IT security

Encryption adoption driven by new tech and compliance

The adoption of encryption is at its highest level yet, driven by the need to protect data generated by new digital initiatives, but still less than half of organisations are applying it consistently across the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK IoT research centre to tackle cyber risk

A government-backed national IoT research centre has been launched as part of UK efforts to become a world leader in tackling cyber threats   Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attacks targeting industrial control systems on the rise

Malicious cyber activity increased to almost half of the industrial infrastructure protected by Kaspersky Lab in 2018, but the UK is among the most secure countries, the security firm reports Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mind the overlap between GDPR and ePD, warns privacy lawyer

Organisations need to be aware of the overlaps between European data protection and privacy rules, and which takes precedence, a privacy lawyer warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norsk Hydro cyber attack cost estimates up to $41m

Initial estimates have put the financial impact of last week’s ransomware attack on the Norwegian aluminium producer of up to nearly $41m, raising questions about cyber insurance coverage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Web inventor wants a web built on solid data principles

Tim Berners-Lee has urged app developers to be courteous to users’ data privacy, saying users should own their own data and apps need to interoperate Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Police make 61 arrests in global crackdown on dark web

Law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada and Europe, including the UK, have joined forces to target suppliers and buyers of illegal goods on dark web marketplaces and warn buyers of risks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT complexity raises concerns of certificate-related outages

Company executives are concerned that increased IT complexity will result in more security certificate-related outages, with nearly two-thirds of organisations affected in the past year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europe passes controversial Copyright Directive

The European Parliament has passed a new Copyright Directive, including a number of highly controversial articles Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT switches on quantum network link at Adastral Park

BT has opened its quantum network link between its Adastral Park research base and the UK Quantum Network node at the University of Cambridge Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Asus releases fix for supply chain cyber attack

Asus has released a fix for a supply chain attack and downplayed the impact on customers while promising to contact all those affected as incident highlights code signing vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A ‘stunning victory’ in Post Office Horizon trial

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the latest news from the court case about the controversial Post Office Horizon IT system after claimants achieve a ‘stunning victory’ in a judge’s ruling. Top IT leaders share their views on creating a strategy for the digital age. And the CIO of Halfords talks about cloud, data analytics and emerging technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nominet urges SMEs to register .uk domains to thwart squatters

The automatic right of .co.uk domain name holders to register the shorter .uk domains ends in June Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Firms urged to gear up for new malware and tactics as threats proliferate

The volume of malware attacks reached a record level in 2018, with UK and India bucking global trend of increased ransomware attacks, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Geopolitical issues affecting cyber security

Geopolitical issues are affecting business decisions, according to the majority of cyber security professionals, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security challenge is to move as fast as the business

Adapting security to the pace at which the business is moving is one of the biggest challenges facing infosec professionals in the cloud era, says Palo Alto Networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lack of security skills exposing business to attack

The cyber skills shortage is leaving businesses at increased risk of attack as organisations continue to struggle to fill security-related positions, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MPs hear more revelations about Gov.uk Verify as troubled project gets a new leader

Hello and good luck, to Lisa Barrett  - the newly appointed director of digital identity at the Government Digital Service (GDS). She's taken on what many people outside GDS see as something of a ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mike Lynch heads to High Court to defend against HP allegations

The UK’s biggest fraud case commences, with the former CEO of Autonomy, Mike Lynch, attempting to clear his name Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Small businesses hit hardest by cyber crime costs

Small businesses felt the biggest impact of the UK’s cyber crime bill in 2018, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital Darwinism unkind to those who wait, says Palo Alto

As business-driven digital transformation, including the move to cloud, continues apace, companies need to rethink their approach to how they deploy and consume security, or risk being left behind Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government at odds over Huawei threat

The chair of the Science and Technology Committee has criticised the government’s vague response to concerns about Huawei’s activities in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Facebook security policy and practices unfit, say infosec pros

Confidence in Facebook’s ability to keep users’ data safe has once again been shaken by revelations of poor password protection practices, prompting calls for a security review Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK police should not deploy live facial recognition technology until issues are resolved, MPs told

The Science and Technology Committee has heard from the information and biometrics commissioners about the flawed use of live facial recognition technology by UK police Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government cyber security strategy is ‘chaotic’

Responding to potential threats at a national level is unfeasible given the time ministers are currently dedicating to Brexit negotiations, says shadow Cabinet Office minister Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Remainers accidentally DDoS the British government

With eight days until the UK's scheduled exit from the European Union, a prime minister who has lost control, a paralysed political system, and Britain reduced to a laughing stock on the world ... Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian cyber espionage groups targeting EU governments

Two Russian cyber espionage groups are targeting EU governments ahead of European elections, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Spike in cyber attacks targeting Cisco Webex

Cyber attacks targeting a leading web conference tool have increased dramatically and sextortion is becoming more popular with attackers, according to WatchGuard Technologies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police investigate Norsk Hydro ransomware attack

Ransomware attack on one of the world’s largest aluminium producers is under police investigation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK cyber experts to support global company boards

A consortium of UK cyber security experts and academics is to support multinational company boards to tackle online threats and protect against cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government organisations’ email security lagging

Email security in UK government organisations is lagging far behind that of central government, analysis reveals, with less than a third implementing standard protection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Growing board focus on cyber risk challenges current thinking

As digital transformation continues to drive change in the business and risk landscape, business and cyber security leaders need to improve discussions around this topic Continue Reading

By

• Marcus Alldrick

Norsk Hydro confirms ransomware attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has confirmed a ransomware attack is affecting several areas of its business, forcing it to switch to manual operations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

More than half of EU firms report cyber attack losses

More than half of European firms admit business disruption and data loss due to cyber attacks in the past 24 months, with UK firms among the most targeted, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to protect against spear phishing

Spear phishing attacks are sophisticated, targeted, costly and increasing in popularity among cyber attackers, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How IT leaders should work with marketing

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we hear expert advice on how IT and marketing chiefs can work together to deliver a high-quality customer experience. We examine how supercomputers are transforming science by processing large-scale data analytics. And we look at one of the key ethical aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) – how to explain the decisions an AI makes. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Supercomputers are playing a major role in the transformation of experimental science

Combining unified threat management with other security systems and a strategic CISO is essential to defend against threats. Continue Reading

Norwegian aluminium producer hit by ‘extensive’ cyber attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has disclosed that it has come under cyber attack affecting several areas of its business as the firm faces claims of environmental damage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Build in trust, experts advise cyber innovators

Trust will be increasingly important in the digital era, and is therefore a key component of new products and services, experts have told cyber security innovators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EU law enforcement agencies prepare for major cyber attacks

Law enforcement agencies across the European Union are preparing for major cross-border cyber attacks, says Europol Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CyLon announces latest cyber security accelerator cohort

Swiss and Israeli cyber security startups join teams from the UK for CyLon’s ninth London accelerator cohort Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Layer your approach to web security

Combining unified threat management with other security systems and a strategic CISO is essential to defend against threats Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Businesses failing to grasp DevSecOps

UK and US businesses are being exposed to security risks by a failure to integrate security into DevOps programmes, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brexit complicating already complex data protection

GDPR impact is yet to be felt and data protection is set to become increasingly complex, with Brexit adding even more complexity that could be overwhelming, warns head of international privacy association Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why the web needs patching

Regulators want to curb the web giants, while World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee believes problems with the web's misuse can be fixed Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

National Cyber Security Programme at risk of missing targets

The National Audit Office has sharply criticised the Cabinet Office over failings in how it set up the National Cyber Security Programme that mean it may struggle to meet its goals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT Priorities 2019: ANZ organisations focus on fundamentals

Organisations in Australia and New Zealand will spend more on modernising legacy applications and breaking down data silos this year Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Avoid infosec mistakes of the past, urges Robert Hannigan

Technology innovators need to avoid security mistakes of the past by building in integrity so that products and services can be used with trust and confidence, says former GCHQ director Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Met Police collaborated with US prosecutors in WikiLeaks investigation

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it exchanged information on WikiLeaks staff in the UK with the US Department of Justice, which is conducting criminal investigations into the organisation Continue Reading

By

• BIll Goodwin & Niels Ladefoged

Security Think Tank: Map your own important risk metrics

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• RV Raghu, ISACA

CW APAC: Buyer's guide to cloud security

When putting data in the cloud, companies must understand how it is protected – and not assume that security is all taken care of. In this buyer's guide, Computer Weekly offers advice on making cloud security choices, looks at how to guard against DDoS attacks, and finds out Amazon's approach to building secure cloud products. Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2019: ASEAN organisations lay digital foundations

Organisations in Southeast Asia are planning to shore up their IT infrastructure to speed up application development and become more customer focused Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How traffic scrubbing can guard against DDoS attacks

Although most scrubbing services can help fend off distributed denial of service attacks, a more comprehensive mitigation strategy is required to remain unscathed. Continue Reading

A guide to choosing cloud-based security services

Cloud-based security services can help organisations with a growing cloud footprint to reduce cost and address the manpower crunch in cyber security. Continue Reading

ICO pledges to support innovation

UK data privacy watchdog is increasingly gearing up to support innovation to ensure developers of tech and digital services do not lose society’s trust Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Financial loss as a key security risk indicator

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Yeomans, Information Security Forum

Almost half UK firms hit by phishing attacks

Almost half of UK organisations have been compromised in the past two years using phishing attacks, despite high levels of cyber awareness and training, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attackers favouring stealthier attacks, says Darktrace

Cyber attackers are moving away from ransomware to stealthier tactics, including banking Trojans and cryptojacking, an analysis of attack data reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: No one key risk indicator is generic across all businesses

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Many firms unaware of data exfiltration threat

Many firms are unaware that they are being targeted by cyber espionage and that data is being exfiltrated from their networks by overseas adversaries, a security firm warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Making unified threat management a key security tool

As data protection becomes critical to businesses, we look at how unified threat management can be a useful tool, providing it is selected and deployed correctly according to business needs Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 7

In this week’s episode of The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team talks cyber attacks against the NHS, the everywoman in Tech Forum, 5G connected cows, and covers off the latest round of revelations about Facebook’s data processing procedures Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

Despite failings, exec appetite for secure collaboration growing

Top business decision makers are more reckless than ever with company data, but the appetite for secure collaboration tools is growing, survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Is it true you can't manage what you don't measure?

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Making unified threat management a key security tool

As data protection becomes critical to businesses, we look at how unified threat management can be a useful tool, providing it is selected and deployed correctly according to business needs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NatWest launches biometric card pilot

NatWest Bank is set to trial biometrics-based cards with 200 customers to verify contactless payment transactions over £30 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Key considerations for determining cyber risk

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Citrix breach once again highlights password weaknesses

A reported breach of Citrix, which has potentially exposed data at hundreds of thousands of customer organisations, has once again highlighted the need for an alternative to passwords and the importance of supply chain security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO data raises doubts over UK firms’ ability to manage breaches

Most ICO data breach reports late and incomplete prior to full GDPR implementation, FoI request data reveals, raising doubts about breach prevention, detection and response capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

VMware firewall strategy to focus on 'known good' behavior

VMware is taking a different approach to firewalls by focusing on 'known good' behavior to better police east-west traffic within enterprise environments. Continue Reading

By

• Rob Wright, Senior News Director

Growing awareness of mobile security risk

There is a growing awareness of mobile security risk among members of the information security community, but most admit accessing corporate data from personal devices or public Wi-Fi Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Equifax defends against scathing Senate report

Equifax chief says firm did take cyber security seriously in a response to a scathing Senate report on the credit rating agency’s 2017 data breach, which experts say highlights failings around open source software Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Five elements of a key cyber risk indicator

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Mary-Jo de Leeuw, (ISC)2

Facebook’s objections to court concerns over privacy more about ‘optics’ than facts

Facebook’s challenge to a High Court ruling that raises serious concerns about data transfers between Europe and the US is more about appearance than facts, lawyers for the Irish Data Protection Commission told Dublin's Supreme Court Continue Reading

CW Europe: Robots deliver savings for Dutch postal service

In this issue we look at how Dutch delivery company PostNL is reaping huge efficiency savings by using robotic technology to automate time-consuming administrative tasks, Facebook’s opposition to the referral of questions about the legality of data transfers between Europe and the US to the European Court of Justice, and how Oslo is thriving from a unique combination of business agility, a cultural receptiveness to technology, and a social desire to do good. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Vodafone defends its use of Huawei as 5G trials go live

As Vodafone begins trials of a live 5G service in Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool, the operator’s CTO and general counsel have defended their use of Huawei equipment in Vodafone’s network and challenged its detractors to produce evidence of spying Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How aid workers are using encrypted communications to stay safe in conflict zones

Often operating in volatile conflict zones, aid workers are frequently turning to encrypted communication services to protect each other Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

ICO head still in top three of DataIQ data leader list

The UK’s information commissioner remains in the top three data leaders after claiming top spot in 2018 in the DataIQ 100 list of most influential data leaders, but GDPR is not the only focus in the industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Machine identities for sale on dark web, business warned

Academics and security professionals are warning businesses that certificates used to establish trust and privacy on the internet are being weaponised and sold to cyber criminals bundled with other services Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US government ban unconstitutional, says Huawei

Huawei’s lawsuit accuses Washington of violating the US Constitution by banning it from government contracts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zuckerberg commits to Facebook becoming privacy-focused

After a storm of controversy and criticism over the way Facebook fails to protect users’ privacy, the company’s chief says he plans to transform it into a privacy-focused platform Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber espionage group behind SingHealth attack

A cyber espionage group dubbed Whitefly has been identified as the perpetrators behind Singapore’s largest data breach to date Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

5G one of several security challenges to CNI

5G technology is among the key security challenges facing critical national infrastructure and all other business organisations, according to the Information Security Forum Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Aim for business intelligence-driven system of risk indicators

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

NAO hammers another nail into Gov.uk Verify

It’s not commonly known outside Whitehall that by the time the National Audit Office (NAO) – Parliament’s independent spending watchdog – publishes a report, it will have been through several ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

US doubles down on Huawei fears as Chinese prepare to sue

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has reinforced his attacks on Huawei as the firm apparently prepares to sue the US government over its federal-level ban Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The rise of DevSecOps

The increasing complexity of security threats is leading enterprises to DevSecOps approaches, so that all of the business is involved in security operations Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2019: What projects are IT professionals spending their budgets on?

The Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities 2019 survey finds that cloud maturity, security and automation are among the hot areas for spending Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: Invest in proactive approach to security and digital risk

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Singapore can now certify security products based on Common Criteria

The city-state is has attained the status of a Certificate Authorising Nation, enabling it to evaluate and certify security products under the Common Criteria standard Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

GDS cut expected benefits of troubled Gov.uk Verify system by 75%

In a highly critical report, the National Audit Office says it is 'difficult to conclude' that past decisions to continue with the flagship digital identity system have been justified Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Cyber awareness of UK boards found wanting

Boards of many of the UK’s biggest firms must do more to be cyber aware, according to a government report. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Security bets on digital risk management

RSA Security chief predicts that managing digital risk is set to become increasingly important to organisations as they complete their journeys to digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Cyber metrics need to be meaningful

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Clearer North Korean link to global infrastructure malware campaign

Researchers have uncovered clearer links between a North Korean hacking group and a cyber espionage campaign targeting government, defence, nuclear, energy and financial organisations around the world Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT Priorities 2019: APAC keeping pace with digital transformation

Digital transformation is well underway among APAC enterprises which are looking to spend more on refreshing their IT infrastructure and technologies that improve employee productivity Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Facebook asked George Osborne to influence EU data protection law

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg invited one of the chancellor’s children to Facebook’s office as part of a intensive lobbying programme to influence European data protection legislation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Duncan Campbell & Sebastian Klovig Skelton

Facebook facing 10 GDPR investigations in Ireland

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has revealed it has 10 active probes into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as Apple, LinkedIn and Twitter, on its books Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDPR: Irish Data Protection Commission may show where the WWW is heading

The Irish Data Protection Commission's (DPC) annual report makes interesting reading, given that the World Wide Web is celebrating its 30th birthday this month. People regularly give away vast ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Using simulated disaster management to tackle the security skills gap

With the increasing need for cyber security professionals, organisations are turning to new ways to address the skills gap facing the security sector Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison