IT security

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Ransomware gang grasses up uncooperative victim to US regulator

The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang has added a new tactic to its playbook, going to ever more extreme lengths in search of a pay-off Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware

The British Library has provided an update on an ongoing cyber incident affecting its systems, confirming it to be the result of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Understanding the rise and role of Private AI

Part 1: AI hype vs fear and doubt The leakage of proprietary IP and other data has been one of the biggest corporate fears around generative AI since the launch of ChatGPT. Some companies even ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

BlackCat affiliate seen using malvertising to spread ransomware

Researchers at eSentire identified a wave activity from an ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware affiliate which has adopted a somewhat unusual approach to delivering its locker Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian cyber criminal pleads guilty to running IPStorm botnet

Sergey Manikin faces years in jail after his illicit proxy botnet service was taken down by US law enforcement Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

November Patch Tuesday heralds five new MS zero-days

Microsoft pushes fixes for five new zero-days in its latest monthly update Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US government reinforces ICBC hack link to Citrix Bleed

US Treasury adds weight to reports that a ransomware gang gained access to the systems of Chinese bank ICBC by exploiting a critical Citrix flaw Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Gigamon is making its mark in deep observability

Gigamon CEO Shane Buckley talks up the company’s ability to inspect encrypted network traffic for malicious activity, how it stands out with its deep observability capabilities and the tailwinds that are fuelling its growth Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

cardholder data environment (CDE)

A cardholder data environment (CDE) is a computer system or networked group of IT systems that processes, stores or transmits cardholder data or sensitive payment authentication data. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Sharon Shea, Executive Editor

Fast-acting cyber gangs increasingly disabling telemetry logs

Sophos guidance for security practitioners and defenders highlights a growing trend for threat actors to disable or wipe telemetry logs to cover their tracks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The UK AI Safety Summit – what did it achieve?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look back at the UK government’s AI Safety Summit and assess what it achieved – and what it didn’t. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the future of business software and modernising legacy applications. And we find out how the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act aims to protect your smart devices. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Rogue state-aligned actors are most critical cyber threat to UK

The prospect of rogue nation-state-aligned attackers bringing down the UK’s critical infrastructure is keeping the NCSC up at night Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyds Bank warns over rising threat of crypto scams

Report by Lloyds Banking Group finds there has been a 23% increase in cryptocurrency scams in 2023 compared with last year, targeting mostly younger investors Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Encrypted mail service Tuta says it was wrongly accused of being a front for intelligence services

German encrypted email service Tuta, formerly known as Tutanota, has denied claims by a former Canadian police intelligence officer accused of passing secrets to criminals that it was compromised by intelligence services Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Victims’ legal action over 2015 Carphone Warehouse breach moves forward

A class action against Currys Retail over the 2015 data breach of Carphone Warehouse customers has been granted permission to move forward in the courts Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO alerted after technical ‘issue’ exposed college files to student barristers

A training college for barristers has reported a data breach that left sensitive data on hundreds of current and former students accessible to other trainees Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Breached? Don't panic… if you created a robust IR plan

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

UN disarmament body calls for global action on autonomous weapons

UN draft resolution highlighting the dangers of autonomous weapons passes with overwhelming majority Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How the Online Safety Act will impact businesses beyond Big Tech 

The Online Safety Act will impact an estimated 100,000 online services in the UK and overseas Continue Reading

By

• Ria Moody, Linklaters

Ransomware attack on major Chinese lender disrupts financial markets

The financial services arm of one of the world’s largest banks was taken offline by a supposed LockBit ransomware attack, causing problems for US markets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

APAC cyber security workforce hits record high

The cyber security workforce in Asia-Pacific now stands at just under a million people, but demand for cyber security talent in the region continues to outpace supply Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

crisis communication

Crisis communication is a strategic approach to corresponding with people and organizations during a disruptive event. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Paul Crocetti, Executive Editor

emergency communications plan (EC plan)

An emergency communications plan (EC plan) is a document that provides guidelines, contact information and procedures for how information should be shared during all phases of an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Paul Crocetti, Executive Editor

Revealed: How Russia’s Sandworm ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure

New Mandiant intelligence reveals how the APT known as Sandworm has been evolving its playbook, twisting legitimate executables known as LoLBins into malicious tools as it seeks to disrupt daily life in Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

mandatory access control (MAC)

Mandatory access control (MAC) is a security strategy that restricts the ability individual resource owners have to grant or deny access to resource objects in a file system. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

The best IR plans are well-revised and deeply familiar

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Elliott Wilkes

NCSC makes annual Black Friday plea to consumers

Ahead of the annual festival of retail avarice, the NCSC is once again asking consumers to do the bare minimum to avoid falling victim to scams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council

Systems at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were downed on 7 November in a suspected ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government does not see need for specific AI legislation

The UK government does not currently see the need for new artificial intelligence legislation, as many regulators are already dealing effectively with AI-related harms Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Security Interviews: Why cyber needs to integrate better

Cyber security is an intensely technical field, but we shouldn’t ignore the soft skills of communication and collaboration. Wipro’s Tony Buffomante explains why a robust security posture is dependent on a security team engaging with the wider organisation Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Why IT governance is a coding issue

Two new pieces of research point to benefits of policy as code Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Heineken lets the data flow

In this month’s CW EMEA ezine, we find out about Heineken’s mission to make the most out of the data it holds through an enterprise-wide data ecosystem. We also look at how the UK has turned its back on the German government-funded Gaia-X data platform, why cyber experts are urging the EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans, and how the IT industry is responding to the software developer skills shortfall. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Data-sharing management gap highlights cyber risk, says report

Organisations are struggling to secure their use of communications tools to share data with third-party partners and suppliers, and in the process are exposing themselves to heightened levels of risk, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The plan for the inevitable cyber attack: Get the gist of NIST

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Theodore Wiggins, Airbus Protect

Iconic Singapore hotel caught up in major data breach

The Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore uncovered a data breach of its guest loyalty programme last month Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

King’s Speech misses the mark on cyber law reform, says campaign

A group of activists who want to reform the UK’s computer misuse laws to protect bona fide cyber pros from prosecution have been left disappointed by a lack of legislative progress Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: ISC2’s Clar Rosso on cyber diversity and policy

Computer Weekly catches up with ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso to talk about diversifying the cyber workforce and supporting cyber pros as they keep up with growing compliance and security policy demands Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

call tree

A call tree is a layered hierarchical communication model used to notify specific individuals of an event and coordinate recovery if necessary. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Paul Crocetti, Executive Editor

dark web monitoring

Dark web monitoring is the process of searching for and continuously tracking information on the dark web. Continue Reading

By

• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

Researchers ‘break’ rule designed to guard against Barracuda vulnerability

Vectra AI researchers found that a Suricata rule designed to detect exploitation of a dangerous Barracuda Email Security Gateway flaw was not entirely effective Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Enhancing security: The crucial role of incident response plans

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Chris McGowan

Unesco unveils seven-point anti-disinformation plan

United Nations body outlines seven proposals for civil society, governments, regulators and tech platforms to adopt to combat the source of disinformation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI Safety Summit review

Computer Weekly takes stock of the UK government’s AI Safety Summit and the differing perspectives around its success Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How ExxonMobil is leading with data

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the leader of ExxonMobil’s data organisation, about the energy giant’s strategy to establish enterprise-wide principles for the use of data. As the UK’s Online Safety Act comes into force, we examine the tech sector’s concerns over the laws around end-to-end encryption. And we look at the software tools available to HR teams to help improve staff retention. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IR plans: The difference between disaster and recovery

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Becky Gelder, Turnkey Consulting

Shadow IT use at Okta behind series of damaging breaches

Okta now believes the initial access vector in a series of damaging breaches was one of its own employees who used a corporate device to sign into their personal Google account Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Trellix’s CISO keeps threat actors at bay

Trellix’s chief information security officer, Harold Rivas, outlines how the company mitigates security threats through containment and by helping security analysts to respond faster to cyber incidents Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Tech firms flag risk to end-to-end encryption as Online Safety Bill gets royal assent

Technology organisations remain concerned that the newly implemented Online Safety Act could undermine end-to-end encryption, despite government reassurances that it will ensure online safety. Continue Reading

SolarWinds hack explained: Everything you need to know

Hackers targeted SolarWinds by deploying malicious code into its Orion IT monitoring and management software used by thousands of enterprises and government agencies worldwide. Continue Reading

By

• Saheed Oladimeji, Sean Michael Kerner

Incident response planning requires constant testing

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Jack Chapman

Admins told to take action over F5 Big-IP platform flaws

Two vulnerabilities in the widely used F5 Networks Big-IP platform are now being exploited in the wild Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK workers exhibit poor security behaviours, report reveals

Report by KnowBe4 has found that four in five UK workers do not make security-conscious choices, whether in-office, remote or hybrid working Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Use existing structures to build your incident response plan

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Sam Lascelles

How the UK crime agency repurposed Amazon cloud platform to analyse EncroChat cryptophone data

UK crime agency repurposed AWS-based analytics platform to triage EncroChat data and identify threats to life in messages sent on encrypted phone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

EU digital ID reforms should be ‘actively resisted’, say experts

Over 300 cyber security experts have called for the EU to rethink its proposals for eIDAS digital identity reforms, saying some of the provisions risk damaging user privacy and security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Incident response planning is vulnerable to legacy thinking

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Lloyds bank kicks off Hyderabad operation

Lloyds Banking Group has opened its latest tech operation in Hyderabad, with plans to recruit around 600 IT experts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson on her AI Safety Summit goals

As the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park takes place, Computer Weekly caught up with Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to find out what one of the UK’s most prominent AI advocates wants from proceedings Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Library falls victim to cyber attack

The British Library is experiencing a major IT outage following a cyber incident of an undisclosed nature Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Biden’s AI plans focus on US workers’ protection

The US president has issued an Executive Order that sets out his administration’s strategy for AI safety and security Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

SEC sues SolarWinds, alleging serious security failures

SolarWinds and its CISO have been charged with fraud and internal control failures by the US authorities amid allegations of a series of cyber security failings leading up to the 2020 Sunburst attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ISO 27002 (International Organization for Standardization 27002)

The ISO 27002 standard is a collection of information security management guidelines that are intended to help an organization implement, maintain and improve its information security management. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan
• Ben Cole, Executive Editor

The implications of biased AI models on the financial services industry

The Bank of England has warned of the risk artificial intelligence models present in creating bias that could pose a threat to the UK’s financial services sector. How do those risks emerge and how they might be mitigated?   Continue Reading

By

• Jamie Rowlands

supercookie

A supercookie is a type of tracking cookie inserted into an HTTP header to collect data about a user's internet browsing history and habits. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Madelyn Bacon, TechTarget

Frontier AI Taskforce starts recruitment drive

The second progress report from the Frontier AI Taskforce reveals new hires plus vacancy posts for software and research engineers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

FDM Group partners with ISACA to boost cyber training programme

The FDM Group has announced a partnership with ISACA to help develop and boost their cyber training programmes and credentials Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Reported major cyberattacks are falling – but watch out for the massive threats posed by gen AI

 The number of reported major cyberattacks is falling. Are we just getting used to them? Continue Reading

By

• Jim Tiller

Greek data watchdog to rule on AI systems in refugee camps

A forthcoming decision on the compliance of surveillance and security systems in Greek refugee camps could set a precedent for how AI and biometric systems are deployed for ‘migration management’ in Europe Continue Reading

By

• Lydia Emmanouilidou

compliance officer

Compliance officers are employees tasked with ensuring a company follows its internal rules and best-practice policies while always complying with applicable external laws and government regulations. Continue Reading

By

• Sam Campanella

Tech firms cite risk to end-to-end encryption as Online Safety Bill gets royal assent

Tech firms continue to be concerned that the Online Safety Bill could undermine end-to-end encryption despite government reassurances Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Domestic abuse charities surface fresh worries over NHS data sharing

With new NHS data access options coming into effect at the end of October, a group of campaigners including womens' charities and the BMA have warned that the revived GP-patient data sharing scheme risks putting vulnerable people at risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft warns over growing threat from Octo Tempest gang

The English-speaking Octo Tempest extortion gang – which became an ALPHV/BlackCat affiliate recently – presents one of the most significant and rapidly growing threats to large organisations at this time, says Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Elastic manages cyber security threats

Mandy Andress, CISO at Elastic, highlights the company’s approach to tackling evolving cyber threats through the use of AI tools and enhanced security measures while strengthening the capabilities of its security offerings Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Google launches bug bounties for generative AI attack scenarios

Google expands its bug bounty programme to encompass generative AI and takes steps to grow its commitment to supply chain security as it relates to the emerging technology Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Germany: European Court opinion kicks questions over EncroChat back to national courts

Germany lawfully obtained data on German EncroChat users from France, but whether the evidence is legally admissible is a matter for national courts Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

ChatGPT, Bard, lack effective defences against fraudsters, Which? warns

Consumer advocacy Which? warns that popular generative AI tools are vulnerable to loopholes that render existing protections against malicious usage easily bypassed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sunak sets scene for upcoming AI Safety Summit

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has outlined how the UK will approach making AI safe, but experts say there is still too big a focus on catastrophic but speculative risks over real harms the technology is already causing Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Boardrooms losing control in generative AI takeover, says Kaspersky

C-suite executives are increasingly fretful about what they perceive as a ‘silent infiltration’ of generative AI tools across their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Exploitation of Citrix NetScaler vulns reaching dangerous levels

Observed activity exploiting two new Citrix NetScaler vulnerabilities disclosed earlier this month is ramping up, and users may be running out of time to patch lest they be attacked Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Finance paints mixed picture of fraud as losses top £500m

UK losses to fraud in the first six months of the year topped £500m, but a slight decline in overall crime rates was observed, according to UK Finance’s latest data Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Demystifying the top five OT security myths

Goh Eng Choon, president of ST Engineering’s cyber business, outlines the common myths around OT security in a bid to raise awareness of the security challenges confronting OT systems Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

1Password caught up in Okta support breach

After breaches at BeyondTrust and Cloudflare, 1Password, a third customer of Okta operating in the same space, has revealed that it too was impacted in a breach of the IAM house’s support systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

integrated risk management (IRM)

Integrated risk management (IRM) is a set of proactive, businesswide practices that contribute to an organization's security, risk tolerance profile and strategic decisions. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Barney, Technology Writer
• Wesley Chai

Cisco hackers likely taking steps to avoid identification

Cisco confirms that a drop in detections of devices compromised by two zero-days was likely the result of reactive measures taken by the threat actors to avoid discovery Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Research team tricks AI chatbots into writing usable malicious code

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have demonstrated that so-called Text-to-SQL systems can be tricked into writing malicious code for use in cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The new data landscape: how will the new UK-US data bridge affect businesses?

With the UK-US data bridge coming into effect on 12 October 2023, find out what steps your organisation can take to take advantage of, and remain compliant with, the new framework Continue Reading

By

• Charlie Bromley-Griffiths

Kaspersky opens up over spyware campaign targeting its staffers

Kaspersky has shared more details of the TriangleDB spyware that was used against its own workforce by an unknown APT group Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Customers speak out over Okta’s response to latest breach

Customers of identity specialist Okta have been attacked via a compromise of its systems, and are claiming Okta’s response leaves something to be desired Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Suzy Lamplugh Trust treads path to improved cyber resilience

Personal safety charity enlists the support of the London Cyber Resilience Centre to improve staff awareness and strengthen its overall cyber resilience Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NetApp ‘unified storage’ adds new ASA block storage at Insight

Las Vegas event sees NetApp continue its evolution to hybrid cloud and data management player announce ASA C-series and Keystone and Kubernetes storage enhancements Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Cisco pushes update to stop exploitation of two IOS XE zero-days

Cisco releases updates to thwart exploitation of two flaws affecting users of its IOS XE software Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Ensign is leading the charge in cyber security

Lee Fook Sun, chairman of Ensign InfoSecurity, traces the company’s journey and how it is leading the charge in cyber security by doing things differently, investing in R&D and engaging with the wider ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Secure printing: The foundation of multi-layered security

Implementing secure print solutions is an easy way to ensure neither network data nor printed documents fall into the wrong hands. RFID readers and mobile authentication technology solutions help ... Continue Reading

By

• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

soft token

A soft token is a software-based security token that generates a single-use login personal identification number (PIN). Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Computer Weekly contributor named Godfather of UK Security

Advent IM founder Mike Gillespie was among those honoured at the eighth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five Eyes chiefs warn of Chinese spying campaign to steal high-tech secrets

Intelligence chiefs warn high-tech companies and universities they may be the target of attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to steal technology secrets Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Five key questions about disaster recovery as a service

Disaster recovery as a service builds recovery data and systems into the cloud, accessible from anywhere. We look at the difference vs cloud backup, DRaaS use cases, the cost, and the firms that provide it Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

How to tame the identity sprawl

Organisations should find a comprehensive way to gain full visibility into their digital identities and leverage automation to tame the identity sprawl. Continue Reading

CyberArk eyes growth beyond PAM

Aaron Tan examines CyberArk’s exponential growth in the broader identity security market. Continue Reading