IT security

TSB customers can use their faces to authenticate payments

Bank’s latest addition to its mobile apps is a facial recognition option for Apple iPhone X users Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Benelux: Young wayward hackers could help fill Dutch IT skills gap

In this issue, read how an initiative in Rotterdam is helping young people get into the IT sector by targeting those overlooked by traditional methods. Also find out how Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is utilising open source software to create and use a multi-cloud platform with an open API, and how the Netherlands’ Rabobank has moved from tape libraries and robotic arms to a platform-based storage and retrieval system. Continue Reading

GDPR fines may affect almost 80% of US firms, poll shows

Most US companies risk fines for non-compliance with new European data protection laws that apply to all organisations processing any personal data of EU citizens Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A guide for businesses to China’s first cyber security law

Companies that break China’s new cyber security law may be fined or even have their licence to trade in the country removed Continue Reading

By

• Nick Beckett, CMS

Go beyond GDPR for a competitive edge

By exceeding the bare minimum requirements set by privacy regulations, businesses can win customers by offering greater assurances, says a business adviser Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses unprepared for cyber attacks, warn cyber professionals

Businesses are nowhere near prepared enough for a cyber attack, according to a poll of information and security professionals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dmarc email validation – we're doing it all wrong

Dmarc is a hugely important way to reduce email fraud – just ask HMRC – but it also makes email marketing campaigns far more effective Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tucker, Human Firewall

Infosec pros urged to demonstrate value to business

Information security professionals have been urged to help business understand the value of what they do and the importance of security and privacy Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Personal data of 46.2 million Malaysia mobile subscribers leaked

The massive data breach is yet another example of a ‘low and slow’ attack that stays dormant inside networks for years, without anyone noticing Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

IT rules the waves in the Volvo Ocean Race

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we go behind the scenes at the Volvo Ocean Race to see the technology connecting fans and organisers to the seven yachts on a 45,000-mile round-the-world voyage. A newly discovered security vulnerability puts every Wi-Fi network at risk of attack – we examine the problem and the solutions. And we find out how the Mercedes F1 team used big data analytics to win this year’s F1 constructors’ championship. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cyber security professionals urged to embrace AI and automation

IBM security intelligence head says professionals should embrace artificial intelligence and automation to ensure they do not become obsolete Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Deloitte sponsorship helps progress of Bletchley cyber school

Sponsorship will provide hundreds of places on online Qufaro CyberEPQ course Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Airbus saves millions after building a digital learning library

Airbus has created a digital learning library that is helping more than 100,000 staff in 35 countries keep their skills updated Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

NAO calls on NHS to ‘get its act together’ after WannaCry attack

The NHS could have prevented the WannaCry cyber attack had it followed basic IT security best practice, according to National Audit Office boss Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

IOActive warns of security flaws in maritime communication system

Researcher discovers critical security flaws in an Inmarsat maritime communication system, highlighting the cyber risks facing the shipping industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Kaspersky Lab explains how NSA data was uploaded

Malware detection triggered an upload of data from a National Security Agency contractor’s home computer, Kaspersky Lab says an internal investigation has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Oversight of intelligence agencies’ data sharing has ‘failed’, court hears

UK’s intelligence services lack adequate oversight and written guidelines when sharing databases of sensitive information, Privacy International argues in secret court Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

A history of hacking and hackers

A security professional’s view on criminal hacking has shifted away from the traditional stereotype of the hacker, towards a much more diverse cross-section of wider society Continue Reading

By

• Danny Moules

Bad Rabbit malware raises fears of third global ransomware attack

A ransomware attack that has commonalities with WannaCry NotPeya is reportedly hitting organisations in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria and Germany Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nearly 200 arrested for airline ticketing fraud

Police have arrested nearly 200 people for airline ticketing fraud in an international operation involving public and private sector organisations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Almost 70% of customers willing to use fingerprint biometrics to shop

Consumers are becoming more comfortable using biometrics to pay when shopping, with fingerprint payments proving the most popular biometric identification method Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Where will artificial intelligence take us?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, artificial intelligence (AI) enthusiasts and sceptics debate the opportunities and risks of the much-hyped technology – we listen in to the House of Lords investigation. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the benefits and challenges of cloud-native applications. And we look at the best practice in defending email systems from cyber attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nordic finance watchdogs losing patience over anti-money laundering systems at banks

The financial services watchdogs have informed banks that they have to do more to improve anti-money laundering systems Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

IT security hindering productivity and innovation, survey shows

IT security is hindering productivity and innovation across enterprises, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Infoblox partners with McAfee to combine web and DNS security

Infoblox is to collaborate with McAfee to combine web and DNS security to deliver unified protection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee forges ahead with analytics, deep learning and AI

McAfee is forging ahead with its innovation efforts in advanced analytics, deep learning and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Focus needs to shift to breach impact, says McAfee researcher

Breach investigations commonly focus on the attackers and their motives, but a security researcher believes there needs to be more emphasis on business impact Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Shadow Cabinet Office minister slams Gov.uk Verify for being ‘inefficient’

Labour’s Jon Trickett says the government’s identity assurance platform is a poor use of taxpayers’ money and is “being handled appallingly” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

RSA’s Middle East cyber security conference gains its own identity

RSA Abu Dhabi conference focuses on region’s cyber security needs as digital technology deployments expand Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW500: How the NHS WannaCry cyber attack unfolded

NHS Digital’s head of security talks about the security landscape in the NHS and why it led to extra challenges when the WannaCry cyber attack hit the NHS in May 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK intelligence agencies ‘unlawfully’ sharing sensitive personal data, court hears

A secret court will decide whether Intelligence agencies are “unlawfully” sharing huge datasets containing sensitive information about the population with industry, government departments and overseas intelligence services. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Julia Gregory

Encryption flaw leaves every Wi-Fi network in the world wide open

A Belgian researcher has uncovered a major weakness in the WPA2 Wi-Fi security protocol that is thought to leave every Wi-Fi network in the world open to attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pizza Hut data breach shows need for board control

The poor handling of the data breach by fast food chain Pizza Hut shows that company boards need to take control, a London-based law firm advises Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SMEs more vulnerable than ever to cyber attacks, survey shows

The biggest cyber threat to UK and US small businesses is employees’ weak passwords, as the frequency, intensity and cost of cyber attacks continue to rise, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Middle East: Internet of things can help Gulf countries to diversify

The Middle East’s push towards economic diversification is driving innovation in internet of things (IoT) applications for emerging services sectors, such as transport and logistics, telecommunications, financial services and tourism. Also read how the Dubai Health Authority is rolling out Salama, a unified electronic medical record (EMR) system, and a survey shows organisations in the Middle East are not offering IT staff enough training and don’t employ enough women in IT. Continue Reading

CW500: A perfect storm – the cyber attack that hit Parliament

The former director of the Parliamentary Digital Service shares details and lessons learned from the cyber attack that hit UK parliament in June and explains why it was a “good experience” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Will the review of Gov.uk Verify fix the UK's digital identity problems?

The rumoured review of the UK government’s identity assurance programme provides the ideal opportunity to fix problems and accelerate progress Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden

Dutch government agreement increasingly focuses on IT security

The coalition government in the Netherlands has agreed its plan for the next four years, with IT security prominent Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Global cyber security collaboration initiative launched in Krakow

Cyber security ecosystems around the world have launched an initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration between regional ecosystems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore’s public sector finds agility and speed in AWS

City-state’s government has been able to meet peak demands and address security issues through a cloud-based web-hosting platform powered by Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How Australia is tackling cyber crime

Telcos such as Telstra and industry associations in Australia are chipping in to help enterprises that are being targeted by cyber criminals with phishing and social engineering exploits Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Yahoo breach affected 3 billion accounts

Yahoo’s personal data breach affected three billion user accounts, the company’s new owners have revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security industry key to solving skills gap

In the face of a growing shortage of cyber security skills around the world, the security industry itself needs to do more to attract people Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Where the device hits the network – a mobile device management update

As business becomes increasingly mobile, we look at the latest trends in mobile device management to give businesses the edge Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

WannaCry an example of pseudo-ransomware, says McAfee

The global WannaCry and NotPetya attacks were both examples of pseudo-ransomware, according to McAfee researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Large scale IoT deployments double in 12 months

Vodafone’s fifth annual look at the IoT market reveals that the percentage of companies with more than 50,000 connected devices has effectively doubled in the past year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global hacker botnet tops 6 million hijacked devices

A year after the first Mirai botnet attacks, the global botnet has grown, with many countries and cities unwittingly hosting large number of bot-infected devices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How printers can be a launchpad for malware attacks

HP continues to shine a spotlight on print security with the recent announcement of embedded print security features that aim to mitigate the threat of malware. So how vulnerable are printers to ... Continue Reading

By

• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

Mac OS passwords at risk of theft, researcher warns

Some Apple Mac users are at risk of password theft due to a zero-day vulnerability discovered in some versions of the operating system Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cage director found guilty of terrorism offence after refusing to disclose passwords

Muhammad Rabbani, international director of Cage, is convicted of an offence under the terrorism act after refusing to disclose his mobile phone PIN and laptop password under Terrorism Act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NotPetya attack cost up to £15m, says UK ad agency WPP

Advertising giant was one of many companies hit in June 2017 by malware distributed through Ukrainian accounting software Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: Strike a business balance with ERP

Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications are growing in popularity, yet they don’t fit every need. In this month’s issue of CW ASEAN, we delve deeper into the motivations for adopting cloud-ERP systems in Southeast Asia, the limitations of the technology and what enterprises need to consider before jumping on the bandwagon. Also, find out what Dell EMC is doing to tackle the Asia-Pacific market, and how NTT Docomo is using SAP Hana to improve customer service. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Malware hidden in CCleaner targeted tech firms

Major tech firms were targeted by malware hidden in Avast’s Piriform CCleaner software, researchers have found, leading to speculation that it may have been state-sponsored espionage attack Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nation-state actors responsible for most cyber attacks

Companies of all sizes may find themselves faced with highly capable state-sponsored cyber attacks, but steps can be taken to shore up defences Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Most UK councils hit by cyber attacks

A study has revealed that most UK local authorities have suffered cyber attacks in the past year, showing local government is a key target for cyber criminals and that legacy software is a top security concern Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber crime a significant risk to individuals and organisations

Cyber crime is still a significant risk to individuals and organisations, a report claims, with the top threats including business email compromise, ransomware, and banking and mobile malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Can DevOps deliver on its productivity promises?

DevOps and agile working are often cited as key elements of successful digital transformation – in this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the challenges to delivering on that promise. Many retailers are investing in emerging technologies to gain an edge – but are they getting too far ahead of the curve? And we hear how a new spirit of collaboration could help UK broadband roll-out. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Technology moving to the centre of Brexit debate

Slowly, technology issues are rising to centre of the Brexit debate – as they should. This week saw the publication of the UK government’s Data Protection Bill – our implementation of the European ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government aligns data laws with GDPR

The UK government announces details of its data protection law that will align with the EU’s GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Europe: The Macedonian surveillance scandal that brought down a government

In this issue, we look at evidence that Macedonia may have been running covert internet surveillance using sophisticated software supplied by a western technology company. We also look at how politics is changing IT buying habits in France, with French CIOs looking at alternatives to storing data with US-based suppliers as a result of one of President Trump’s executive orders. Download the issue now. Continue Reading

Government wants to remain in EU cyber security club after Brexit

The UK government wants to maintain deep links with the European Union’s cyber security working groups following Britain’s exit from the bloc in 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Millions of customer records compromised in Equifax breach

Major security breach unfolded over a two-month period, and is thought to have affected 143 million customers in the US, as well as an undisclosed number of Britons and Canadians Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

People with non-IT backgrounds could help fill cyber security skills gap

Organisations should look to fill cyber security roles with people who are curious and have work experience rather than focusing solely on graduates Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Content delivery innovation improves user experience for e-tailer

WorldStores Group, the owner of a number of online home and lifestyle retail brands, has transformed its customer experience with enhanced content delivery capabilities from Instart Logic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Instagram fixes API blamed for celebrity data leaks

Instagram says it has fixed the API responsible for enabling hackers to access some personal details of high-profile users of the service Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Researcher finds over 711 million compromised email accounts

A security researcher has discovered a spambot using more than 711 million compromised email accounts to spread data-stealing malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

VMware making bigger push into cloud, cyber security

The virtualisation bigwig is making it easier for VMware customers to adopt public cloud services, starting with a partnership with Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security professionals name top causes of breaches

Security professionals have named the top reasons for successful cyber attacks, which are affecting more than half of organisations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: Banks and startups increase collaboration

First they were deemed a threat, now they are potential partners. According to a new report by Nordic accelerator Fintech Mundi, banks are increasingly turning to financial technology (fintech) startups in their hunt for new ideas and market opportunities. Also in this issue, read now Baker Brun, a bakery company in Norway, is modernising its business processes through the latest technologies, and hear how Stockholm’s CIO is relishing the challenge of trying to make the Swedish capital the smartest city in the world. Continue Reading

UK business welcomes government post-Brexit data sharing plan

Business has welcomed government proposals for data protection to enable unhindered data sharing with the EU after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial robots a security risk, warns IOActive

Some of the most popular industrial and domestic robot brands have various vulnerabilities that could by exploited by cyber attackers, a research paper warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How banking technology has changed since the crash

In this week’s Computer Weekly, 10 years after the financial crash, we examine how banking technology has changed as a result of the economic crisis. We look at how GDPR, the EU’s new data protection laws, will affect your data storage strategies. And we ask if the cryptocurrency boom will remain a niche pursuit or whether the underlying technologies can bring benefits for enterprise IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NotPetya highlights cyber risk in shipping industry

Malware attack has shown that the shipping industry is vulnerable to cyber attacks, with Danish shipping giant Maersk reporting potential cost of up to $300m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

