IT for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

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

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Uber fined $148m for data breach cover-up

US court hits Uber with heavy fine which security industry commentators hope will encourage firms to take cyber security more seriously and resist the urge to cover up data breaches Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian teen Apple hacker avoids jail time

“Fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne has avoided prison because the information he gathered was recovered Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO threatens fines for outstanding fees

The UK’s privacy watchdog has issued warning letters to organisations, including some NHS trusts and government organisations, for failing to pay a new data protection fee Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Indian IT giant TCS sees IBM and Accenture as nearest rivals

Rapidly-growing Tata Consultancy Services has its eyes on the US IT giants, with customer service key if it is to overtake them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Rural business bodies seal new broadband agreement

The Country Land and Business Association and the National Farmers’ Union have reached an agreement with Openreach to put new wayleave arrangements in place for broadband network builds Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Financial services firms face potential security bombshell

UK financial services are facing a security crisis over outdated services and applications, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fujitsu teams up with UTCs on cyber security training

Fujitsu, University Technical Colleges across England and other private sector partners have joined forces to help address the cyber security skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PCI DSS compliance falls despite security benefit

Despite the benefits of the payment card industry security standard, there is a concerning downward trend in compliance, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

WannaCry and NotPetya inspiring new attacks

Designs and techniques used in 2017’s global cyber attacks have inspired a new breed of malware that exploits software vulnerabilities, according to a McAfee report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mac OS Mojave zero-day warning

The latest version of Apple’s Mac operating system contains a vulnerability that could be exploited by attackers to access protected files, a researcher warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

No Deal Brexit could mean additional costs for tech businesses

The government plans to continue to enforce existing intellectual property rights in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to the latest planning notices, but businesses could face additional costs to access EU and UK markets Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Business leaders expect suppliers to ensure they are cyber secure

Most UK business leaders expect suppliers to be cyber secure and nearly a third of businesses would terminate contracts because of suppliers’ security failings, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Businesses that take humans with them on robotics journeys gain the most

Businesses that put human development at the centre of their automation strategies will profit the most Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What are the current SD-WAN options for enterprises?

Software-defined wide area networking is well on its way to being a multi-billion dollar market. We assess the current state of the market and look at some of the options for enterprise CIOs and network managers Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

Out-of-contract users paying millions for phones they already own

Despite calls for MNOs to change their ways, users are still being overcharged for their devices, says Citizens Advice Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Employers turn to wearable technology to help staff manage work-life balance

Companies are realising that there are sound business reasons for ensuring their employees get enough sleep and exercise, so they are turning to wearable technology to help their staff stay healthy, despite the pressures of work Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Security Think Tank: Supplement security with an MSSP to raise the bar

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Greg Temm

Outcomes-based security is the way forward

Every security technology is effective for a limited time, but understanding data assets and their value to attackers is key to effective cyber defence, according to an industry veteran of 20 years’ experience Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Adopt a proactive approach to software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Hunt, Turnkey Consulting

Security Think Tank: Four key steps to managing software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Security Think Tank: Four steps to managing software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Chris Hodson

Security Think Tank: Balancing cost and risk in software vulnerability management

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Alexander Drabek, 2|SEC

Security Think Tank: No shortcuts to addressing software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

North Korean programmer charged for WannaCry attacks

The US has charged a member of a group of North Korean hackers linked to the WannaCry, Sony Pictures and other cyber attacks around the world Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware down, but not out, report reveals

Cryptojacking has taken over from ransomware as the top money spinner for cyber criminals, but the threat is not over and spam is also seeing a resurgence as an attack method, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BA praised for swift GDPR-aligned action on data breach

British Airways has been praised for its swift response to a customer data breach, which could be the first test case under the EU’s GDPR and new UK GDPR-aligned data protection laws Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Chrome 69 security improvements welcomed

The cyber security community has welcomed the improvements in the latest version of the Chrome browser, especially when it comes to generating strong, unique passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: How to manage software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Half a million UK firms hit by CEO fraud, Lloyds Bank estimates

Nearly 500,000 UK businesses are being hit by impersonation fraud, according to estimations by Lloyds Bank, with the legal sector most at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

People top target for cyber attackers, report confirms

As security controls have improved, cyber attackers are increasingly focusing their efforts on people within organisations as a way into corporate IT systems, a report confirms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: How to achieve software hygiene

What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Security Think Tank: Eight controls to manage software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Murphy

UK and allies call for backdoors in encryption products

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance is calling on tech firms to include backdoors in their encrypted products to give access to law enforcement authorities or face various measures Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

From Aberdeen to Brighton: Investing in the UK’s digital future

More investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure is critical to ensure the UK’s future success in technology in a post-Brexit world Continue Reading

By

• Russ Shaw, Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates

Security Think Tank: Follow good practice to reduce risk of software vulnerabilities

What is the most practical and cost effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Majority of UK firms not insured for data breaches

Many UK firms are not insured against information security breaches and data loss, and would have to spend £1m on average to recover from a breach, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Serious Week to feature flash mob event

“Flash mob” event will create a human collage, highlighting cyber security advice Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fraudulent money transfers are top aim of business email compromise

Business email compromise is increasingly popular with cyber criminals to steal money and information as well as spread malware, security researchers find Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cobalt cyber heist group mounts new campaign

Security researchers discover new campaign using two malicious links to double the chances of infection, which is believed to be linked to a notorious cyber crime group Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Accountant dumps Dell SAN for StorMagic hyper-converged

Accounting firm ditches traditional SAN hardware for software-defined hyper-converged storage from StorMagic and avoids tens of thousands of dollars in capex costs Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Machine identity management crisis looming

Managing machine identities is looming as the next big security challenge, a study reveals, with few organisations capable of protecting them as they increasingly form the basis of online communications Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fourth man jailed for iCloud celebrity hacking

The final hacker charged with leaking nude images of female celebrities in 2014 has been jailed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Improving security is top driver for ISO 27001

Organisations are implementing the ISO 27001 standard in recognition of the fact that cyber attacks are increasingly inevitable and that it is best to be well-prepared to fend off attacks and mitigate their effect Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DCMS has £95m for full-fibre in final round of LFFN scheme

The government has announced the third and final round of the Local Full Fibre Network Challenge Fund, with £95m remaining to invest in local ultrafast broadband projects Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security teams and C-suite exec views not aligned

There are key differences and potential challenges when it comes to security teams and C-suite executives communicating and aligning about cyber threats, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cyber attackers switching to covert tactics

Cyber criminals are moving away from mass, high-profile attacks to ones that are stealthy and more subtle – as well as attacks targeting systems typically used in critical infrastructure, researchers say Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Information security risk – keeping it simple

Organisations should start with risk management to understand information security risks and communicate them better internally Continue Reading

By

• Richard Diston

Challenge to anti-GDPR immigration exemption in DPA to go ahead

Two human rights groups are challenging a controversial clause in new UK data protection legislation that they say is in conflict with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and undermines the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sharp rise in business email compromise

Cyber attackers are expanding their attack methods to steal money and to gain access to corporate and employee data, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK universities targeted by Iranian hackers

UK universities are among those targeted by a cyber threat group associated with the Iranian government Continue Reading

Cryptographic agility is key to post-quantum security

Although post-quantum security is not an issue for all organisations today, an expert believes that those needing to ensure data is secure for decades to come should aim to achieve cryptographic agility above all else Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

No Deal Brexit papers warn of stark future for UK tech

The government has published the first of its No Deal Brexit contingency planning notices, containing sobering messages for the UK technology industry Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apache Struts users urged to update due to new security flaw

Another security flaw has been discovered in the Apache Struts, which was at the heart of the massive Equifax data breach in 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Language barrier won’t hold back chatbots in the Netherlands

The use of chatbots by Dutch organisations is on the up, with KLM's chatbot a pioneering example Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Nearly a third of organisations still not GDPR ready

As the UK and other states implement the EU’s GDPR, many organisations admit they are still not fully compliant, but most claim to be able to respond to data subject access requests Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Superdrug denies data breach

Superdrug has warned online customers it believes may have had personal details exposed, but claims its systems were not compromised, in what could be the first GDPR-related extortion attempt Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Online crime costs more than $1m a minute

More than $1m is lost to cyber crime every minute, a report reveals, underlining the increasing and significant threats businesses face online Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Retail and finance top cyber targets

Retail and finance remain the top cyber attack targets, but the second quarter also saw a spike in attacks against the manufacturing industry and an increase in remote desktop attacks, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft announces free election cyber defence tools

Microsoft has revealed it recently disrupted domains associated with a Russian cyber attack group believed to be targeting US political groups ahead of the midterm elections Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Job losses caused by artificial intelligence will dwarf those of Victorian revolution

The disruption to the jobs market caused by artificial intelligence will be far greater than that caused by industrialisation in Victorian times Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Superfast broadband brings £9bn extra turnover for UK SMEs

Local businesses in areas covered by the government’s superfast broadband roll-out are making more money than ever before, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Security Challenge UK to scale up

Cybersecurity Challenge UK plans to scale up its events and its role in coordinating UK industry efforts to attract talented people to the cyber security profession Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple confirms teen hacker took no customer data

Teenage “fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne is believed to have downloaded 90GB of secure files, but no customer data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global infosec spending to top $114bn in 2018, says Gartner

The need for improved detection, response and privacy is driving the demand for security products and services in response to security risks, business needs and industry changes, Gartner reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Inside DevOps, containers and enterprise security

Global corporates are waking up to containers and orchestrated containerisation for software development that is fast and safe. Computer Weekly looks at the best approach to ensure security is not compromised along the way Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Google Chrome flaw puts privacy at risk

Imperva security researcher urges Google Chrome users to update to the latest version after discovering a vulnerability that could be exploited to uncover private data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICS security at risk in key verticals, report shows

The security of industrial control systems (ICS) is at risk in key verticals due to under staffing, under investment and human error, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Intel releases fix for latest chip security flaws

Businesses and consumers are advised to download security updates from Intel for new security flaws that could allow attackers to access protected data, but some cloud providers could see a performance impact Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses urged to patch Microsoft flaw allowing MFA bypass

Security researchers are urging enterprises to update their software after the discovery of a vulnerability that could undermine the security provided by multifactor authentication Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sustainability and the smartphone: How to give your old device a second life

Find out what happens to your smartphone after you’re finished with it and why you should commit to the circular economy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Outsource security operations, not control

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

ICO strengthens commitment to technology and innovation

Information Commissioner’s Office has demonstrated its commitment to technology and innovation by appointing a new executive director to focus on this area Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most security pros concerned about election infrastructure

A majority of information security professionals believe that election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attack, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms concerned about cyber arms race

Continuous investment and activity are key in the cyber arms race, according to Databarracks, as research shows UK firms are worried about keeping up with security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Millions of businesses vulnerable to fax-based cyber attack

Hackers could exploit security vulnerabilities in fax machines to launch cyber attacks in millions of organisations around the world, researchers warn, underlining the need for cyber resilience Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mimecast extends core email security to enable cyber resilience

Mimecast continues to widen its cyber security capability through in-house development and strategic acquisition, as well as extend its core email security technologies to all other areas it applies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Butlin’s warns of potential personal data breach

Holiday camp chain blames cyber breach on a phishing attack, implying that attackers were able to steal user credentials to access customer data – and underlining the need for security awareness training Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Under half of firms use vulnerability assessments

Less than half of organisations base their cyber defences on strategic vulnerability assessments, and a third of these do the bare minimum to meet compliance requirements, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO fines Emma’s Diary £140,000

The UK’s privacy watchdog has fined a marketing company for illegally collecting and selling personal information for political campaigning Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Incomplete visibility a top security failing

Incomplete visibility of IT environments is among the most common basic enterprise security failings, as most organisations are still failing to achieve basic cyber security hygiene, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IPSE warns government off private sector IR35 reform, as 'no deal' Brexit fears grow

As the government prepares to close its consultation on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, IPSE airs concerns over the economic impact the move could have, as talk of a "no deal" Brexit for the UK continues Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Check Point warns of WhatsApp vulnerabilities

Researchers are warning of vulnerabilities in WhatsApp that allow threat actors to intercept and manipulate messages sent in a group chat Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security double agents most common in the UK

Cyber security professionals who alternate between criminal and legitimate activities or move full-time into cyber criminal activity are more common in the UK than other countries, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI security hype putting businesses at risk

The hype around artificial intelligence may be putting businesses at risk, according to a study that found most IT decision-makers believe AI is the answer to all cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems a specialised cyber target

Cyber attackers specialising in industrial control systems are fast, efficient and able to move between IT and OT environments, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Outsource responsibility, not accountability

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Mobile banking Trojans reach all-time high

Mobile banking Trojans topped the list of cyber threats in the second quarter of the year, according to research by Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Highlands and Islands broadband roll-out extended

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out is targeting 25,000 additional homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region Continue Reading

Half of UK consumers to exercise GDPR rights within a year

More than half of UK consumers will exercise their General Data Protection Regulation rights within a year and almost two-thirds will retract or review data use because of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Virus outbreak at iPhone chip plant could delay shipments

A computer virus at an iPhone chip manufacturing plant could delay shipments of Apple’s latest smartphones, but the impact will be limited, say analysts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Advertised broadband speeds dropping across UK

Since new advertising standards around broadband were introduced in May 2018, most providers have cut the speeds they advertise, or stopped making speed claims altogether Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Almost all security can be outsourced, but not the risk

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Hyperoptic raises £250m funding to roll out full-fibre broadband

Broadband supplier Hyperoptic claims its latest round of funding is the largest ever single investment in the UK’s burgeoning full-fibre market Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google to alert firms of state-sponsored attacks on G Suite users

As cyber security increasingly becomes a market differentiator, Google has announced that businesses using G Suite cloud-based software can opt in to cyber attack alerts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Risk tolerance key to security outsourcing policy

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Gorgon Group shows simple cyber attacks remain effective

A highly effective cyber attack group that appears to be based in Pakistan is carrying out targeted attacks against nation states at the same time as criminal operations, researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Reddit breach exposes 2FA flaws

Reddit has reported a password breach despite using 2FA, exposing the weaknesses of two-factor authentication based on mobile text messages Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst