Privacy and data protection

Meet the professional BEC op that targeted Microsoft 365 users for years

The so-called W3LL cyber crime operation ran a phishing empire that has played a large role in compromising Microsoft 365 accounts for years. Its activities are now coming to light thanks to Group-IB researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Researchers find flaw in Mend.io security platform

WithSecure’s research team uncovered an authentication flaw in an application security platform developed by Mend.io, which has now been fixed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Law firm Fieldfisher launches data breach management tool

UK and European data breach law specialist Fieldfisher has enlisted legal tech specialist Lawcadia to supply a 24-hour data breach notification assessment platform Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC names ex-NCC man as new CTO

New NCSC CTO Ollie Whitehouse joins from NCC Group, having also worked at BlackBerry and Symantec Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Plymouth Uni spearheads research into wind farm cyber resilience

Project hosted at the University of Plymouth in Devon aims to develop cyber security measures to protect the UK’s increasingly important offshore wind farm assets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LockBit ransomware gang allegedly leaks MoD data after hit on supplier

The UK government appears to have become entangled in a LockBit ransomware attack after data was leaked from a third-party supplier online Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police Scotland five-year digital strategy approved

Police Scotland’s new strategy outlines how the force will approach and invest in its digital transformation over the next five years, but notes its ability to achieve its ambitions is subject to the availability of funding Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

IT experts issue new warnings over Online Safety Bill plans to weaken end-to-end encryption

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, argues the government is seeking a technical fix to terrorism and child abuse without understanding the risks and implications Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

The quantum threat: Implications for the Internet of Things

The Security Think Tank assesses the state of encryption technology, exploring topics such as cryptographic techniques, data-masking, the legal ramifications of end-to-end encryption, and the impact of quantum Continue Reading

By

• Jonathan Lane, PA Consulting

Sandworm attacks Ukraine with Infamous Chisel malware

The UK and its allies have attributed a novel malware campaign against Ukrainian state targets to the Russian intelligence-backed Sandworm APT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ducktail social media marketing malware rears its head again

Use of the Ducktail infostealer, which first popped up in 2022 targeting Meta Business accounts, seems to be increasing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Home Office and MoD seeking new facial-recognition tech

The UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator is running a ‘market exploration’ exercise on behalf of the Home Office to identify new facial-recognition capabilities for security and policing bodies in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber world hails downfall of Qakbot trojan

A multinational law enforcement hacking operation disrupted the botnet infrastructure used to distribute the Qakbot trojan at the weekend, in a major setback for the cyber criminal underworld Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC warns over possible AI prompt injection attacks

The UK’s NCSC says it sees alarming potential for so-called prompt injection attacks driven by the large language models that power AI chatbots Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google bets on AI-backed cyber controls for Workspace users

Zero-trust and digital sovereignty controls are the focus of a series of enhancements being made for Google Workspace users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

St Helens Council in Merseyside hit by ransomware attack

St Helens Borough Council is investigating a suspected ransomware incident targeting its systems, and is advising residents to be on the alert for follow-on phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore to bolster OT security capabilities

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore teams up with Dragos and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to bolster the country’s OT security capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Researchers demo fake airplane mode exploit that tricks iPhone users

Exploit chain that tricks a victim into believing their iOS device is offline in airplane mode when it is not could open the door to grave privacy concerns Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CyberArk eyes growth beyond PAM

CyberArk is seeing exponential growth in the broader identity security market as the company expands its capabilities beyond privileged access management Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

AI is the most hyped technology of 2023

Gartner's 2023 hype cycle puts generative AI at the peak of inflated expectations in its latest analysis of emerging tech trends Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Norfolk and Suffolk police hit by FoI-linked data breach

Latest UK police data breach relates to crime suspects, victims and witnesses across East Anglia, and comes just days after a similar incident at the Northern Irish service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online safety message failing to get through to women

The security community could be doing a lot more to make its advice and guidance more accessible to women, according to a study Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest offers compensation to customer affected by data breach exposed by whistleblower

NatWest bank has offered compensation to a former customer affected by a data breach alongside around 1,600 other former and current customers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

A non-conventional career journey into IT security

GCSEs and A-levels are not the only route to higher education. We speak to an IT security expert who left school with no formal qualifications Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

PSNI investigating second breach after laptop stolen

Just hours after accidentally disclosing the personal details of 10,000 personnel, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has notified a second data breach after a police issue laptop and documents were stolen from a parked car Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Northern Irish police expose staff data in botched FoI response

Human error is being blamed for the leak of personally identifiable information on all serving officers and civilian staff at the Police Service of Northern Ireland Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs warn about growing prevalence of tech-enabled domestic abuse

The UK government must take action to prevent perpetrators from being able to use connected or smart technologies to conduct their domestic abuse, a select committee has warned Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK voter data hacked in cyber attack on election watchdog

An unknown threat actor who attacked the UK’s Electoral Commission had access to data on millions of UK voters for over a year, the watchdog has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Black Basta, Hive and Royal ransomware gangs may share real-world connection

At Black Hat USA, Sophos X-Ops researchers share data revealing potential connections between three active ransomware crews Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Workplace monitoring needs worker consent, says select committee

Employers looking to monitor their employees through connected devices should only to so with the consent of those affected due to negative impacts such surveillance can have on work intensification and mental health Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Many UK organisations considering ChatGPT bans on employee devices

More than 60% of organisations in the UK have either banned, or are considering banning, the use of generative AI tools on employee- or business-owned devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rise in fraudsters spoofing the websites of leading UK banks

Despite safeguards to protect customers from scams, UK retail banks are still seeing high volumes of fake phishing websites exploiting their brands, and the problem seems to be increasing in scope and scale Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scottish NHS trust ducks fine after staff shared patient data via WhatsApp

NHS Lanarkshire has been issued a formal reprimand by the ICO after staff members used WhatsApp to share patients’ personal data with one another Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cozy Bear hijacks SME Microsoft 365 tenants in latest campaign

Microsoft shares intelligence on a newly observed Cozy Bear campaign that saw the APT take over genuine Microsoft 365 tenants and subvert them to try to phish its victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pig butchers caught using ChatGPT to con victims

Romance scammers looking to con people out of their savings appear to be turning to generative AI tools to save time and effort Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Vigilance advised if using AI to make cyber decisions

The AI arms race is heating up, and the battle lines are being redrawn. Still, organisations should proceed cautiously and remain vigilant in scrutinising AI’s ability to ensure accurate, safe, and informed decision-making. Continue Reading

By

• Peter Gregory, GCI Communications
• Ejona Preci, Lindal Group

Singtel adds Zscaler SSE to managed security services portfolio

Singtel teams up with Zscaler to offer a managed security service edge service as it looks to ramp up its enterprise business Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Lancaster Uni lends cyber support to nuclear decommissioning body

Lancaster University’s cyber team has joined with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to help support and protect its 300-year mission, while enhancing its own capabilities in the process Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Does AI have a future in cyber security? Yes, but only if it works with humans

Do AI and ML hold the promise of helping cyber pros achieving the holy grail of operating quicker, cheaper, and with higher efficiency? We shouldn’t hold our breath, says Nominet’s Paul Lewis Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

How Indian organisations are keeping pace with cyber security

Indian organisations are shoring up their defences to improve their cyber resilience amid intensifying cyber threats targeted at key sectors such as healthcare and logistics Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

US cyber breach reporting rules to have global impact

Organisations that operate as Foreign Private Issuers in the US will have to get to grips with strict new cyber breach reporting regulations handed down by the SEC in Washington Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Meta results show impact of data fines and datacentre upgrade strategy

The owner of Facebook is battling with regulators over transferring EU data to the US. It is also seeing less improvements on CPUs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ant Group teams with NTU to advance privacy-preserving technologies

The Chinese fintech giant is partnering with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University on a cryptographic protocol that ensures the privacy of transacting parties Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

NATO countries must coordinate their cyber forces to combat the Russian threat  

The top item on the agenda at the Vilnius NATO Summit this month was the revamping the alliance’s defences. Continue Reading

By

• CEO of SimSpace and former military officer at US Cyber Command

Tetra radio users’ comms may have been exposed for years

A number of flaws in the encryption algorithms used in the secure Tetra radio communications standard have potentially left users exposed to snooping Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Getting comfortable with data

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to ‘Data Bob’ – the head of IT at furniture retailer DFS – about building trust in data. The vulnerabilities in MOVEit software continue to attract new victims – we assess the impact of the widespread breaches. And we find out how online investigators are trawling social media to gather evidence of war crimes. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Tribunal investigates complaint that journalists’ phones were unlawfully monitored

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has agreed to investigate complaints by Northern Ireland investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey that they were unlawfully placed under surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy

The impact of data breaches and cyber threats on businesses, societies and the environment makes cyber security a key consideration in an environment, social and governance strategy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Future Cyber Threats: The four ‘horsemen of the apocalypse’

How to deal with emerging security threats from deep fake humans to the end of secure encryption  Continue Reading

By

• Jim Tiller, CISO, Nash Squared

The problem with ‘secure’ messaging

Secure instant messaging is becoming a norm for business communications but it raises three important security and compliance questions   Continue Reading

By

• Andersen Cheng, Executive Chairman, Post-Quantum  

What the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act means for UK industry

For years, many network-connected devices have lacked adequate security, putting their users and others at risk of cyber attacks. The UK’s PSTI Act aims to prevent this by mandating minimum security requirements, but what impact will this have on industry? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Government boosts protection for encryption in Online Safety Bill but civil society groups concerned

House of Lords adopts amendment to require Ofcom to commission a report before requiring technology companies to scan encrypted messages, but drops proposals for judicial oversight Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Online Safety Bill screening measures amount to ‘prior restraint’

The Open Rights Group is calling on Parliament to reform the Online Safety Bill, on the basis that its content-screening measures would amount to “prior restraint” on freedom of expression Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How the DSMA balances security and privacy with press freedom

In a world of information sharing and 24-hour news cycles, the Defence and Security Media Advisory committee have to balance national security and data privacy with freedom of the press Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

At the gates – How to survive the era of cyber insecurity

Businesses face more legal risks, a mine field of regulation, and individual liability for failures. Getting the basis right is more important than ever. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cravero, senior associate and Andrew Moir, partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

How to fit customer experience security into your strategy

Most organizations overlook security in their CX strategies. However, with collaboration, personalization, CIAM controls and more, organizations can offer a secure and positive CX. Continue Reading

By

• Jessica Groopman, Kaleido Insights

We have lift off… The opportunities and risks of generative AI

How you can use AI to benefit your business while navigating the risks Continue Reading

By

• Melanie Hayes, Nash Squared, and Bill Boorman, Technology & Talent Advisor

Cyber criminal AI tool WormGPT produces ‘unsettling’ results

A newly discovered generative AI tool dubbed WormGPT is being sold to the cyber criminal underground via the dark web, and poses a significant danger, researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Prepare for quantum to fundamentally change PKI effectiveness

Encryption has always been a fundamental aspect of Public Key Infrastructure but the rise of quantum computing poses a significant threat to this. Thales' John Cullen says post-quantum cryptography may hold the key to safeguarding the future. Continue Reading

By

• John Cullen

The essential role of PETs in unlocking the trillion dollar SaaS market

Ahead of the Eyes-Off Data Summit in Dublin, Jack Fitzsimons of Oblivious AI explains why so-called Privacy Enhancing Technologies or PETs may hold the key to unlocking the full potential of SaaS in the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Jack Fitzsimons, Oblivious AI

Police Scotland use cloud for biometric data despite clear risks

Police Scotland confirms it has stored significant volumes of biometric data on a cloud-based digital evidence sharing system despite major ongoing data protection concerns, bringing into question the effectiveness of the current regulatory approach and the overall legality of using hyperscale public cloud technologies in a policing context Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

MPs launch inquiry into government use of data

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is to investigate the possibility of reforming the way government collects and analyses data, and whether the UK census could be scrapped Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW EMEA: Can we trust AI?

Artificial intelligence and the opportunities and dangers it introduces into society has been a hotly debated subject in tech circles for many years, but today with the increased use of platforms such as ChatGPT, these debates include a wider section of the public. The fact that schoolchildren are even asking ChatGPT for help with their homework brings home the importance of these debates and the responses to them by national policy-makers. Continue Reading

Spanish lawyers claim police hacking of EncroChat cryptophones breaches human rights law

 Continue Reading

Ofcom’s online safety preparedness efforts hobbled by government

Despite Ofcom’s progress so far, UK government changes to the scope and timetable of the Online Safety Bill are hobbling the ability of the regulator to successfully prepare for the new regime Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

EU formally grants data adequacy to US

The European Commission has formally granted the US data adequacy, allowing companies and organisations to freely transfer personal data across the Atlantic via the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. But privacy activist Max Schrems has already committed to legally challenging the decision Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Malicious URL volumes soar as cyber criminals pull on Threads

Malicious actors have been quick to exploit the buzz around Meta’s newly launched Threads platform, with thousands of new suspicious domains registered exploiting its branding Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Norwegian data privacy experts sound alarm over generative AI

Hundreds of millions of people embrace generative artificial intelligence, blissfully ignorant of what it’s doing to data privacy. Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Suspicious email reported every five seconds in UK

National Cyber Security Centre report reveals a suspicious email was reported by UK citizens and organisations every five seconds last year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

VMware ramps up on sovereign cloud in APAC

VMware is working with local partners to deliver sovereign cloud services in the region, amid growing sovereignty interests among governments and the need maintain business continuity Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Biometrics watchdog calls for public space surveillance review

The biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner is calling for a review of public space surveillance to gain a clearer picture about the proliferation of Chinese surveillance technology across the public sector, but warns against applying double standards on companies just because they are from China Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Meta’s Threads hits app stores, but no EU launch in sight

Meta’s Twitter competitor makes its debut and signs up millions of users in just 12 hours, but concerns over compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act have sunk a pan-European launch for now Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Germany: European Court of Justice hears arguments on lawfulness of EncroChat cryptophone evidence

The European Court of Justice will decide whether the collection and sharing of data intercepted by law enforcement from EncroChat crypto phone network is compatible with European law Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK public increasingly concerned over NHS data sovereignty

Amid security concerns and AI advances, a majority of the British public still trusts the NHS to store and analyse their health data, but would prefer it remains domiciled in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU judgment sinks Meta’s argument for targeted ads

The EU Court of Justice has issued a significant judgment against Meta, ruling that national anti-trust bodies can investigate GDPR breaches, disrupting the platform’s entire basis for carrying out targeted advertising Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Over half of ANZ organisations hit by ransomware

Amid the rising ransomware threat, almost four in five organisations in ANZ expect to pay a ransom if they could recover data and business processes Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

BlackCat gang claims cyber attack on Barts NHS Trust

Investigations continue into a claim by the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang that it has stolen 7TB of data from Barts NHS Trust in London Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS data stolen in Manchester Uni ransomware attack

The ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the University of Manchester appears to have got its hands on an NHS dataset being used by the university for research purposes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Shadow’ AI use becoming a driver of insider cyber risk

Off-the-books use of generative AI tools will inevitably lead to a costly, high-profile data breach for someone, but a little attention paid to appropriate data management policy can help mitigate the risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A tenth of kids claim they could hack you

More and more young people are at risk of being drawn into cyber criminality, and parents must shoulder some of the blame, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Could social media revolutionise war crimes trials?

Computer Weekly speaks with open source investigators about how they use social media to gather evidence of war crimes, and the trouble with using such evidence in legal proceedings Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Kersley

AI cyber monitoring: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this podcast, Darktrace’s Max Heinemeyer discusses the good – and the bad – to come out of artificial intelligence in IT security Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ChatGPT’s phishing ‘problem’ may not be overstated

Some data now suggests that threat actors are indeed using ChatGPT to craft malicious phishing emails, but the industry is doing its best to get out in front of this trend, according to the threat intelligence team at Egress Continue Reading

By

• Jack Chapman

ICO under fire for taking limited action over serious data breaches

The ICO has come under fire from lawyers and data protection specialists for just issuing written warnings to two public bodies over serious data breaches that placed people’s lives at risk Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Generative AI: Data privacy, backup and compliance

We look at generative AI and the risks it poses to data privacy for the enterprise, implications for backup, and potentially dangerous impacts on compliance Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Phishing and ransomware dominate Singapore’s cyber threat landscape

Phishing and ransomware attacks continued apace in Singapore last year amid signs of improving cyber hygiene Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Manchester University students threatened by ransomware gang

Students and staff members at the University of Manchester are being pressurised by an unnamed ransomware gang Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: Cloud security, compliance and data classification

The rise of cloud has led to a proliferation of enterprise data and a rise in risk. We talk to Vigitrust CEO Mathieu Gorge about how to ensure compliance in a multicloud world Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

ChatGPT is creating a legal and compliance headache for business

ChatGPT’s increased use in the workplace has led many to question its legal and compliance implications for businesses. Experts warn that the software poses major security and copyright risks Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Nakivo adds ransomware scanning and new restore options

Backup maker adds malware scanning with big names in security to immutable backup copy functionality. “Tape’s not dead” either, with restore from the venerable medium now possible Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Clop begins naming alleged MOVEit victims

Clop uploaded details of 12 new victims to its dark web leak site late on 14 June, many of them likely linked to the ongoing MOVEit cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware-stricken Capita to run Action Fraud successor

A £50m deal to replace the Action Fraud service has been handed to PwC and Capita, which is facing investigations over its handling of customer data in a ransomware incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: Containers, Kubernetes, data protection and compliance

Containers offer benefits to application deployment, but they proliferate, so tracking them for compliance purposes can be a challenge. We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Clop’s MOVEit ransom deadline expires

A seven-day deadline set by Clop for victims of its latest attack to contact it to arrange payment passes today Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber attacks against APAC commerce sector surpass 1.1 billion

Retailers, hotels and travel-related organisations in the region saw over a billion cyber attacks last year amid the surge in e-commerce activity and online travel bookings Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Arnold Clark data leak victims prepare legal action

More than 10,000 people who had their data stolen and leaked in a ransomware attack on the Arnold Clark car dealer network have signed up to a group legal action after facing elevated amounts of fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Progress Software releases patch for second MOVEit Transfer vulnerability

Progress Software releases a patch for a second MOVEit Transfer issue, which was uncovered by third-party security specialist Huntress Security during post-incident code scanning Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Extreme Networks emerges as victim of Clop MOVEit attack

Network equipment and services supplier Extreme Networks has revealed its instance of Progress Software’s MOVEit tool was compromised in the ongoing Clop cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Barracuda ESG users told to throw away their hardware

Owners of Barracuda Email Security Gateway appliances are being told that they will need to throw out and replace their kit after it emerged that a patch for a recently disclosed vulnerability had not done the job Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK and US move closer to transatlantic data bridge deal

The British and American governments have committed, in principle, to a new data bridge agreement that will ease the free flow of personal data across the Atlantic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor