IT security

Cyber weapons readily available to criminals, researchers warn

Security researchers have discovered an attack campaign infrastructure designed to scan, brute-force and infect tens of thousands of MS-SQL and PHPMyAdmin servers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT in the Tory Candidates' Manifestos

I added a comment on Dominic Rabb's inclusion of degree apprenticeships in his call for Fairness and Choice to my recent blog on the IfA apprenticeship review.  In his opening campaign letter Rory ... Continue Reading

By

• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

ICO to shortlist Sandbox applicants

Privacy watchdog’s Sandbox service aims to help develop innovative and beneficial products and services that are privacy compliant Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Perfect storm for data science in security

After nearly 20 years of research, the perfect storm of computing technologies is finally enabling data science to realise its potential to make valuable contributions to improving cyber security capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Many search engine users unaware of personal data collection

Many users of online search engines are still unaware that data is being collected about them for personalised advertising, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch IT security firm dumps corporate structure

Boss of Netherlands-based Computest turns to self-management model to make company more nimble Continue Reading

By

• Kin Loohuis

Australian firms coming to grips with AI ethics

Australian businesses are warming up to AI, but just two in five have standards and guidelines for AI ethics, a study finds Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Just over half of UK firms don’t have a cyber resilience plan

Many UK firms still lack cyber resilience and data protection capabilities covering email a year after the implementation of the GDPR aimed at improving personal data protection Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR: Are we there yet?

A full year since the General Data Protection Regulation was implemented, there has not been the severe punitive action expected by many and personal data breaches continue to happen, leaving many wondering if any progress has been made Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Effect of GDPR yet to be felt, says law firm Hogan Lovells

Despite the fact that the GDPR has been in full effect for a year, the true effect of the regulation is yet to be felt and organisations should ensure they keep their eye on the ball, says leading privacy law firm Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

No real change a year into GDPR, says privacy expert

A year after the GDPR compliance deadline, many organisations still have a lot of work to do to make real changes and shift focus away from fines to business value and gain, says PwC’s GDPR and data protection lead Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SurveyMonkey opens Dublin datacentre region to court data-security conscious enterprises in Europe

Online survey software provider SurveyMonkey is on a Europe-wide enterprise charm offensive, and is focusing on winning over CIOs with the offer to locally host their data within its European datacentre region Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Arm China seeks solutions to US export controls with Huawei

Chip design firm in communication with Huawei-owned semiconductor firm HiSilicon following US move to halt exports of US technology to Chinese tech giant Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

IBM’s investment in automation pays off in GDPR’s first year

The first year of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation has demonstrated the value of IBM’s investment in machine learning-based automation and the importance of having the right strategy and systems in place, according to the firm’s data protection officer Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lapse in LinkedIn security certificate update

A lapse in the update of LinkedIn’s security certificate has once again underlined the importance of keeping track to avoid disruptions and phishing attacks, and how even big players are failing to get it right Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: Nordea links up with IBM to meet fintech challenge

IBM’s €473m managed services contract with Nordea reflects an increasing trend among Nordic banks to outsource more of their IT to help meet the challenge of fintechs. Also read how a shortage of women in the boardroom is a problem in the Nordics but the tech sector points to a more promising future, and find out why the Norwegian government has launched a regulatory sandbox for the fintech sector. Continue Reading

Police shut down Bestmixer bitcoin laundering service

The Bestmixer cryptocurrency laundering service has been shut down by Dutch anti-fraud police with support from Europol after a tip off by cyber security researchers at McAfee, significantly disrupting cyber criminal money flows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TalkTalk admits new failings in 2015 data breach notification

TalkTalk’s failure to notify all those affected by its 2015 data breach highlights the importance of data visibility so that breach notifications are fast and accurate – a key requirement of the GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore proposes data portability provisions

The Personal Data Protection Commission is seeking public feedback on proposed provisions that will let consumers move their personal data across organisations Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Effective IT segregation must involve the business

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• RV Raghu, ISACA

What the UK can learn from the Nordics when it comes to digital ID

The UK and other countries can learn from the Nordic region when it comes to digital identity Continue Reading

By

• John Erik Setsaas

US grants Huawei stay of execution

US Commerce Department temporarily restores Huawei’s ability to maintain its existing networks and smartphone user base Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch lecturer researches the person behind the cyber criminal

Dutch academic is trying to get inside the mind of cyber criminals by understanding what makes them tick Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Planned UK age verification checks risky for internet users

Proposed controversial online age verification checks could increase the risk of identity theft and other cyber crimes, warn security experts, who advise parents to set technological boundaries and ensure their families are aware of risks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: In-app segregation more intelligent and permissive

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Cyber security scholarships on offer in Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast is backing the cyber security sector with funding for master of science scholarships Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 16

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna are joined by prolific Downtime author Ryan Priest to discuss retail sustainability, internet influencers and the tech battle between China and the US Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Security Think Tank: IT asset separation is a risk-based decision

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Deshini Newman, (ISC)²

Danske Bank launches initiative to help SME customers with cyber security

Danske Bank launches initiative to support the cyber security efforts of its SME customers Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

GDPR an opportunity to improve data systems and processes

A year after the official implementation of the GDPR, it is important to highlight the positive opportunities that compliance provides and the insights breach reports are providing, say Deloitte consultants Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google cuts off Huawei from Android ecosystem

Google decision follows an executive order signed by President Trump, but Huawei insists US businesses and consumers will be the real losers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO to support GDPR certification schemes

The UK data protection watchdog is accepting enquiries from organisations considering developing GDPR certification schemes, which the ICO says could help recipients achieve competitive advantage Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Challenges of segregation

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Identity custodians needed in digital era

Digital identity systems will fail if they do not take humans into account, warns identity innovator, suggesting that a ‘digital guardian’ could help overcome most of these challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GozNym bust underlines cyber crime threat

A criminal network using GozNym malware has been shut down in an international law enforcement operation, but others are still operating, underlining the need for vigilance, warns a security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Vulnerability assessment done. Now what?

Vulnerability assessment establishes the current state of an organisation’s cyber security, but to meet industry best practices, companies should go beyond that to achieve continuous improvement Continue Reading

By

• Sam Bocetta

Trump bans ‘adversary’ tech from US telecoms in blow at Huawei

US president announced ban on telecoms equipment from designated “adversary” states, including China Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Are there any positives from the first year of GDPR?

A year has passed since the new EU data protection law came into force. What have we learned in that time that can help organisations deliver benefits from the regulation? Continue Reading

By

• Elle Todd, Reed Smith

Norwegian industry and state must combine to counter cyber threats

Norway has been targeted by two large ransomware attacks in recent months – and public and private organisations must react in a coordinated way Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Self-sovereign ID key to data privacy

Coupling self-sovereign identity with insights from research on consumer identity management may be the key to personalising products and services without putting people at risk, says industry analyst Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fujitsu sets out to restore trust in technology

Trust in technology, how to recapture it, and how to ensure AI doesn’t overstep its bounds were the big messages on the opening day of Fujitsu Forum in Tokyo Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Proper segregation is more important than ever

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Facebook engaged in ‘calculated’ campaign to eliminate competition, claims businessman

A US businessman is seeking damages from Facebook after accusing the social media company of unfairly blocking “humorous” Facebook pages which generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Sebastian Klovig Skelton

Microsoft working to support decentralised identity

Microsoft is among the big tech players aiming to help enable personalisation of products and services without putting privacy at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Implement multifactor authentication, urges expert panel

Multifactor authentication should be a top priority for organisations to defend users from cyber attacks, coupled with zero-trust architecture and artificial intelligence-based technologies, says expert panel Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Understanding tech is key to effective data segregation

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

APAC firms on the back foot in cyber security

Most Asia-Pacific organisations did not consider cyber security until after their digital transformation projects had begun, new survey finds Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Digital business is connected business, says KuppingerCole

Businesses need to unlock data, rethink identity and access management, and capitalise on artificial intelligence in the digital era, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Electronic ID in the Nordics – a model for other countries?

Use of electronic identity schemes in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark is far ahead of other countries – but why? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cruickshank

Spyware targets WhatsApp users

Social media platform issues update after it discovered a flaw being exploited by commercial spyware Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: How to realise the benefits of security zoning

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

National Crime Agency calls for additional funding to tackle 21st century crime

Organised criminal gangs represent the biggest cyber threat to the UK, and law enforcement has identified rogue servers hosted in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security standard for surveillance cameras set for launch

A long-overdue cyber security standard for the manufacturer of surveillance cameras is on track for an official launch in June Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Benefits and challenges of security segmentation

What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Debugging bug bounty programmes

Bug bounty programmes have recently become a popular method of vulnerability management, but poor programme management can lead to development teams becoming overwhelmed and bugs being missed Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Security Think Tank: Surviving the existential cyber punch, part 3

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

By

• Gregory Touhill, ISACA

Key lessons from an ethical hacker

Understanding hacker techniques and processes is the best way to defend against cyber attacks, and focusing on business risks is the best way to get security budget, according to an ethical hacker Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch businesses not yet implementing NIS Directive

Little urgency to comply with the Network and Information Systems Security Act, which seeks to protect the Netherlands’ vital infrastructure and digital services from cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Facebook co-founder: ‘It is time to break up Facebook’

Co-founder of Facebook, Chris Hughes, has published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for Facebook to be broken up, as it faces investigations from the US Federal Trade Commission Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor
• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Northern Ireland generating cyber security knowledge and jobs

Northern Ireland is establishing itself as an international hub of cyber security research and innovation, providing growing employment opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Some Australian firms still in the dark about cyber security

A report suggesting Australian firms are experiencing fewer cyber incidents has left its co-author perplexed with the findings Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Dutch developer offers businesses nuclear security option for communications

 Continue Reading

Young Dutch cyber criminals get re-education rather than jail time

 Continue Reading

Gov.uk Verify is the Theresa May of digital government

Gov.uk Verify is the Theresa May of digital government. The embattled Prime Minister faces calls to quit from all around – her own Conservative MPs, grassroots Tory activists, the right-wing press ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Gov.uk Verify has 'failed users' and its leaders lack accountability, say MPs

Public Accounts Committee slams government's flagship digital identity service after a ‘catalogue of problems’ Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Time to start thinking about AI regulation, says KuppingerCole

Organisations and individuals should think about regulating artificial intelligence to avoid sleepwalking into a future regulated by these technologies, says analyst Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals targeting C-suite, DBIR shows

Executives and cloud-based services are gaining popularity as targets for cyber criminals, according to the latest data breach investigations report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Privileged access management moving to cloud

Survey shows nearly half of information security professionals are either planning to move privileged access management to the cloud or are exploring the possibility Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top lessons learned from cyber attacks

Cyber security experts weigh in on lessons learned from cyber attack experiences, underlining that recovery capability is as important as defence Continue Reading

Nurturing innovation at DWP

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the Department for Work and Pensions’ Innovation Dojo and how it’s helping to try out new digital ideas. We look at Anthos, Google’s new multicloud platform which the supplier claims will redefine enterprise IT. And we report from the NCSC cyber security conference, where experts discussed the lessons learned from recent high-profile attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

HMRC begins deleting unlawful voice biometric data

HM Revenue and Customs is to forge ahead with Voice ID despite beginning to delete the largest state-held voice biometric database gathered without consent after UK privacy and data protection watchdog issues order Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AWS to power Australia’s 2021 online census

PwC Australia, one of two firms appointed by the government to run the next Census, will build and operate an online form and a website on Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Zero trust: A 21st century security model

Traditional corporate security models date back to a time when there were fewer, lower-level threats, but a zero trust model is better suited to the 21st century, according to the originator of the idea Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norsk Hydro urges caution as it counts cost of cyber attack

Norwegian aluminium giant Norsk Hydro is urging partners to be cautious in the wake of a damaging ransomware attack in March as financial impact estimates come in above initial estimates Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police down two dark web markets

Europol-supported coordinated law enforcement approach across Europe and the US was key to operations’ success Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore rolls out blockchain platform for verifying educational certificates

Employers in the city-state can now use the OpenCerts platform to verify the qualifications of employees and new hires Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Firms urged to embrace positive security trends to win cyber war

Modern cyber security challenges overshadow the information security successes of the past, but several positive trends are emerging as defenders come to grips with new threats, says Deloitte Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei furore leads inevitably to a global polarisation of the tech sector

The sacking of defence minister Gavin Williamson is another indication of how technology is influencing politics, and vice versa. While his crime was to leak details from a national security ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Microservices introduce hidden security complexity, analyst warns

Microservice architecture – an approach to application development in which applications are built as a suite of modular services – simplifies development but complicates security, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses unprepared for cyber breaches

Study shows many organisations lack IT security and operations basics, including visibility across their IT operations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why IT departments miss basic IT security hygiene

IT departments are failing to patch security holes in software because of a disconnect between security and operations teams, survey finds Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Defence secretary sacked over Huawei leak

Defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been sacked after leaking confidential discussions over the use of Huawei networking equipment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BSA releases framework for secure software

Software industry advocacy group releases framework to facilitate flexible and comprehensive software security assessments Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Get more proactive on cyber security, says ex Europol chief

Business needs to get more proactive, collaborative, resilient and analytical to manage cyber risks posed by cyber criminals down to acceptable levels, says former Europol chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Protecting your digital assets: Why it pays to invest in cyber insurance

Cyber insurance offers financial protection against the worst happening to a company’s data and digital assets, and is something few businesses can afford to be without Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Burns

UK gears up for new laws on IoT security

The UK plans to introduce measures to require that basic cyber security features are built into internet-connected devices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals increase use of fileless attacks

Fileless attacks are increasingly popular with cyber criminals, while Russia and China top the league of nation state data exfiltrators, threat data shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Inside Huawei

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit the new campus of Chinese networking supplier Huawei to find out what the firm thinks of the controversy raging about the security of its products. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the technologies and best practices in storage optimisation. And we look at the latest opportunities for making the most of technology in schools. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Most businesses vulnerable to supply chain cyber attacks

UK firms trail the leaders US and Germany in knowing the most about their partners’ cyber security practices, but most companies globally are in the dark about this growing source of vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 13

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team are joined by security editor Warwick Ashford to talk about his time at the CyberUK conferences, as well as connected cars, education in the UK, and Brian McKenna’s trip to China Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

Nearly half of UK IT pros report serious data breaches

Integration of security systems and employee training recognised as key ways to reduce the growing severity of data breaches Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Privacy and data protection an opportunity, says entrepreneur

Organisations should see data protection and privacy compliance as an opportunity to build trust with customers, according to startup One.Thing.Less Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fix the basics first, then worry about AI, advise experts

The freedom of the internet is at risk, with the cyber arms race and the industrialisation of hacking are set to continue as attackers move up the value chain to target trust mechanisms, threat experts predict Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australians lost half a billion dollars to scams in 2018

Most of the losses went to investment scams as tricksters found innovative ways to dupe victims into parting with their money Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Facebook faces fresh privacy actions from regulators

Facebook faces legal action from Canada after it dismissed regulators’ findings that it failed to protect customer privacy. The firm has set aside $5bn to settle a privacy action in the US and faces a new investigation in Ireland Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Security Think Tank: Surviving the existential cyber punch part 2

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

By

• Gregory Touhill, ISACA

Top lessons from cyber attacks

Cyber security experts weigh in on lessons learned from cyber attack experiences, underlining that recovery capability is as important as defence Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei leak inquiry launched

Cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill has instituted an inquiry aimed at discovering who leaked confidential discussions about UK mobile operators’ use of Huawei in their future 5G networks to the press Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDPR cases drive bigger budgets for Nordic regulators

High-profile General Data Protection Regulation cases in Finland and Sweden have increased the workload for regulators, which are to receive an increase in funding Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Public becoming more aware of privacy abuses and unethical tech

Widespread abuses of privacy, biometric information and artificial intelligence mean the internet is in poor health, but growing popular awareness of its problems gives some cause for hope, says the Mozilla Foundation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor