IT security

Government can’t guarantee no-deal Brexit data-sharing agreement

Digital minister Margot James says there is no clear timetable on when the UK will secure a data adequacy decision from the EU, and cannot guarantee an agreement will be in place in the event of a no-deal Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Sibos 2018: ‘Black swan’ cyber event is inevitable

With security experts and bankers expecting a 9/11-style cyber event, deeper collaboration between companies and governments is necessary to identify emerging threats before they occur Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Yahoo to pay at least $85m for data breach settlement

Yahoo has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit on behalf of 200 million consumers affected by a data breach in 2013 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Datacentre glitches expose data loss risks

A new study has highlighted the fragility of corporate datacentres and the very real risk of data loss Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Interview: Steve Grobman, McAfee CTO shares his views on some burning security questions

Cyber security technology innovator and veteran Steve Grobman shares his views on adversarial artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and security for next-gen tech Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Where next for digital identity?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government hands its digital identity service, Gov.uk Verify, to the private sector, we examine the history and prospects for the troubled system. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at cloud-native architecture. And we compare the flash storage capabilities of the leading cloud providers, AWS, Azure and Google. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Morrisons loses appeal against data breach liability ruling

Supermarket chain has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling that found it liable for a data leak by a former employee, underlining the importance of managing insider threats Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Centralised identity risky and not web 3.0 friendly, says entrepreneur

User controlled identity is less risky than centralised identity and essential for the next evolution of the web, according to an entrepreneur and evangelist of self-sovereign identity and blockchain technologies Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee CTO raises concerns about election cyber security

The security industry needs to look at the security of election processes around the world as well as the security of voting and counting machines, says McAfee CTO Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Removable storage devices: Why are companies banning them?

IBM banned removable storage devices to encourage employees to use the company's internal file-sharing system. Learn how a ban like this can improve enterprise security. Continue Reading

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• Nick Lewis

Kaspersky advances plans to encourage women into cyber

Cyber security provider Kaspersky Lab has partnered with several other organisations to try to encourage more women into cyber Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

McAfee combining threat intel with AI

Simulations show that threat intelligence and artificial intelligence is a powerful combination, according to McAfee’s technology head Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Learn lessons from attacks, says McAfee investigations chief

Organisations should use every cyber attack as an opportunity to learn, identify weaknesses and improve security posture, according to McAfee’s head of cyber investigations Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee researchers uncover ‘significant’ espionage campaign

Researchers discover campaign targeting South Korea, the US and Canada with links to eight-year-old source code from a threat group that has been dormant for five years Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS standards framework aims to set the bar for quality and efficiency

NHS Digital’s standards framework sets out renewed commitment to implement and use open standards across the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Best of VMworld Europe 2018 Awards nominations now open until 26 October

Read the criteria for the Best of VMworld Europe User Awards and find out how to submit your nomination Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Time to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee CEO Chris Young

Convergence of threats and technologies and an increasingly complex regulatory environment are driving the need to implement new cyber security protections, says McAfee chief Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

'Sealed cloud' promises better data security

TÜV SÜD’s Singapore Sealed Cloud does not grant administrators access to data, reducing the possibility of hackers breaking into databases using compromised administrator credentials Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How did the IcedID and TrickBot banking Trojans join forces?

The TrickBot banking Trojan joined forces with IcedID to form a dual threat that targets victims for money. Discover how this union occurred and how it has changed their behaviors. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

APAC security spending tipped to reach new highs

Security services will be the largest and fastest-growing slice of the overall security pie in the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Detail of Dutch reaction to Russian cyber attack made public deliberately

Four Russian intelligence officials were expelled from the Netherlands after an attempted hack on the global chemical weapons watchdog. The Dutch government has been open about the detail. Continue Reading

Drilling into AI at Shell

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how oil giant Shell is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to boost workforce safety and productivity. We analyse the attempted Russian cyber attack revealed by the Dutch government. And we look at how blockchain is being used in the food and drink industry to improve supply chain management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Zero-trust security model gaining traction

The zero-trust model of security is finally gaining traction as security professionals tap into new tools and executive buy-in to support this approach in an effort to improve security posture and practices Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK faces 10 cyber attacks a week as hostile states step up hacking, says NCSC

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has thwarted more than 1,600 attacks over the past two years – many by hostile nation states Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Tech companies should not be under legal duty to remove terrorist material, says watchdog

The internet should not be a safe place for terrorists, but making it compulsory for technology companies to trawl for radical content risks interfering with the rights of innocent people, says Max Hill QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin & Fiona O'Cleirigh

Good data governance is good business

Organisations are failing to understand the importance of getting their data relationship with customers right and seeing the business opportunities that it enables, an industry analyst warns Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cost of WannaCry attack to NHS set at £92m

Department for Health and Social Care estimates the immediate cost of the May 2017 WannaCry attack on the NHS was £92m, and says it will have spent about £275m on improvements to its cyber security infrastructure by the end of 2021 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IoT firms sign up to UK security code of practice

Internet of things technology firms have begun signing up to a UK code of practice to strengthen the security of internet-connected devices. The code is expected to form the basis of an international standard Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple challenges Australia’s proposed decryption law

Tech giant Apple argued that the lack of judicial oversight could reduce customer trust and security, among other reservations over Australia’s draft decryption legislation Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

FS-ISAC awards cyber security scholarships in Europe

Five women have been awarded cyber security scholarships at FS-ISAC’s 2018 EMEA Summit Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

WikiLeaks goes public with alleged list of AWS datacentre locations and code names

Whistle-blowing website claims to have obtained a confidential document detailing code names, locations and operational details of Amazon’s datacentre portfolio Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Some 10% of user-reported emails malicious

On average, 1 in 10 user-reported emails is identified as malicious, and more than half can be tied to credential phishing, a Cofense report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Watchdog calls for clarity on Schedule 7 terrorism powers

The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has called for greater clarity over police Schedule 7 powers to seize mobile phones and computers and question people without grounds for suspicion at ports and airports Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Fiona O'Cleirigh

AI is no silver bullet for cyber security

A security expert has called for businesses to manage the risks of adopting new technologies and improve their cyber hygiene, rather than see artificial intelligence as a panacea for their security woes Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Crypto-mining malware poses as Flash updates

Cryptocurrency mining malware is posing as Flash updates that appear to be legitimate, Palo Alto Networks security researchers warn Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RATs and Mimikatz among top publicly available hacking tools

Remote access Trojans (RATs), web shells and Mimikatz among the top publicly available tools that are used in cyber attacks around the world, a five-nation cyber intelligence report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The troublesome saga of Gov.uk Verify

As the government plans to hand over its flagship identity assurance programme to the private sector, Computer Weekly looks at the history of the troubled project and how Gov.uk Verify ended up on the chopping board Continue Reading

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• Lis Evenstad

Nato to be fully operational in cyber space by 2023

Nato is aiming to achieve full operational readiness in cyber space within five years Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MEPs urge Facebook to roll out election fraud prevention measures

Facebook is coming under pressure from European lawmakers to do more to prevent its user data from being misappropriated during elections Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CW Middle East: Middle East warms to humanoid robots

Countries in the Middle East are warming to humanoid robotics, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence as these technologies become widely accepted globally. Also in this issue, read why Saudi Arabia has called on London’s fintechs to set up in the country with the promise of government support, and find out how the Gulf Warehousing Company has introduced cloud-based technology to replace paper processes used by its HR department. Continue Reading

Dropping commercial open source lowers PaaS costs at Fidelity

Investment company Fidelity has created an on-premise PaaS for its in-house developer teams using the open source Cloud Foundry platform Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Optus to acquire Hivint in cyber security deal

The deal is expected to bolster the telco’s security pedigree in a market that is grappling with more data breaches and cyber incidents Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Detail of Dutch reaction to Russian cyber attack made public deliberately

Four Russian intelligence officials were expelled from the Netherlands after an attempted hack on the global chemical weapons watchdog. The Dutch government has been open about the detail Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

GDS must share the lessons of Verify - good and bad - to boost the digital identity ecosystem

Depending on your perspective, Gov.uk Verify is now either secure in its future at the heart of the UK’s emerging digital identity ecosystem, or it has one foot in the grave and is on the way to ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Bug bounties not a silver bullet, Katie Moussouris warns

Targeted bug bounties have a role to play in cyber security, but they are not a "silver bullet", and run the risk of wiping out talent pipelines if poorly implemented, warns bug bounty pioneer Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC head says attribution of GRU attacks important

The head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has described the attribution of a wave of cyber attacks to Russia’s military intelligence service as “historically important” at a conference in Poland Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore extends reach of digital ID system with cloud

GovTech is using AWS to host a developer platform that enables government agencies and businesses to develop services that build on the upcoming National Digital Identity system Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Government to end investment in Gov.uk Verify digital identity system

Cabinet Office announces 18-month transition to hand troubled identity assurance programme over to private sector Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Picking the right focus for web application security testing

Deciding which web applications on which to focus application security testing is a challenging task. Read this list of considerations to ensure you're addressing the right areas. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Security Think Tank: Monitoring key to outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based, and how can an organisation test if its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Ramsés Gallego, Isaca

Cooperation vital in cyber security, says former Estonian minister

States acting alone cannot be efficient in cyber security and need to cooperate with others to build trust, says a former foreign minister of Estonia Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Consumer Google+ dumped in favour of enterprise focus

Google+ will no longer be offered to consumers, following a security audit. Instead, the company plans to flesh out an enterprise social media strategy Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

High Court blocks Google iPhone privacy lawsuit

The UK High Court has thrown out a group action lawsuit against Google for tracking iPhone browsing data, but campaign group Google You Owe Us, which brought the litigation, will appeal the decision Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NCSC head calls for technocratic partnership to fix cyber risks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is appealing for collaboration with the technology industry to remedy key vulnerabilities in current IT Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Airbus secures European institutions against cyber threat

Airbus CyberSecurity has partnered with Atos to help protect 17 European government institutes from cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO hits Heathrow Airport with £120,000 data breach fine over lost USB stick

Information Commissioner’s Office fines airport after a member of the public came across a USB stick containing sensitive personal information about airport staff Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Customers need to be at the centre of GDPR plans

Responding to a breach is not just about data, it is about taking care of, and protecting, customers Continue Reading

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• Dominic Cockram, Deloitte

Security Think Tank: Enable outcomes-based security in software development

What is the first step towards moving from a tick box approach to security to one that is outcomes based, and how can an organisation test if its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Google Safety Center goes live in the UK

Google says its commitment to transparency is as strong as ever as its new Safety Center goes live in the UK to help keep businesses and consumers safe online Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Amazon and Apple deny claims Chinese government bugged their servers

Amazon and Apple have publicly refuted a Bloomberg report that claims their servers were tampered with and bugged during the manufacturing process Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Security Think Tank: C-suite needs to drive outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Russian cyber crime sends us crackers

The UK government has condemned Russia’s military intelligence service for a variety of cyber attacks in its routinely stern way, but at this point, we might as well be told about this kind of ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Security Serious Unsung Heroes announced

Awards celebrate the people of the cyber security industry on the front lines of organisations battling cyber threats Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How does stegware malware exploit steganography techniques?

Researchers at the 2018 RSA Conference discussed the increasing availability of malware that uses steganography, dubbed stegware. Discover how this works with expert Nick Lewis. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

How is Android Accessibility Service affected by a banking Trojan?

ThreatFabric researchers uncovered MysteryBot, Android malware that uses overlay attacks to avoid detection. Learn how this malware affects Google's Android Accessibility Service. Continue Reading

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• Nick Lewis

Security Think Tank: Use Cyber Essentials to kick-start outcomes-based security

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Business email compromise made easy for cyber criminals

Poor security practices and access to hacking services are making it easy for cyber criminals to compromise business email, research reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apps are gateway to business data for cyber attackers

Application security is becoming increasingly important because apps are often the main way cyber attackers are getting into corporate networks, a threat researcher warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK and allies accuse Russia of cyber attack campaign

The UK National Cyber Security Centre has identified a campaign by the Russian military intelligence service of “indiscriminate and reckless” cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How Starbucks is using Splunk to automate mundane security tasks

Coffee giant Starbucks is using Splunk to automate some of its more tedious security tasks to reduce the workload for its cyber staff Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Companies failing to recognise the internal cyber threat

The focus at many companies is on external cyber threats, and internal threats are being overlooked as a consequence, a researcher warns Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Majority of businesses believe they are open to cyber attack

More than two-thirds of businesses believe their network is open to attack, a report on the state of web application security reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Rise in data-stealing Betabot malware

Researchers are warning about an increase in Betabot malware after detecting multiple infections in recent weeks, underlining the importance of software patching Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI full of possibilities with the right tools and understanding

Artificial intelligence has the potential to assist in the analysis of data in a range of topics, but businesses need to understand its limitations and have the right tools to get the most benefit, says a Swiss entrepreneur Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Shift to outcomes-based security by focusing on business needs

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

How Bank of England is using Splunk for proactive security

Head of the Bank of England’s security operations centre talks about how Splunk is helping it to take a more proactive approach to preventing cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Everyone, everywhere is responsible for IIoT cyber security

Cyber security in the industrial internet of things is not limited to a single company, industry or region – it is an international threat to public safety, and can only be addressed through collaboration that extends beyond borders and competitive interests Continue Reading

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• Andrew Kling, The Open Group

Security Think Tank: Start outcomes-based security with asset identification

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes-based and how can an organisation test whether its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

UK firms’ password security score ‘average’

While businesses are making strides in strengthening password security, there is more work to be done, with the UK password score lagging behind the frontrunners, a survey shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SamSam ransomware: How is this version different from others?

Sophos recently discovered a SamSam extortion code that performs company-wide attacks using a range of vulnerability exploits. Discover how this version differs from past variants. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

Tesco Bank gets first cyber-related FCA fine

UK’s financial watchdog issues its first cyber-related fine to Tesco Bank in connection with a multimillion-pound cyber fraud in 2016 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Security governance key to outcomes-based approach

What is the first step towards moving from a tick-box approach to security to one that is outcomes based, and how can an organisation test if its security defences are delivering the desired outcome? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Facebook could face up to $1.6bn fine for data breach

Facebook is under increased pressure to demonstrate that users’ personal data is protected as it faces a potential fine of more than a billion dollars for a data breach affecting millions of users Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Keeping Commvault on its toes in ASEAN

Backup and data protection software supplier is going after mid-sized companies and renewing its focus on partners to make deeper inroads in Southeast Asia Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

EU sees eIDAS regulation come into full force

A regulation aimed at cutting red tape to enable a digital single market in Europe will soon be in full force, but it could present some challenges to the UK after Brexit Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data analytics cuts queues and flight delays at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport

Aeroporti di Roma’s CIO, Emiliano Sorrenti, describes how the city’s main airport is using data analytics technology to reduce delays and queue times, securing it an industry award for customer service Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How can live chat widgets leak personal employee data?

Project Insecurity researchers found live chat software leaking personal employee data. Learn how attackers can use this leaked information and data to hurt organizations. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

Cyber attackers are increasingly exploiting RDP, warns FBI

Businesses should to act to reduce the likelihood of compromise from cyber attackers exploiting the remote desktop protocol, warns the FBI Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

It’s time to redefine shadow IT

Among the findings of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) that looked into the massive SingHealth data breach was the startling fact that a non-IT staff was tasked with managing the server which was ... Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Blockchain is no ‘magic wand’ for cyber security

The decentralised nature of blockchain networks may deter some cyber crooks, but ASEAN organisations still need to pay heed to the security of their blockchain infrastructure Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Network growth brings management challenges

As enterprise networks grow, so do the challenges of managing them effectively, says a report compiled by Oracle’s communications unit Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Business is at inflection point for proactive cyber security

The time is ripe for proactive cyber security, but many organisations must first overcome four key obstacles to achieve effective protection, according to a research report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Explosion in fake data-stealing shopping sites

Cyber attackers are ramping up efforts to steal personal data by setting up look-alike domains that pose a phishing risk to online shoppers, researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norwegian state discusses vulnerabilities with IT sector

Government is collaborating with the country’s IT industry to improve the availability of security expertise Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Replication won’t protect VMs against ransomware

Seamless replication is among the benefits of virtualisation, but many organisations fail to back up virtual machines properly Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Prepare now for quantum computers, QKD and post-quantum encryption

The predicted processing power of quantum computers is likely to make existing encryption algorithms obsolete. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a possible solution - we investigate whether QKD is viable Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Uber fined $148m for data breach cover-up

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian teen Apple hacker avoids jail time

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO threatens fines for outstanding fees

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst