IT security

Microsoft pledges $100m in new IT support for Ukraine

Microsoft will continue to offer free-of-charge technology support to Ukraine for the foreseeable future Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Building trust online

Consumer reviews website Trustpilot has built and scaled its IT security team and is now turning to agile methods and DevSecOps to further enhance its cyber capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash is a software platform used to create rich digital content containing animation, graphic effects, streaming video and other interactive elements to deliver engaging user experiences over many platforms, including desktops and mobile devices. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Automated threats biggest source of cyber risk for retailers

Threat actors targeting retailers during the coming holiday season are increasingly turning to automated forms of cyber attack, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global coalition reaffirms commitment to fight ransomware

Representatives of 36 countries, as well as the EU, attended the second International Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit in Washington DC Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dropbox code compromised in phishing attack

Cloud storage service says malicious actors successfully accessed some of its code within GitHub, but insists customer data is secure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK spent £6.4m on secret cyber package for Ukraine

Westminster has revealed for the first time the existence of a previously top-secret security programme that has been helping Ukraine fend off Russian cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

OpenSSL vulnerabilities ‘not as bad as feared’

As previously trailed, OpenSSL patched two buffer overflow vulnerabilities, neither of them as impactful as had been feared Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Know your networks, know your suppliers

To combat the ransomware scourge, we must work harder to monitor and learn from the increasingly complex threat environment, keep a closer eye on supply chains, and share our insights Continue Reading

By

• Rob Dartnall, SecAlliance

Basel II

Basel II is an international business standard that requires financial institutions to maintain enough cash reserves to cover risks incurred by their operations. Continue Reading

By

• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

A third of UK cyber leaders want to quit, report says

Nearly a third of UK security leaders are considering leaving their current role, and more than half are struggling to keep on top of their workload Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why Supply Chain Security Attacks Are So Damaging

Commonly in cyber security-related conversations, strategic references to the edge, boundary, endpoint, cloud etc are commonplace as potential areas of vulnerability. However, in several recent ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

NCSC looks back on year of ‘profound change’ for cyber

The NCSC ramped up its support for UK plc in the past 12 months, but it was events beyond the UK’s borders that proved the most impactful Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Elastic is going beyond enterprise search

Elastic has been doubling down on the security and observability capabilities of its open-source platform, going beyond its roots in enterprise search Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Digital identity and opening up the smartwallet

When an 80 year-old relative asks you how she can use her phone to both pay for shopping and get her supermarket loyalty points, like her friends do, you know that digital wallets are a success. ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

How to build consumer trust with a privacy-by-design approach

Undertaken with the right mindset and technology, privacy by design delivers value to consumers and builds trust for the long term Continue Reading

By

• Emilie Gazeau

The risk of losing our EU data adequacy agreement is real

While some may welcome the government’s ambition to shake up the UK’s data protection regime, Westminster should be wary of drifting too far from the path charted by our US and European partners Continue Reading

By

• Sarah Pearce

Prepare today for potentially high-impact OpenSSL bug

OpenSSL trailed a critical vulnerability patch last week, which will be only the second such flaw ever found in the open source encryption project. Unfortunately, the first was Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber crime officer says French legal challenges to EncroChat are ‘hype’

Matthieu Audibert, officer of the French Gendarmerie’s cyber space command, gets into a spat with defence lawyers on Twitter over the lawfulness of evidence from the hacked phone network EncroChat Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: Container security: why so different?

Done well, container security can be a model for securing the enterprise, and businesses that focus their teams on solving it can help accelerate positive change in other areas Continue Reading

By

• Bernard Brantley

8 cybersecurity books to read in 2023

Brush up on your cybersecurity skills by picking up one of these titles. Continue Reading

By

• Sarah Amsler, Senior Managing Editor

How has container security changed since 2020, and have we taken it too far?

While containers are now one of the most popular ways to deploy applications, it is fair to say that the adoption and implementation of security best practice to govern their use has not kept up Continue Reading

By

• Rob Tyler, Turnkey Consulting

Government ups cyber support for elderly, vulnerable web users

DCMS announces a funding boost to help the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable groups stay safe online and avoid being misled by disinformation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC’s Levy steps down after 20-year intelligence career

NCSC technical director Ian Levy bids farewell, telling his successor: ‘Don’t panic’ Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Will the OCSF create an open and collaborative cyber industry?

The Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework promises to transform security data analysis and collection, but there are challenges around adoption Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

NHS to get new national CISO

The Department for Health and Social Care is seeking a new national CISO, who will be tasked with providing strategic cyber leadership, direction and expertise across DHSC and the wider NHS Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LinkedIn adds new features to safeguard user privacy, security

Social media platform is adding a number of features and systems designed to protect legitimate users from inauthentic profiles and activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Medibank breach casts spotlight on data security

Health insurer Medibank Private recently suffered a major data breach involving the personal and health information of millions of customers, once again casting the spotlight on data security in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Santander calls for cooperation to tackle APP fraud

New report puts forward key recommendations that the banking sector, government and other industries could take to tackle authorised push payment fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO warns against using biometrics for ‘emotional analysis’

ICO warning highlights risk of ‘systemic bias’ and discrimination associated with organisations using biometric data and technologies for emotion analysis Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Conservatives are laughing at cyber security pros

If causing a security breach is a resigning matter, then you shouldn’t expect to get your old job back a week later. Unless you’re a Conservative home secretary, apparently Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cuba ransomware cartel spoofs Ukraine armed forces

Ukrainian cyber experts issue a warning over the activities of the Cuba ransomware cartel Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia budget closes in on digital divide, cyber resilience

Australia’s latest budget is geared towards providing better broadband connectivity in regional and rural areas, shoring up the cyber security posture of its businesses and plugging tech talent shortages, among other areas Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Apple patches new iPhone zero-day

Apple’s latest patch fixes yet another zero-day, as security issues keep surfacing in its mobile products Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch lawyers raise human rights concerns over hacked cryptophone data

Dutch defence lawyers say in an open letter that there is a risk of unfair trials unless they are allowed to test the reliability and legitimacy of hacked cryptophone evidence Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

US authorities charge two Chinese spies over telco security probe

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with attempting to obstruct the criminal prosecution of a prominent Chinese telecoms firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Germany: European Court of Justice asked to rule on legality of hacked EncroChat phone evidence

Berlin’s Regional Court has asked the European Court of Justice to answer questions about whether the use of hacked EncroChat phone evidence complies with European law Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Global digital trust market to double by 2027

The global market for digital trust technology is expected to double to $537bn by 2027, up from $270bn today as demand for cyber security and other capabilities continues to grow Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Digital-first businesses more willing to accept some fraud

Companies founded in the past 20 years appear more willing to accept higher levels of fraudulent activity during the customer onboarding process, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Complacency biggest cyber risk to UK plc, says ICO

Information commissioner John Edwards warns against complacency as his office issues a multimillion-pound fine to a building company that failed to prevent a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Half of staff might quit after a cyber attack, report says

Findings from a survey of CISOs, IT leaders and staffers reveal how experiencing a cyber incident may take a larger-than-thought toll on employee retention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

command-and-control server (C&C server)

A command-and-control server (C&C server) is a computer that issues directives to digital devices that have been infected with rootkits or other types of malware, such as ransomware. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

Microsoft slams external researchers over its own data leak

Microsoft inadvertently leaked customer data after misconfiguring an Azure Blob, but has hit out at the organisation that discovered its error, claiming it is exaggerating the scope of the issue Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What do the US’s new software security rules mean for UK organisations?

The White House announced recently that all software supplied to the US government and its agencies needs to be secure, so what does this mean for the UK and EU security sectors? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

The Security Interviews: Why now for ZTNA 2.0?

With organisations facing escalating online threats, security teams need to improve their defences using zero-trust network access to preserve the integrity of their systems. Palo Alto Networks’ Simon Crocker shares his views on zero-trust network access Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

VPN vs. zero trust vs. SDP: What's the difference?

For strong network security, many vendors say VPNs don't cut it anymore. Enter the zero-trust security model and SDPs. Continue Reading

By

• Michaela Goss, Senior Site Editor

RAT (remote access Trojan)

A RAT (remote access Trojan) is malware an attacker uses to gain full administrative privileges and remote control of a target computer. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

compensating control (alternative control)

A compensating control, also called an alternative control, is a mechanism that is put in place to satisfy the requirement for a security measure that is deemed too difficult or impractical to implement at the present time. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon
• Ivy Wigmore

Cyber professional shortfall hits 3.4 million

Shortage of cyber security professionals continues to grow and shows no signs of abating, says report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest data breach whistleblower demands bank pay data controller fee to ICO

Whistleblower calls for NatWest to pay the Information Commissioner’s Office annual data controller fee, as the personal details of 1,600 current and former NatWest customers remain under her bed Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Singapore extends cyber security labelling scheme to medical devices

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore is extending its cyber security labelling scheme to medical devices to encourage medical device manufacturers to adopt a security-by-design approach to product development Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

6 reasons a business impact analysis is important

BIA predicts the many consequences of business disruptions. It can minimize business risks and ensure business continuity in the face of critical emergencies and disruptions. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

The future of VPNs in the enterprise

VPNs have been the workhorse of online connectivity. Enhancements to software and processing power in end devices will transform how companies use the technology going forward. Continue Reading

By

• Terry Slattery, NetCraftsmen

Ransomware crews regrouping as LockBit rise continues

Overall ransomware activity dropped off in the third quarter of 2022, but increasing attack volumes in September may herald a difficult few months ahead Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Treat cyber crime as a ‘strategic threat’, UK businesses told

The government’s new National Cyber Advisory Board aims to help elevate cyber discussion and spur action in the business community Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

full-disk encryption (FDE)

Full-disk encryption (FDE) is a security method for protecting sensitive data at the hardware level by encrypting all data on a disk drive. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

Apache vulnerability a risk, but not as widespread as Log4Shell

A newly disclosed Apache Commons Text vulnerability may put many at risk, but does not appear to be as impactful or widespread as Log4Shell Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Virtually all vulnerable open source downloads are avoidable

Some 96% of known vulnerable open source downloads could have been avoided altogether, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Diffie-Hellman key exchange (exponential key exchange)

Diffie-Hellman key exchange is a method of digital encryption that securely exchanges cryptographic keys between two parties over a public channel without their conversation being transmitted over the internet. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

How Russia hacked a former MI6 spy chief

In this week’s Computer Weekly, Russian hackers leaked emails and documents from British government, military, and intelligence officials – we examine the implications. New EU laws will govern online safety and the use of AI, but what do they mean for organisations? And we look at the growth in checkout-free shopping. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Russian intelligence hacked the encrypted emails of former MI6 boss

Hack by Russian-linked ColdRiver group exposed former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove’s contacts and email communications with government, military, intelligence and political officials. Continue Reading

API management: Assessing reliability and security

Once an API is published, its developer then has responsibility to ensure it is kept up to date and is secure Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
• Adrian Bridgwater

Malicious WhatsApp add-on highlights risks of third-party mods

Kaspersky researchers discovered a malicious version of a widely used WhatsApp messenger mod, highlighting the risks of using so-called mods Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Annual costs of Hackney ransomware attack exceed £12m

Hackney Council reveals new insight into the ongoing cost of a ransomware attack that devastated its systems two years ago Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Office 365 email encryption flaw could pose risk to user privacy

A vulnerability in Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption could leave the contents of emails dangerously exposed, but with no fix coming it’s up to users to decide how at risk they are Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Advanced: Healthcare data was stolen in LockBit 3.0 attack

Advanced has revealed a total of 16 of its health and social care sector customers had their data exfiltrated in a recent ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Protecting children by scanning encrypted messages is ‘magical thinking’, says Cambridge professor

Ross Anderson argues in a rebuttal to GCHQ experts that using artificial intelligence to scan encrypted messaging services is the wrong approach to protecting children and preventing terrorism Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Australia becoming hotbed for cyber attacks

Research by Imperva shows an 81% increase in cyber security incidents in Australia between July 2021 and June 2022, including automated attacks that doubled in frequency Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Cyber training firm KnowBe4 bought by private equity firm

Acquisition of KnowBe4 supposedly reflects the success the company has seen since its spring 2021 IPO Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unsung Heroes Awards celebrate diversity in cyber community

The seventh annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards recognise those trying to improve diversity and mental health in cyber for the first time Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch influence standards for post-quantum cryptography

Cryptology group at Dutch research institute is involved in the two primary algorithms of the next NIST portfolio comprising four new standards Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

clean desk policy (CDP)

A clean desk policy (CDP) is a corporate directive that specifies how employees should leave their working space when they leave the office. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Gartner: Remote work, zero trust, cloud still driving cyber spend

Security leaders are eager to spend on categories including remote and hybrid cyber offerings, zero-trust network access, and cloud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Middle East: Qatar strengthens cyber defences ahead of FIFA World Cup

Being the first Arab country to host the World Cup is pressure enough on Qatar, but there is also a massive cyber security challenge associated with any event of this magnitude. Read about its preparations. Also in this issue, find out about the unique challenges of hiring IT professionals in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading

Saudi Arabian organisations choose to outsource to improve cyber security posture

 Continue Reading

Qatar bolsters cyber security in preparation for World Cup

 Continue Reading

NCSC urges organisations to secure supply chains

NCSC’s latest guidance package centres supply chain security, helping medium to large organisations assess and mitigate cyber risks from suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

French Supreme Court rejects EncroChat verdict after lawyers question secrecy over hacking operation

France’s Supreme Court has sent a case back to the court of appeal after police failed to disclose technical details of EncroChat hacking operation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Microsoft fixes lone zero-day on October Patch Tuesday

Microsoft patched a solitary zero-day vulnerability in its latest monthly drop, but fixes for two others disclosed in the past few weeks are nowhere to be seen Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO selectively discloses reprimands for data protection breaches

Data protection experts question ICO’s selective approach to publishing formal reprimands for contravening the law, after FoI request reveals the Cabinet Office was among the organisations reprimanded Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What is zero-trust network access? ZTNA basics explained

Zero-trust network access is touted as the solution to replace the VPN. As the potential future of network security, learn more about ZTNA, including its benefits and challenges. Continue Reading

By

• John Burke, Nemertes Research

Reducing the cyber stack with API security

Budgets are tight, making it difficult to secure spend, but is there an argument for jettisoning fragmented approaches to securing APIs in favour of a dedicated end-to-end approach? Doubling down on API security could help businesses not just reduce risk, but also costs Continue Reading

By

• Jason Kent

Contractor left Toyota source code exposed for five years

Source code related to Toyota’s T-Connect service was left exposed on GitHub for over five years by a contractor Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Cloudflare is staying ahead of the curve

Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince talks up what has changed since the company’s first business plan was written in 2009 and how it keeps pace with the fast-moving network security landscape Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Ukraine and EU explore deeper cyber collaboration

A Ukrainian delegation has met with officials from the EU’s ENISA cyber agency to explore deeper cooperation on cyber security issues Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Design security in to reap container benefits

Provided container security basics are built into your development and runtime environment from the start, containerised services and applications can provide rapid – and secure – achievement of business objectives Continue Reading

By

• Mairi MacLeod and Farrukh Ahmad

Australia to amend telecoms regulations following Optus breach

Amendments to Australia’s telecoms regulations are in the works to temporarily allow sharing of individuals’ identifier information between telcos and financial institutions Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

EU rolling out measures for online safety and AI liability

The European Council has approved the passage of the Digital Services Act to protect people’s rights online, while the European Commission has announced proposals to help those negatively affected by artificial intelligence to claim compensation Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

filter (computing)

The term filter in computing can mean a variety of things, depending on the technology or technical discipline in question. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Froehlich, West Gate Networks

Proposals for scanning encrypted messages should be cut from Online Safety Bill, say researchers

Automatic scanning of messaging services for illegal content could lead to one billion false alarms each day in Europe Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Air gaps for backup and how they help against ransomware

The air gap is a basic of backups and storage. We look at what’s meant by an air gap, the rise of the logical air gap, and its place in the fight against ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

network security

Network security encompasses all the steps taken to protect the integrity of a computer network and the data within it. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Barney, Technology Writer
• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

Italian Supreme Court calls for prosecutors to disclose information on Sky ECC hacking operation

Italy’s Supreme Court says Italian prosecutors and police should disclose information on how they obtained intercepted messages from the Sky ECC cryptophone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Forrester: US set to dominate AI enterprise software market

Artificial intelligence is the fastest growth area in software. This is driving adoption, which will make AI mainstream technology in business software Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Use site reliability engineering to address cloud instability

How do you prepare for a worst-case scenario, when the public cloud hosting critical components of your IT infrastructure fails? Continue Reading

By

• James Sanders

Inside Dell Technologies’ zero-trust approach

Dell Technologies’ zero-trust reference model starts with defining business controls and having a central control plane that manages all the security aspects of an organisation’s infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Tories to replace GDPR

IT industry reacts to the government’s plan to replace the pan-European data protection regulation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

France extradites Spanish EncroChat cryptophone distributors for complicity with organised crime

Three phone sellers have been extradited from Spain to France to face charges that they were complicit in the activities of criminal EncroChat phone users   Continue Reading

By

• Ter García
• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Digital right to work checks officially go live

Under the new government guidance, employers can choose between 16 certified identity service providers to digitally check their employees legal right to work in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How to protect against SMS mobile security weakness

The simple messaging service provides two-factor authentication in banking and e-commerce, but what happens if your SIM card is stolen? Continue Reading

By

• Junade Ali