School leavers urged to look at cyber security apprenticeships

Cyber security apprenticeships are a good alternative to ‘clearing’ and debts, according to security certification body, Crest Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK rail passengers don’t trust on-board Wi-Fi

YouGov survey commissioned by Cobham Wireless finds UK commuters are increasingly frustrated with connectivity standards on the rail network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Developers lack skills needed for secure DevOps, survey shows

The growing demand for developers with security skills is outpacing supply, but a survey reveals that a lack of formal security education and training by employers is contributing to the growing skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NotPetya attack cost up to $300m, says Maersk

Danish shipping line Maersk estimates that the NotPetya cyber attack in June cost the company up to $300m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hackers hit Holyrood with Westminster-style brute-force attack

The Scottish parliament has been hit by a cyber attack similar to the one that struck Westminster in June Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Leaked SMB exploits make malware powerful, warns Cylance

Four key exploits at the heart of hacking tools leaked by the Shadow Brokers have given malware authors a lot of power, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Malicious email spikes in Q2, reports Proofpoint

Malicious email campaigns saw a spike in volume and increased variety in the second quarter of 2017, a cyber security report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Russian cyber espionage group targeting hotel Wi-Fi

A Russian cyber espionage group is targeting hotel Wi-Fi networks to carry out malware infections and potentially steal credentials, researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

China tests hack-proof quantum satellite communications

China has tested a prototype communication system that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to make it impossible for hackers to access Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New TalkTalk fine takes total for poor data protection to £500,000

Information Commissioner’s Office fines TalkTalk for putting up to 21,000 customers’ details at risk of exposure prior to September 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT pros urged to support ‘WannaCry hero’ Marcus Hutchins

Computer experts fear chilling effect on security research over US arrest of Marcus Hutchins who halted the spread of the WannaCry ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Julia Gregory

CW Benelux: IoT Tech Day showcases innovation

Read about this year’s IoT Tech Day in Utrecht, Netherlands, which featured hobby projects such as light-sensing curtains that automatically open and close, but also showed that the IoT is growing up to encompass more serious applications. Also read about the lessons to be learned from the ‘Petya’ ransomware attack that has hit 60 countries, and find out how Dutch railway stations are monitoring the movement of travellers to reduce people jams. Continue Reading

Gov.uk Verify fails to meet key business case targets

Government’s controversial online identity system has missed important milestones that formed the basis of its original 2015 business case Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

WannaCry hero due in court on malware charges

The Briton who played a key role in halting the global WannaCry ransomware attacks is due in court in the US to face charges in connection with the Kronos banking Trojan Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NIS Directive plans show UK is serious about tackling cyber threats

UK government plans to implement the EU’s Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive have been welcomed for assuring its commitment to cyber defence post-Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gaming apps ‘main source’ of mobile phishing attacks, research shows

Analysis of 100,000 corporate devices shows more than a quarter of traffic going to phishing domains was from gaming apps Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Cyber criminals make it difficult to follow the money

Following the money is a classic technique used by law enforcement to link criminals to crimes by tracing associated financial exchanges, but that may not be easy in the case of the WannaCry attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Voice control in BBC iPlayer pilot demos Microsoft's AI ambitions

An internal BBC pilot in collaboration with Microsoft shows how voice control could be used on the iPlayer TV streaming app Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ransom DDoS attacks on the rise

The use of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to extort money from organisations is on the rise, warns security firm Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple share price reaches record high on quarterly results

Apple’s share price rose 6% in after-hours trading to reach a record high in response to the company’s quarterly financial report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The fields of Athenry – how Apple’s datacentre plans are causing turmoil in a small Irish town

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look into Apple’s controversial plans to build a huge datacentre in a small town in the west of Ireland, and hear the local arguments it has caused. We find out how the Met Office is managing the vast quantities of data it uses for weather forecasting. And we examine Google plans to bring artificial intelligence tools to the job recruitment market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Why Facebook’s AI termination raises safety concerns

Revelations that researchers at Facebook had to switch off two bots that went rogue have raised questions about the safety of artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIA hacking tools for Mac OS and Linux exposed by WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks has exposed hacking tools targeting the Mac and Linux operating systems in the latest of its series of leaks allegedly from the US Central Intelligence Agency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Radiation detection devices open to cyber attack, researcher finds

A security researcher has discovered numerous security flaws in multiple devices that are used to detect radiation in critical facilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Adobe to kill off Flash Player by end of 2020

Adobe has announced it is to stop updating and distributing Flash Player in just over three years’ time Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

North Korean web users enjoy Amazon, Facebook and YouTube, report claims

Threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future claims that the North Korean elite are as plugged in to the worldwide web as any western citizen Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Big data means big risk, Swedish Transport Agency leak shows

The Swedish Transport Agency exposed sensitive information by transferring its databases to a third party cloud provider without following data protection procedures Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst