Privacy and data protection

One man’s mission to uncover a WWII decryption machine

How Brian Randell unlocked the secrets of Colossus, the world’s first programmable computer. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Anonymous hacks North Korean websites for a second time

Members of the Anonymous hacktivist collective claim to have again hacked several prominent North Korean websites Continue Reading

Google reaches deal with EU competition authorities

Google has reportedly reached a deal with European Union (EU) competition authorities over concerns about its business practices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google has another go at allaying EU competition concerns

Google has submitted a fresh set of proposals to address European concerns about its business practices and avoid punitive action Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Bots and web apps among top threats to data security, says Check Point

Bots, viruses, breaches and attacks are a constant and real threat to the information security of organisations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Porn websites pose malware risk, says researcher

Browsing popular pornography internet sites pose a growing risk of malware infection, according to a security researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

South Korea accuses North Korea of launching cyber attacks

South Korea blames North Korea for the cyber attacks that shut down thousands of computers at broadcasters and banks two weeks ago Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case Study: 192business switches to tokenisation to speed up business processes

Online payment card verification firm 192business uses tokenisation to speed up its processes and protect credit card details from fraud Continue Reading

US Army practises poor data security on mobile devices

Pentagon inspector general finds smartphones and tablets the US Army buys are not configured to protect sensitive data and allow remote wipe Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Anonymous threatens to declare cyber war on North Korea

Anonymous hacktivist collective has threatened North Korea with cyber war if leader Kim Jong-un does not resign and install free democracy Continue Reading

Google closer to action from European privacy regulators

Google is another step closer to action by privacy regulators across Europe for failing to change the way it manages user data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government sets up cyber security fusion cell

A cyber security “fusion cell” for cross-sector threat data sharing aims to put government, industry and information security analysts side-by-side Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employees ignore security rules, say infosec pros

Most information security professionals believe corporate employees wilfully ignore security rules, survey at RSA Conference 2013 reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Malware in counterfeit software to cost business $114bn in 2013

Dealing with malware in counterfeit software will cost global enterprises an estimated $114bn in 2013, says research firm IDC Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Six security issues to tackle before encrypting cloud data

Concern about security and privacy is likely to drive adoption of cloud encryption, but there are six security issues businesses should tackle Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US authorities investigate hack of Michelle Obama and other high-profile people

US authorities are investigating hackers who allegedly stole financial information belonging to US first lady Michelle Obama Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Information security trends

This report from CompTIA, based on original research, assesses the current trends in information security. Continue Reading

Phishing emails sent in pairs to lend authenticity, says training company

Phishing emails are now being deployed in pairs to create the illusion of authenticity, says security awareness training company PhishMe Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft releases four critical security updates

Microsoft is to release four “critical” patches in its monthly Patch Tuesday security update, according to the advance notice. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What is RSA's build, buy, partner strategy?

Computer Weekly takes a closer look at RSA's build, buy, partner strategy Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The security risk sweeping Europe

Never have we been so open about the information we share online, without so little concern for our privacy. Social media can be a threat to a company, not just to what information an employee chooses to disclose, but because social media sites are prime targets for cybercrime. In this issue of CW Europe read how the increase in social media usage has created new privacy concerns for businesses. Continue Reading

How to tackle big data from a security point of view

Before leaping into big data, companies must be clear what they are trying to achieve, otherwise their investment will be wasted Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

RSA 2013: Suppliers need to prepare for new security vulnerability handling standards

Software makers and online service providers need to prepare for two ISO standards on vulnerability handling processes due by the end of 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA 2013: Obama cyber order will have significant effect, says DoHS

President Barack Obama’s executive order on cybersecurity is a “very big deal” says Mark Weatherford, deputy under-secretary for cybersecurity at the US Department of Homeland Security (DoHS). Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Music companies critical of Google’s anti-piracy efforts

Music companies have accused Google of failing to fulfil a pledge not to give prominent rankings in search results to websites offering illegal music downloads. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Demise in Effectiveness of Signature and Heuristic Based Antivirus

Anti-virus technology is failing to protect organisations from malicious attacks. Security professionals should look at alternative strategies, the NNC group argues in this report. Continue Reading

Bad outsourcing decisions cause 63% of data breaches

Bad outsourcing decisions nearly two-thirds of data breaches investigated by security firm Trustwave in the past year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Social media: A security challenge and opportunity

Generation Y workers are posing increasing security challenges to their employers as they share data unreservedly Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EU cyber strategy aimed at boosting preparedness and cooperation

The European cyber security strategy addresses insufficient national preparedness and boosting co-operation in the region, says the EC Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business avoids cloud over fear of government snooping

Almost half of IT professionals are deterred from keeping sensitive data in the cloud because of fear of government intervention and possible legal action, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Twitter strengthens login security after hacker attack

Days after a hacking attack, it has emerged that Twitter plans to strengthen its login security with two-factor authentication Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why has NAC, like DLP, failed to take off?

Why are organisations not investing in systems that are designed to keep malicious actors out of their networks? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Encryption is safe bet, says SafeNet

Encryption is the only thing that can give peace of mind to CIOs and CISOs, says Dave Hansen, president and CEO of security firm SafeNet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO hits Sony with £250,000 data breach penalty

The Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has fined Sony Computer Entertainment Europe £250,000 for breaching the Data Protection Act Continue Reading

BYOD: People pay for devices to use for work

Over half of employees buy their own devices for work use, according to new report from mobile device management specialist Good Technology Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why has DLP never taken off?

Why is data loss prevention (DLP) technology not being adopted if it provides the very protection most businesses need? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security visualisation

This article is guideline of how to generate a visual representation of a given dataset and use in the evaluation of known security vulnerabilities Continue Reading

Oracle rushes out patches for Java zero days

Oracle has released two out-of-band security updates for the latest zero day vulnerabilities in Java Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Disable Java to protect from latest zero-day

Security researchers are warning of a zero-day vulnerability in all versions of Java, including the latest Java 7 update 10 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Software piracy international in scope, says Fast

The scale of software piracy is both international in scope and military in its execution, says the Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business priorities: what to protect, monitor and test

How information security professionals can prioritise what to protect, monitor and test in the light of current budget and resource constraints Continue Reading

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2012

Ten articles that illustrate some of the major trends in cyber crime in 2012 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to preserve forensic evidence in the golden hour after a breach

There is a golden hour at the outset where a clear head and good planning can make or break any subsequent forensic investigation Continue Reading

By

• Martin Roots, NIIP

Ghost Shell hacktivists publish over a million credentials

The Ghost Shell group, an offshoot of the Anonymous hacking collective has published the log-in details from 1.6 million accounts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK CIOs see EU regulation as key

A third of UK CIOs are more concerned with EU regulation, such as the data protection directive, than their own local laws, a study has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government jobs website exploited by hackers

Hackers have been able to exploit security flaws in a new government jobs website to steal personal information about job applicants Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to secure Macs in the enterprise

Apple computers are becoming increasingly used in the enterprise - we look at how to securely introduce Macs in the corporate network Continue Reading

By

• Rob Buckley

2012 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: UK

The 2012 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: United Kingdom is independently conducted by Ponemon Institute. The benchmark study, sponsored by HP Enterprise Security is based on a representative sample of 38 organisations in various industry sectors. Continue Reading

IT Security Purchasing Intentions 2013

This in-depth research from Computer Weekly and TechTarget reveals the IT security spending priorities of businesses in the UK and Europe. Continue Reading

Zero-day exploit for Yahoo Mail goes on sale

Hacker sells $700 zero-day exploit for Yahoo Mail that allows attacker to use cross-site scripting vulnerability to steal cookies and hijack accounts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security needs to be integral part of life, says McAfee

The world is becoming increasingly connected and security and privacy are integral to modern society, says Raj Samani, CTO of McAfee Europe Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals target Skype, Facebook and Windows users

Cyber criminals targeted users of Skype, Facebook and Windows using multiple Blackhole exploits in October, according to security firm GFI Software Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nasa to encrypt data after latest breach

Nasa is to encrypt all its mobile computers after the loss of a laptop containing personal information about more than 10,000 staff Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Many UK firms underestimate cost of data breaches, study finds

Many UK organisations are still failing to understand the implications and costs of data breaches, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Secure your data – protect your business

This guide for C-level executives explains the risks faced by businesses and the practical solutions they can take to secure their data. Continue Reading

The Global State of Information Security Survey 2013: Key Findings

This global study examines the state of cyber-security and the impact of cyber crime and offers advice to businesses on reducing the risks. Continue Reading

Hacking attempts to top one billion in Q4, predicts NCC Group

One billion hacking attempts will be made globally in the final quarter of 2012, according to information assurance firm NCC Group Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Twitter apologises for unnecessary hacking warnings

Twitter has apologised after telling members their accounts had been hacked and forcing them to reset their passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Stuxnet hit Chevron’s systems, the energy giant admits

US energy giant Chevron has revealed that it was hit by the Stuxnet virus in 2010 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police arrest man for DDoS attacks on Theresa May sites

Police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a cyber attack on websites connected to home secretary Theresa May Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Parliamentary committee joins criticism of draft communications data bill

Home secretary Theresa May faced stern criticism before a Parliamentary committee hearing evidence on the Draft Communications Data Bill Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Free mobile apps a threat to privacy, study finds

Free mobile apps pose a serious threat to privacy because of their ability to capture large amounts of user information Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT security budgets mismatched to hacker targets, study shows

IT security budgets are not being used to provide defence technologies in some areas most likely to be targeted by hackers, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: You can’t protect what you don’t know you’ve got

IP theft: who should be tackling it and how? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Wright

Theresa May: Hacker Gary McKinnon to stay in UK

Hacker Gary McKinnon will stay in UK, home secretary Theresa May has told MPs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Organisations need alternative data protection as security models fail

Organisations' security models are failing - so could it be time to adopt an intelligence-led approach to data protection and fighting cyber crime? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home secretary Theresa May rules on hacker Gary McKinnon’s US extradition

Home secretary Theresa May is to rule on self-confessed computer hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Europe: Thousands of unprotected virtual servers exposed to the web

Organisations are failing to protect data in virtual environments, says Jason Hart, vice-president cloud solutions, SafeNet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Europe: Security concerns whole supply chain, says Misha Glenny

Targeted attacks affect the whole supply chain, not just big corporations, author Misha Glenny tells RSA Conference Europe 2012 attendees Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Europe: Cloud key to future information security, says Qualys

Cloud computing is an opportunity information security professionals should not miss, says Philippe Courtot, CEO of security firm Qualys Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW500: Managing the mobile workforce (part 1)

Mobile working has transformed Colt Telecommunications beyond recognition over the past three years Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security firm warns against Samsung Galaxy Tab for enterprise use

Security specialist Context Information Security says vulnerabilities in the Samsung Galaxy Tab make it unsuitable for use in the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

HMRC deploys Becrypt off-the-shelf encryption

HMRC will use Becrypt Disk protect, which has recently been certified under the government’s Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) Scheme. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hackers target White House military network

Hackers using computers in China have infiltrated an “unclassified” network in the US White House, believed to be used for issuing nuclear commands. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Data Protection Masterclass: New EU Data Protection Regulation

Law firm, Morrison & Foerster, examines the impact of new EU Data Protection legislation on buinsesses. Continue Reading

EC sets out strategy for EU cloud data and standards

The European Commission (EC) has unveiled a strategy for standards and a legal framework for cloud computing in European Union (EU) states Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam hackers launch cyber attack on US bank Wells Fargo

A hacker group connected to Hamas says it attacked US bank Wells Fargo in reaction to the video 'Innocence of Muslims' posted on YouTube Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security concerns hold back mobile banking adoption

More than two-thirds of smartphone owners have not yet adopted mobile banking apps because of security concerns, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK faces BlackBerry outage again

People in the UK, Middle East and Europe are again facing disruption to the BlackBerry email messaging service Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dell SecureWorks uncovers cyber espionage targeting energy firms

Dell SecureWorks researchers have discovered a cyber espionage campaign targeting several companies, including two in the energy sector Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smashing smartphones

How strong are modern smartphones. Data recovery specialist Kroll Ontrack set out to destroy them Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft investigates IE zero-day flaw

Microsoft says it is investigating reports of a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, and 9 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Buyer's Guide: Data Security

This in-depth buyer's guide offers advice to CISOs on keeping up with security best practice as new EU data protection rules come into force Continue Reading

Android devices vulnerable to security breaches

More than 50% of devices running Google's Android OS have unpatched vulnerabilities, opening them up to malicious apps and other attacks Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

IT security awareness needs to be company-wide, says (ISC)²

Information security awareness needs to be more robust, started as early as possible, continually reinforced and organisation-wide, says Julie Peeler, director, (ISC)² Foundation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Skills shortage means no unemployment in IT security, says (ISC)2

Zero unemployment in IT security shows a huge shortage of skills in the profession, says Hord Tipton, executive director of (ISC)2 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gartner: Prepare for context-aware security

Cloud computing, IT consumerisation and the evolving threat landscape are forcing IT departments to rethink security Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK cookie law compliance mixed, study finds

Three months after the enforcement of the cookie law, only 12% of UK websites have prominent privacy notices and robust cookie controls, a study shows Continue Reading

Setting up a botnet is easier than you think

Acquiring, installing, configuring and using a powerful data-stealing banking Trojan toolkit is not as difficult as it sounds Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FBI denies link to leaked Apple device codes

The FBI says there is no evidence that Anonymous gained access to 12 million identity codes for Apple devices by hacking an FBI agent's laptop Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Anonymous claims a million Apple IDs in FBI breach

Hacking group Anonymous claims to have released over a million Apple Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs) obtained from breaching FBI networks Continue Reading

Personal mobile policies lacking in IT

Just 23% of IT departments in the UK have a strategy for managing the use of personal devices on their corporate networks, according to new research Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Powerful cyber attack tools widely available, say researchers

More low-level cyber criminals are getting access to sophisticated attack tools, say cyber intelligence specialists Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Advanced cyber-security intelligence

Analysts Bob Tarzey and Clive Longbottom look at the business case for rolling out next security information and event management tools. Continue Reading

Cyber Vulnerability Index

What does your online corporate profile reveal? With so many cyber attacks in the news recently, executives are becoming increasingly concerned about their organisation’s exposure to hackers. Continue Reading

How to survive a data breach

Six practical tips on how to prepare for and survive a data breach Continue Reading

By

• Conrad Constantine

Businesses worldwide fail to prepare for cyber threats, says Kaspersky Lab

Companies around the world have failed to address cyber threats, according to a survey from security organisation Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

VMware users can protect against virtual machine malware, says Trend Micro

New malware that attacks VMware virtual machines is no cause for undue concern, but users can take basic steps to protect data, says Trend Micro Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

At least 9 out of 10 top mobile apps hacked, study shows

An average of 96% of the top 100 paid mobile apps have been hacked, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

More than 1,000 school application details leaked on the internet

Personal information about more than 1,000 children has been published on the UK Independent Schools Guide website after an alleged cyber attack Continue Reading