All organisations could be affected by cyber attack collateral damage, says network security firm Lancope Continue Reading

Europe to follow US clearance of mobile devices on flights

The European aviation regulator is to follow the US lead in easing restrictions on the use of mobile electronic devices during flights Continue Reading

Mass surveillance a bad idea, says Information Commissioner Christopher Graham

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham says issues of national security must not overshadow concerns of legitimate public interest Continue Reading

Web surveillance not a good idea, says Info Commissioner

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham says issues of national security cannot be allowed to overshadow concerns of legitimate public interest Continue Reading

NSA and GCHQ mass surveillance violates EU law, study finds

Mass internet surveillance by US and UK intelligence agencies violates European law, according to a study by two academics Continue Reading

UK intelligence heads defend mass surveillance operations

Heads of the UK’s intelligence services insist all they do in term of mass surveillance is strictly within the confines of UK law Continue Reading

Analysis: RSA says security needs to change, but what does that mean?

RSA executive chairman Art Coviello has issued a call to action to the security industry to improve technology and collaboration Continue Reading

Most businesses need to transform IT security, says RSA

No modern network or IT system can withstand the onslaught of a skilled adversary, given focus and time, says Amit Yoran, general manager of RSA Continue Reading

Cyber attack shuts down Israeli toll road tunnel

A cyber attack has shut down a major link in Israel's national road network, experts claim Continue Reading

Fulham football club address skills shortfall with cloud database

Fulham football club’s IT team moves its database infrastructure to the cloud with a database as a service implementation Continue Reading

Samsung reports record Q3 profits of £4.8bn

Samsung has reported record third quarter profits of £4.8bn driven mainly by revenues from memory chips Continue Reading

Thales launches critical infrastructure cyber security lab

Thales has set up a cyber security lab dedicated to help improve the security of critical national infrastructure, government and business Continue Reading

US publishes draft cyber security framework

The US has published a draft framework of voluntary cyber security standards aimed at reducing risks to critical national infrastructure Continue Reading

Microsoft withdraws faulty Windows RT 8.1 update for Surface tablets

Microsoft has widthdrawn its Windows 8.1 update for Surface RT tablets after some users reported system crashes Continue Reading

Google share price at record high on third quarter results

Google’s share price has hit a record high in response to better-than-expected third quarter results Continue Reading

Dexter payment card malware variant hits South Africa

The Dexter payment card skimming malware discovered last year has resurfaced in South Africa, resulting in millions of pounds lost to fraud Continue Reading

Neustar to host first DDoS awareness day

Communications firm Neustar is to host the first international awareness day on distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks Continue Reading

The ICO issues BYOD warning after breach

The ICO is calling on organisations to ensure data protection policies reflect how employees are using personal devices for work Continue Reading

10 security reasons to upgrade to iOS 7

Even if it did not include numerous security fixes, iOS 7 has compelling reasons for corporates to adopt it to improve their security Continue Reading

D-Link begins fixing router backdoor

D-Link has begun releasing security patches to close the backdoor discovered on some of its routers Continue Reading

Legitimate users of Tor need not worry, says NCA

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says criminals cannot hide on the internet, but legitimate business users of anonymity software Tor are safe Continue Reading

Rugby Football Union uses analytics to educate and engage with users

The RFU is introducing data analytics technologies for public use to encourage engagement with existing fans and education of the sport Continue Reading

UK National Cyber Crime Unit becomes operational

The UK's National Cyber Crime Unit has become operational as part of the new National Crime Agency Continue Reading

FBI shuts down Silk Road online drug market

The FBI has shut down the Silk Road online drug market and arrested kingpin Ross Ulbricht, previously known only as Dread Pirate Roberts Continue Reading

Privacy concerns in the digital world

Considering the full spectrum of privacy, people need to ask themselves if they are comfortable with all their characteristics in the public domain Continue Reading

McAfee Focus 2013: McAfee leadership upbeat about Stonesoft acquisition

Intel-owned security firm McAfee is upbeat about its acquisition of Stonesoft and its future capability to tackle security differently Continue Reading

IT security industry still immature, says (ISC)2 board member

The information security industry is still immature and failing to act or speak as one, says Dave Lewis, (ISC)2 board member Continue Reading

Financial markets next big cyber target, says US expert

Manipulation of international financial markets will be the next evolution of cyber crime, says US Cyber Consequences Unit chief Continue Reading

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2013

Cyber crime featured heavily in security news coverage in 2013, with cyber criminals and cyber law enforcers upping their games with each passing month Continue Reading

Software acquisition is risk acquisition, says industry panel

New software often means new security vulnerabilities, panel tells the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2013 Continue Reading

NSA reveals how Snowden accessed secret Prism files

Prism whistleblower Edward Snowden accessed secret documents through a file-share, the NSA has revealed Continue Reading

Risk assessment key to cloud adoption, says Isaca

There is mass confusion among small and medium businesses about cloud computing, says Amar Singh, chair of Isaca UK Continue Reading

Most websites could be targeted through PHP, warns Imperva

Hackers are focusing on vulnerabilities in PHP web application development platform, threatening most websites, warns Imperva Continue Reading

Lloyds website continuity hit as TSB launches

Lloyds Banking Group websites, including the new standalone TSB, have been hit by problems on TSB launch day Continue Reading

Disinfecting PCs false security, says security expert

Many companies proud of their ability to identify and clean malware infected machines are missing a trick, says veteran security expert Continue Reading

Charlie McMurdie joins PwC’s cyber practice

Charlie McMurdie, former head of the Metro Police central e-crime unit, is joining business consultancy firm PwC as its senior crime adviser Continue Reading

How to appoint a new outsourcing supplier

Outsourcing can come with its own security risks if not managed appropriately, making due diligence and clear contractual arrangements key Continue Reading

Case study: How Premier Inn uses mobile analytics

Premier Inn's mobile app has been downloaded more than two million times and 77% of room bookings are made via the app Continue Reading

The ideology of hacking

Business leaders need to be educated on the true threats their firms face and IT security professionals have to arm their executives with that information Continue Reading

ICO to investigate sale of online dating profiles

The UK’s data protection watchdog is to investigate the sale of 10,000 online dating profiles to the BBC’s Panorama programme Continue Reading

An introduction to cyber liability insurance cover

Cyber liability insurance cover has been around for 10 years, but most security professionals seem to have not heard of it or know that it exists Continue Reading

Continual vigilance key to security, says Damballa

UK businesses must update their approach to cyber security to look for signs of compromise continually Continue Reading

FireEye partners with Phishme for multi-layered security

Security technology developer FireEye has partnered with phishing awareness training firm PhishMe to offer a multi-layered approach to securing information networks Continue Reading

MI5 and GCHQ call for FTSE 350 cyber health check

Intelligence agencies MI5 and GCHQ call on UK’s top listed companies to take part in a cyber governance health check Continue Reading

Cisco buys cyber security company Sourcefire for $2.7bn

Networking giant Cisco has reached an agreement to buy cyber security business Sourcefire in a $2.7bn deal Continue Reading

Insider threat: Balancing security with privacy

How can organisations increase security without affecting productivity or encroaching on employees’ right to privacy? Continue Reading

UK to block online porn by default

The UK is to block online pornography by default to all new internet users, David Cameron is to announce Continue Reading

How to assess the security of a cloud service provider

As businesses continue to put more information online, understanding cloud suppliers and agreements has never been more important Continue Reading

Facebook to acquire UK startup Monoidics

Facebook is to acquire UK startup Monoidics, which makes code verification and analysis tools and specialises in detecting coding errors Continue Reading

Google competition proposals not good enough, says EC

Competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia wants Google to readdress fears that it is abusing its market domination for its own gain Continue Reading

Tech firms target piracy profiting websites

Tech firms including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft join an initiative targeting websites that profit from piracy by cutting off advert revenue Continue Reading

More than one-fifth of UK firms hit by DDoS attacks in 2012

More than a fifth of UK firms experienced a disruptive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack in 2012 Continue Reading

Black market for software security flaws reaches new highs

The black market in previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in commercial software is so established that the average flaw sells for up to $160,000 Continue Reading

Yahoo wants Fisa objections revealed

Yahoo is the latest company implicated in the Prism internet surveillance programme to call for more transparency around its involvement Continue Reading

Protecting against modern password cracking

This article in our Royal Holloway Security Thesis series explains just how insecure passwords are and offers advice on alternative methods of security. Continue Reading

Smart cards: security risks

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series assess the new features introduced in Java Card 3 Connected Edition smart card specification and their associated security risks. Continue Reading

Security visualisation

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series shows how to generate a visual representation of a dataset and use visualisation in the evaluation of known security vulnerabilities. Continue Reading

Microsoft notches up over 3,000 copyright cases

In its battle against piracy, Microsoft says it has settled 3,265 copyright cases in the past year and warns of links to malware distribution Continue Reading

Will cloud services follow the evolution of the banking industry?

Cloud service providers say security will become the very reason companies choose cloud services in future Continue Reading

UK takes cyber threats to infrastructure seriously

The UK is taking seriously potential cyber threats to critical national infrastructure, according to GCHQ head Iain Lobban Continue Reading

Tougher EU penalties for cyber crime not enough, say security experts

The European Parliament has adopted a draft directive to toughen up EU penalties for cyber crime, but security experts say this is not enough on its own Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Prism unlikely to change much

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

UK joins EU demands for Google to rewrite privacy policy

The UK’s privacy watchdog has joined data protection authorities in France, Spain, Germany and Italy in demanding changes to Google’s privacy policy Continue Reading

NSA Prism scandal could hit US cloud providers, says EC vice-president

EC vice-president Neelie Kroes says US cloud services providers could lose business because of fears over US Prism surveillance programme Continue Reading

FBI warns of increased spear phishing attacks

The FBI has issued a warning about an increase in spear-phishing attacks targeting multiple industry sectors Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Prism – Sitting duck or elaborate honeypot?

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

Senior MPs flout EU cookie law

Two years after the EU cookie regulation and UK law came into force, not all UK websites are compliant, including the sites of 13 senior MPs Continue Reading

Stuxnet leak investigation leads to project originator

The US government investigation into Stuxnet leak of classified information leads to retired general in the Marines, James Cartwright Continue Reading

Data quality more important than fixating over big data, says Shell VP

Johan Krebbers, vice-president of architecture at Shell, says it is more important to get data quality right than to find a ‘big data silver bullet’ Continue Reading

Encrypting enterprises miss out on cloud benefits

Enterprises sending encrypted data to the cloud are missing out on some of the greatest benefits of cloud computing, says Thales e-Security Continue Reading

Identity management key to browser-based IT strategy

A cloud-based identity management system is key to enabling a browser-based IT strategy at online recruitment firm Reed.co.uk Continue Reading

Most firms underestimate volume of malware, study shows

Most companies greatly underestimate the number of malicious programs appearing daily, a global survey of more than 2,000 IT professionals has revealed Continue Reading

UK businesses failing to secure virtual environments, study finds

Most UK businesses are failing to secure data in virtual environments, a survey of IT decision makers has revealed Continue Reading

Government launches cyber awareness campaign

UK government debuts the first stage of a £4m cyber awareness campaign as part of the National Cyber Security Programme Continue Reading

UK links to US internet surveillance remain unclear

The government insists that UK spy agencies operate within the law, but questions remain Continue Reading

PM urged to criminalise internet rape porn

Campaigners are calling for the criminalisation of possessing internet pornography depicting rape Continue Reading

Human error causes most data breaches, Ponemon study finds

Human errors and system problems caused two-thirds of data breaches in 2012, according to a study from Symantec and the Ponemon Institute Continue Reading

Stratfor hacker pleads guilty

US hacktivist Jeremy Hammond pleads guilty to accessing computers of law enforcement agencies and government contractors illegally Continue Reading

Syrian hackers deface Sky Android apps

Syrian hackers have defaced several of Sky’s Android apps, forcing the broadcaster to remove them temporarily from the Google Play store Continue Reading

UK ISPs block access to pirate sites

UK internet service providers have begun blocking access to two sites accused of breaking copyright laws Continue Reading

Privileged accounts key to most APT attacks, says Cyber-Ark

The theft, misuse and exploitation of privileged accounts is becoming an increasingly key tactic in advanced persistent threat attacks Continue Reading

Most IT environments immature, Microsoft reveals

Most business IT environments are immature, analysis of data from Microsoft’s Cloud Security Readiness Tool has revealed Continue Reading

Microsoft declares conformance with ISO 27034-1

Microsoft has declared conformance with ISO 27034-1, the first part of an international standard for secure software development Continue Reading

Adobe moves to cloud-based subscription model

Adobe has announced that it is to introduce a cloud-based subscription model for popular applications, including Photoshop Continue Reading