Privacy and data protection
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News
01 Jun 2023
Met Police director of intelligence defends facial recognition
The Met Police’s director of intelligence has appeared before MPs to make the case for its continuing use of facial-recognition technology, following announcements from the force and the Home Office that they intend to press on with its adoption Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Jun 2023
Generative AI – the next biggest cyber security threat?
Following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, several reports have emerged that seek to determine the impact of generative AI in cyber security. Undeniably, generative AI in cyber security is a double-edged sword, but will the paradigm shift in favour of opportunity or risk? Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2022
Data on children of armed forces personnel exposed in breach
Data on 4,142 children of serving armed forces personnel was exposed in a data breach at the Ministry of Defence Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2022
Cyber skills gap affecting data privacy practice, finds ISACA
Organisations are struggling to fill both legal and technical privacy roles, with potentially damaging consequences, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2022
Korean researchers invent silk-based security device
Experts from the Gwangju Institute of Science have built a digital security device based on natural silk fibres that they claim is practically unbreachable Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jan 2022
Navigating PIPL: European businesses plot their next steps into China
How does China’s strict new Personal Information Protection Law impact European businesses? Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jan 2022
Integrating zero-trust practices into private 5G networks
One of the first steps in deploying a technology is protecting it from potential security threats. Learn how to secure a private 5G network with zero-trust security practices. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2022
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can ask Supreme Court to hear extradition appeal
Senior judges said today that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can petition the Supreme Court to decide whether to hear an appeal against his extradition to the US Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
Tinder algorithm charging users more based on age
Popular dating app Tinder could have broken data protection and equality laws by using personal data about people’s age to set different prices Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
Mandiant analysts: Russia-backed APTs likely to ramp up attacks
More cyber attacks like those perpetrated against targets in Ukraine are to be expected, and they may become more destructive Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
ICO criticises government-backed campaign to delay end-to-end encryption
Data protection watchdog warns that delaying end-to-end encryption will put children at risk Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
Cyber pros: Don’t revel in REvil’s downfall just yet
The arrests of REvil’s alleged kingpins is a welcome step, but as with any disruption to cyber criminal activity, it is never wise to assume law enforcement action means the threat has passed entirely Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
Scam losses in Australia hit record high
Australians lost a record A$323.7m to scams last year, with investment and romance scams accounting for the bulk of their losses Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2022
Ransomware attacks dropped 37% in December, claims NCC
Latest monthly data reveals a significant decline in ransomware attacks at the end of 2021, but a new, emergent gang is making waves Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2022
Data of 515,000 vulnerable people stolen in Red Cross attack
The International Committee of the Red Cross is probing a cyber attack that has already seen the personal data of hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people compromised Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2022
Singapore to tighten digital banking security
Banks in Singapore will have to put in place more stringent measures to combat the rise in online phishing scams targeted at bank customers in the city-state Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2022
Government funds charity campaign to warn big tech over the risks of encryption to children
Barnardo’s and other charities begin a government-backed PR campaign to warn of the dangers end-to-end encryption poses to child safety, which has been criticised as being ‘one-sided’ Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2022
Investigators find Beijing 2022 app riddled with security flaws
Security flaws in Olympic app may put personal health data at risk of compromise in a man-in-the-middle attack Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2022
Police take down VPN linked to multiple ransomware hits
German police led a multinational effort to seize and take down the LabVPN service, which was allegedly used by cyber criminals to facilitate ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2022
‘Russian-backed’ hackers defaced Ukrainian websites as cover for dangerous malware attack
Kiev claims that a hacking group in Belarus – a close ally of Russia – was responsible for hacking Ukrainian government websites amid threats of military action Continue Reading
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Podcast
14 Jan 2022
Podcast: 2022 compliance preview – GDPR goes global
We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of VigiTrust, about what’s looming in compliance, with regulations based on the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation plus the concept of cyber accountability Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2022
MEPs demand EU probe into Pegasus spyware abuse
A group of European Parliament Members has called for an EU-wide investigation into NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware after it emerged EU member states may have used it Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2022
Banks accused of neglecting customer security measures
Which? singles out Metro Bank, Virgin Money and TSB over insecure online banking processes Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2022
Companies propose scanning content pre-encryption to fight CSAM
Firms working on the UK government’s Safety Tech Challenge have suggested that scanning content before encryption will help prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material – but privacy concerns remain Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2022
Proofpoint acquires Singapore data security startup
Proofpoint’s acquisition of Dathena will bolster its data loss prevention capabilities, enabling organisations to better understand information risk through the use of AI Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2022
Ministry of Justice caught up in multiple cyber incidents
Besides multiple disclosed data breaches, department was also affected by two ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2022
Singapore retailer hit by data breach
The personal data of OG’s basic and gold members stored in a database managed by a third-party service provider was reportedly compromised Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2022
France fines Facebook and Google over alleged cookie malpractice
French data protection authorities clamp down on tech platforms for purposely making it more burdensome for users to decline tracking cookies Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2022
Judges to decide whether Assange can appeal against extradition as he reaches 1,000 days in jail
Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador urges US to treat WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with humanity and to consider Mexico’s offer to grant Assange asylum Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2022
How APAC firms can stay ahead of cyber threats
Organisations will need to develop behavioural detection, machine learning and threat hunting capabilities to keep pace with the onslaught of cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
31 Dec 2021
Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021 Continue Reading
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News
30 Dec 2021
Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021 Continue Reading
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News
23 Dec 2021
Top 10 cyber security stories of 2021
Cyber security dominated the headlines in 2021, making it hard to gain a clear picture of what to pay attention to. What is an IT buyer to do? Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2021
Top 10 artificial intelligence stories of 2021
This year, artificial intelligence has moved to operationalisation, explainability and regulatory frameworks. Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 artificial intelligence stories for 2021 Continue Reading
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Opinion
17 Dec 2021
Security Think Tank: When will they ever learn?
Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months Continue Reading
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14 Dec 2021
Online Safety Bill puts user protection onus on platform providers
The Online Safety Bill will place new duties and responsibilities on online platforms accessible from the UK, but as it currently stands, it contains several grey areas Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2021
Julian Assange can be extradited to the US to face espionage and hacking charges, court rules
High Court overturns decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder after US government gives assurances over his treatment Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2021
UK and US to collaborate on privacy innovation contest
Joint UK-US innovation challenge contest centring on privacy-enhancing technology announced at Summit for Democracy in Washington DC Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2021
UK privacy chief denies conflict of interest in new role
UK information commissioner will join a private law firm that represents technology companies she used to regulate, raising questions about conflicts of interest and drawing ‘revolving door’ criticisms Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2021
Number of .uk domain suspensions at record low
Statistics from Nominet show how effective law enforcement action against cyber crime in the UK is paying off Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2021
Millions of credit card details for sale on dark web for as little as 75p
The credit card details of millions of people from across the world can be bought by criminals using the dark web for as little as $1 Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2021
Kaspersky introduces cyber policy for bionic devices
Cyber firm Kaspersky has become one of the first organisations in the world to develop and implement a security policy covering the use of bionic devices and other forms of human augmentation Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Dec 2021
A ‘whole of society’ approach to cyber may be on the horizon
Nominet Cyber managing director David Carroll reflects on the NCSC’s latest annual review amid 2021’s fast-evolving threat landscape Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2021
Compliance, device management a challenge for NHS cyber teams
Information gleaned by asset visibility specialist Armis reveals that despite improvements, some daunting security challenges still dog the NHS Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2021
HP patches bugs in over 150 printer models
More than 150 HP multifunction printers are at risk of compromise through a series of newly disclosed vulnerabilities, one of them wormable Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2021
ICO warns facial recognition company Clearview AI it could face £17m fine over privacy breaches
The UK’s information commissioner has issued a preliminary decision to fine Clearview over £17m for breaching UK data protection law and invited the company to make representations Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2021
British Army picks Immersive Labs for cyber training
The British Army will make Immersive Labs’ security training platform available to all serving personnel Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2021
UK’s surveillance culture may be normalising use of tech for abuse
Intense surveillance of public spaces by UK authorities may be playing a part in the normalisation of cyber stalking in intimate relationships Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2021
Government must prove its plans to police encryption work, says ex-cyber security chief
Ciaran Martin, the former UK cyber security chief, says the government must explain how it can access encrypted communications without damaging cyber security and weakening privacy Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2021
UK consumers warned of increase in credit card application fraud
There has been a sharp rise in fraudsters using stolen personal details to open credit card accounts Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2021
Consumer cyber bill to protect mobiles, smart devices
Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill will reinforce protections for consumer devices and mandate improvements to default security settings Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2021
Apple sues under-fire malware firm NSO
Lawsuit alleges spyware firm NSO Group targeted Apple’s users, adding to the pressure on the under-fire company Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2021
Police tech introduced with little scrutiny or training
A Lords inquiry into the adoption of advanced algorithmic technologies by police in England and Wales has been told that new tools are being introduced without proper training and with little scrutiny of their impacts Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2021
Schrems accuses Irish DPC of trying to block publication of Facebook documents
Austrian lawyer Max Schrems has filed a complaint after the Irish data protection commissioner put his privacy organisation under pressure to sign a non-disclosure agreement Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2021
Black Friday cyber warning for 4,000 card-skimming victims
NCSC warns thousands of small retailers that their websites are being exploited to steal customer data Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Nov 2021
Cloud storage compliance pitfalls: Post-pandemic and post-Brexit
We look at the key areas of cloud storage compliance that can trip you up, with shared responsibility with cloud providers and data residency among the most important Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2021
Sky ECC provided free cryptophones to a Canadian police force
Internal emails disclosed in a US court show how Sky Global supplied sample encrypted phones to a Canadian police force before its phone users became subject to an international police investigation Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2021
Cryptophone supplier Sky Global takes legal action over US government website seizures
Canadian tech company Sky Global has filed a legal motion claiming that the US government unlawfully seized the company’s internet sites following police investigations into the use of its cryptophones by organised crime Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2021
AstraZeneca looks at the bigger picture in enterprise social media
How do you work with people in different time zones and from different cultures and what happens when people leave the company? Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2021
Security startups line up on Cyber Runway
Some 108 cyber security startups representing the UK’s most cutting-edge innovators are to join Plexal’s Cyber Runway accelerator Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2021
One-fifth of NCSC-supported cyber incidents linked to Covid-19
National Cyber Security Centre has helped to thwart multiple cyber incidents that could have seriously disrupted the UK’s response to the pandemic Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Nov 2021
What are 3 best practices for storage encryption at rest?
Consider the fine print of encrypting data at rest. For example, access control permissions can make or break a storage encryption plan. Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2021
UK government proposes new rules for digital supply chain security
Proposals could see IT service providers legally required to adhere to the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework, among other things Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2021
HPE’s Aruba networking unit hit by cyber attack
Undisclosed threat actor compromised data buckets used to run the Aruba Central cloud environment using a stolen access key Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2021
Scale of crime-as-a-service economy a growing concern, say researchers
The cyber criminal underground continues its evolution towards a service-based economy Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Nov 2021
The ICO is right to push back against government meddling
Some criticisms of the ICO are justified, but the answer to that is not to give Whitehall more oversight over the data protection regulator, argues legal expert Edward Machin Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2021
Lloyd v Google Supreme Court verdict brings end to privacy class actions against big tech in UK
A ruling by the Supreme Court has left it financially unviable for individuals to bring class actions in the UK against big tech companies for privacy breaches Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2021
EU artificial intelligence regulation risks undermining social safety net
Europe’s proposed artificial intelligence regulation will not adequately protect people from European governments' increasing use of the technology in social security decisions and resource allocation, says Human Rights Watch Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2021
Yoti develops age estimation algorithm for under-13s
Age estimation technology developed by Yoti is being pitched as a way of helping social media platforms and other online businesses protect younger internet users from harm Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2021
Gig economy workforce nearly trebles over five years
Over four million people in England and Wales now work for gig economy platforms at least once a week, marking a nearly threefold increase since 2016 Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2021
How cosmetics retailer Lush made over its approach to authentication
Evolving approaches to IT at cosmetics retailer Lush meant the organisation’s previous approach to authentication was no longer up to scratch. Find out how it overcame this hurdle Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2021
The Netherlands works on resilience with large-scale national cyber exercise
For the Netherlands, the biggest challenge in a large-scale cyber crisis is to maintain speed while exercising due care Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2021
Spyware firm NSO and others added to US banned Entity List
US government bans target Israeli spyware makers and cyber firms in Russia and Singapore Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2021
Facebook self-imposes facial recognition moratorium
Facebook and Meta have committed to halting their use of facial recognition technology and deleting the biometric data of more than a billion people by the end of 2021, but will retain the underlying algorithms and software for potential use in future products Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2021
UK’s Labour Party hit by third-party data breach
Data on Labour Party members was recently compromised in an apparent cyber attack on a third-party data processor Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2021
BlackMatter ransomware crew shuts down, leaves victims in a bind
The BlackMatter ransomware gang appears to be winding down its activities, possibly due to pressure from law enforcement Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2021
Adelaide healthcare network digitises manual processes
The Central Adelaide Local Health Network has digitised manual processes in more than 20 speciality areas to improve patient experience and alleviate the workloads of frontline staff Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2021
Electronic waste excluded from COP26 agenda
Data sanitation industry group calls on UK government to add electronic waste to the climate summit’s agenda Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2021
Convicted Silk Road admin stripped of £500k in crypto earnings
Jailed Silk Road administrator Thomas White, aka Cthulhu, has been ordered to hand over more than £490,000 of illicit earnings Continue Reading
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02 Nov 2021
Security Think Tank: Optimising privacy, post-GDPR
Airbus CyberSecurity CTO Paddy Francis explores the impact of regulation on data protection, and how it has changed how one goes about optimising data privacy in the enterprise Continue Reading
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E-Zine
02 Nov 2021
What the Budget means for UK technology
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look through the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review to find what it means for the UK tech sector. As COP26 starts, we assess the green credentials of the IT industry. And we hear one CTO’s experiences of learning the privacy lessons of GDPR. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2021
Businesses and governments urged to take action over Trojan Source supply chain attacks
Businesses and governments have been put on alert to guard against Trojan Source hacking attacks Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2021
MPs and Lords grill Facebook over online safety efforts
Facebook answers British lawmakers’ questions about the social media giant’s efforts to ensure the safety of its users, as part of legislative security of the government's proposed online safety bill Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Oct 2021
Online Safety Bill puts user protection onus on platform providers
The Online Safety Bill will place new duties and responsibilities on online platforms accessible from the UK, but as it currently stands, it contains several grey areas Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2021
Facebook rebrands to Meta amid continuing controversies
Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta to support its work on the next generation of “social technologies”, but concerns around trust and privacy persist Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2021
CIA sought revenge against Julian Assange over hacking tool leaks, court hears
The CIA discussed kidnapping Julian Assange after WikiLeaks published thousands of documents revealing its arsenal of hacking tools, defence lawyers tell a London court Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2021
Illegal state surveillance in Africa ‘carried out with impunity’
Analysis of surveillance laws and practices in six African countries finds that existing privacy laws are failing to protect citizens from illegal digital surveillance, which is being facilitated and enabled by global tech companies Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2021
How ransomware crews pile on the pressure to get victims to pay
Sophos researchers share some of the more common tactics ransomware gangs use to pressurise their victims into paying up Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2021
‘No-one extradited from UK to US has committed suicide,’ US tells court in Assange appeal
US government claims that a district judge has given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a ‘trump card’ to avoid extradition Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2021
Government commits millions to security investment
Spending Review adds more than £750m of funding to improve cyber security resilience across government Continue Reading
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News
26 Oct 2021
DarkMarket takedown results in 150 arrests
A coordinated operation by law enforcement has seen 150 taken into custody amid allegations of buying or selling illicit goods on the dark web Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2021
MEPs vote to expand Europol data mandate
The European Parliament has voted in favour of expanding Europol’s mandate to process data and develop AI tools, but critics claim it contradicts a previous vote which opposed using new technologies to predict crime Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2021
US intelligence agencies issue advisory on BlackMatter gang
Joint advisory on ransomware gang warns about potential of further attacks on critical infrastructure providers Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2021
Police IT buyers should compel suppliers to prove AI claims
House of Lords told that UK law enforcement bodies should use their position as buyers to compel private sector suppliers to divulge more information about how their AI-powered technologies work Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Oct 2021
Back on the office network: What are the risks for mobile users?
Many people are returning to offices and bringing their mobile devices with them. What are the cyber security implications of this? Continue Reading
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Blog Post
18 Oct 2021
Time to take a step back on police use of facial recognition
We’ve all seen the detective shows on TV. The cops find a CCTV picture of the likely “perp”. The put-upon junior detective is tasked with wading through a database of photos in the hope of finding ... Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2021
How Samlesbury, Lancashire became the home of the National Cyber Force
The National Cyber Force, a new branch of the military, is gearing up to fight battles in cyber space from the fields of Lancashire. Its presence is expected to bring a high-tech renaissance to the region Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2021
Apple scheme to detect child abuse creates serious privacy and security risks, say scientists
Apple’s plan to automatically scan photos to detect child abuse would unduly risk the privacy and security of law-abiding citizens and could open up the way to surveillance, say the world’s top cryptographic experts Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2021
NHS Digital enhances in-house cyber awareness drive
Keep IT Confidential campaign aims to help NHS staff understand more about security threats and learn how to reduce risk Continue Reading
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Opinion
14 Oct 2021
Encryption protects the marginalised – and it’s under threat
Encryption keeps marginalised groups connected and safe, but new regulatory attempts to break it put them at risk Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2021
FCA warns over future hybrid working security risks
Earlier this week, the Financial Conduct Authority issued fresh guidance to regulated organisations on keeping hybrid workers safe and secure Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2021
Former signals intel leader named godfather of UK security
Sixth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards honours former Royal Corps of Signals colonel and infosec pioneer John Doody Continue Reading