Security policy and user awareness

Ex-CISA head Krebs: Disrupt ransomware support networks to win the war

Speaking at an event hosted by data protection specialist Rubrik, former CISA director Chris Krebs calls for the security community to work collectively to kick out the supports from under ransomware gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC warns public of potential Queen-related phishing attacks

The National Cyber Security Centre is urging users to be on guard against phishing attacks during the period of national mourning for the Queen Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cloud compromise a doddle for threat actors as victims attest

Two separate studies into the state of public cloud security reveal insight into the ease with which threat actors can compromise vast numbers of targets, and some of the challenges security teams are facing in the cloud Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Users warned over Azure Active Directory authentication flaw

Secureworks researchers found what they say is a serious vulnerability in an Azure Active Directory authentication method, but Microsoft says it should not pose a serious risk to users Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Blancco works with charity to provide IT for African schools

Blancco is providing data sanitisation and erasure software to The Turing Trust so that old IT equipment can be securely reused by school children in Sub-Saharan Africa, instead of adding to world’s growing e-waste problem Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Multi-persona impersonation adds new dimension to phishing

Iranian APT used multiple personas on a single email thread to convince targets of the legitimacy of its phishing lures Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CISOs should spend on critical apps, cloud, zero-trust, in 2023

Faced with a global recession next year, security buyers should try to direct investment towards technology that protects customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, say analysts Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Adding trust to AppSec and DevSecOps

When building in trust and assurance into app development through standards, it is critically important not to stifle innovation Continue Reading

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• Rowland Johnson

NCSC CyberUK event heads to Belfast in 2023

National Cyber Security Centre’s annual CyberUK roadshow is crossing the Irish Sea to Belfast in April 2023 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch cyber security organisations to join forces

Cyber security organisations in the Netherlands are going to merge into a single central expertise centre and information hub, which all organisations in the country will soon be able to tap into Continue Reading

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• Kim Loohuis

Security Think Tank: Creating a DevSecOps-friendly cyber strategy

When slowing down is not an option, you need to find a security strategy that is DevSecOps friendly, says Airbus Protect’s Olivier Allaire Continue Reading

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• Olivier Allaire, Airbus Protect

India’s wake-up call on health data privacy

Health app developers and industry watchers in India are keeping an eye on data privacy following the reversal of the Roe vs Wade ruling in the US Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

Albania cuts diplomatic ties with Iran after cyber attack

In a global geopolitical first, the Albanian government has severed diplomatic ties with Iran and expelled its ambassador after it was targeted by an APT backed by Tehran Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

August ’22 a bumper month for high-impact vulnerabilities

Bugs in products from Apple, Google, Microsoft and VMware dominated the threat landscape in August, says Recorded Future Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Prince’s Trust teams with threat management specialist in skills push

Prince’s Trust hopes to address shortfall in cyber professionals and improve diversity in the industry Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: The many dimensions of DevSecOps

It is imperative to make our colleagues and customers know that when we talk DevSecOps, we are facing a multiphase challenge that starts at the very beginning of DevOps, and one that never ends Continue Reading

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• Alejandro Bernal

Digital identity is key to coping with surge in air travel

The International Air Transport Association’s One ID digital identity initiative will pave the way for seamless air travel from curb to gate and help airports cope with growing passenger traffic Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Campaigners call on Truss to change UK’s archaic hacking laws

The CyberUp coalition, a campaign to reform the Computer Misuse Act, has called on Liz Truss to push ahead with needed changes to protect cyber pros from potential prosecution Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Saudi Arabian organisations choose to outsource to improve cyber security posture

Overwhelmed by rising threats and a growing number of government mandates, many organisations in Saudi Arabia are looking for outside help to take care of cyber security Continue Reading

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

Alleged Twitter security failings spell trouble

Twitter’s former security head, Peiter Zatko, has alleged a number of serious cyber failures at the social media company, raising the spectre of investigations and sanctions. Continue Reading

Russian-speaking cyber criminals feel economic pinch

Russian-speaking cyber criminals are being forced to refine and adapt their techniques as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine makes current methods redundant Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How Okta is regaining customer trust after a cyber attack

In early 2022, cyber firm Okta was among several tech companies hit by the Lapsus$ gang. Vice-president of customer trust Ben King talks about how he has been working behind the scenes to rebuild confidence after the incident Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Good procurement practices pave the way to app security

Application security is as much a question of good procurement practice as it is good development practice, says Petra Wenham of the BCS Continue Reading

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• Petra Wenham

Security Think Tank: Shift left, shift right. What about shift everywhere?

The concepts of shift left and shift right are highly effective in securing the development process, but for those who want to take things that step further there is shift everywhere Continue Reading

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• Paul Holland, Information Security Forum

Space nerds beware: James Webb images used to spread malware

Astronomy and space aficionados are being targeted by cyber criminals exploiting some of the now-famous images captured by Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope to distribute malware Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Swedish Electronics Protection Act coincides with major cyber spend

Swedish cyber security law comes at a time of heavy government investment Continue Reading

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• Gerard O'Dwyer

New (ISC)² cyber careers schemes go live

(ISC)² has opened up two new global cyber careers schemes to applicants to try to help organisations fill 2.7 million vacant roles worldwide Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Effective DevSecOps requires collaboration

Application security and effective DevSecOps can only be achieved through collaboration with the business – the ultimate goal is to make it safer to do business, which requires considering integrated risk management and identity and access management alongside cyber security and application security Continue Reading

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• Andrew Morris, Turnkey Consulting

Google debuts open source bug bounty programme

Google is calling on hackers to take pot-shots at its open source projects for the first time through a new vulnerability research programme Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Breaches You Don’t Hear About

I think it’s fair to say that, over the decades, if the general public had been alerted to all the attempted terrorist attacks tracked down and prevented by intelligence – as opposed to just the ... Continue Reading

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• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

UK government presses on with new cyber rules for telcos

Government has finalised new security rules for telecoms companies and will move to make them binding in the near future Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LastPass breach limited in scale and well-managed, say experts

A breach of LastPass’s developer environment does not seem to have affected users of the password management service, but it may still be time for a credential reset Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Adaptive RedAlert, Monster ransomwares go cross-platform

Kaspersky researchers have shared new intelligence on two emergent cyber criminal groups that have adapted their ransomwares to target different operating systems at the same time Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Millions of Plex users may be at risk in password breach

Up to half of Plex’s 30 million users may have had their personal data stolen by an unknown threat actor Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security pros fret about stress and promotion over cyber attacks

CIISec’s annual report on the state of the security profession reveals some home truths for security leaders Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most CISOs think they’ve been attacked by a nation state

Most organisations have made changes to their cyber strategies and policies following Russia’s invasion, and almost two-thirds suspect they have been directly targeted or impacted by a nation-state cyber attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Alleged Twitter security failings spell trouble ahead

Twitter’s former security head, Peiter Zatko, has alleged a number of serious cyber failures at the social media platform, raising the spectre of investigations and sanctions Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC shares cyber guidance for large infrastructure builds

Balfour Beatty and McAlpine are among the large construction firms to have input into latest NCSC guidance for ensuring the security of major infrastructure projects Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Kaspersky threat data added to Microsoft Sentinel service

Microsoft and Kaspersky have agreed a collaboration to integrate Kaspersky’s threat data feeds into Microsoft’s cloud-native SIEM/SOAR service Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyd’s to end insurance coverage for state cyber attacks

Lloyd’s of London has instructed its members to exclude nation state cyber attacks from insurance policies beginning in 2023, saying they pose unacceptable levels of risk Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cozy Bear targets MS 365 environments with new tactics

Cozy Bear, or APT29, is trying out new tricks as it seeks access to its targets’ Microsoft 365 environments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apple patches two zero-days in macOs, iOS

Mac users should urgently apply new patches addressing vulnerabilities in its desktop and mobile operating systems Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Inside Singapore’s national digital identity journey

Singapore’s national digital identity system has evolved from providing single sign-on to e-government services to pandemic-related and digital document capabilities in recent years Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Growing MFA use spurs ‘pass-the-cookie’ attacks

The exploitation of stolen session cookies by cyber criminals is once again back on the agenda, thanks to the growing popularity of multifactor authentication tools Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon Ring vulnerability could have been used to spy on users

A now-patched vulnerability in the Amazon Ring mobile app could have been exploited to expose users’ video recordings, but was complex to exploit, according to the researchers who stumbled upon it Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

It takes a breach to force boards to take notice of cyber, says UK government

Too often, it takes a major incident for business leadership to pay attention to cyber issues, according to a government-commissioned study of victims Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why you should start your post-quantum encryption migration now

Some say we have the best part of a decade to prepare for the security risks that quantum computing presents to current encryption tech, but PA Consulting experts believe that timeframe is shrinking dramatically Continue Reading

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• Richard Watson-Bruhn and Mark Chang

Why organisations need to harmonise their CIO and CISO roles

Unless properly managed, conflicting responsibilities between the chief information officer and the chief information security officer can cause project delays and budget overruns, says Netskope’s Mike Anderson Continue Reading

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• Peter Ray Allison

Report reveals consensus around Computer Misuse Act reform

A study produced by the CyberUp campaign reveals broad alignment among security professionals on questions around the Computer Misuse Act, which it hopes will give confidence to policymakers as they explore its reform Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminal forum targets only Russia

The Digital Shadows Photon Research Team has been investigating a pro-Ukraine cyber criminal forum called Dumps, which appears to be one of a kind Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft doles out $13.7m in bug bounties

Microsoft’s Bug Bounty programme has paid a total of $13.7m to more than 300 researchers in almost 50 countries Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How critical infrastructure operators can secure OT data

Cohesity’s CISO discusses the challenges of securing data in operational technology systems and what can be done to mitigate security threats Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Researcher finds 10 vulnerabilities in Cisco firewalls

At Black Hat USA, Rapid7 researchers report on 10 security issues in popular Cisco firewall products, many of which do not yet have patches Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cisco averts cyber disaster after successful phishing attack

A potentially serious cyber attack on Cisco’s systems that began after a threat actor successfully exploited an employee’s carelessly secured credentials was thwarted without major damage Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft fixes two-year-old MSDT vulnerability in August update

August’s Patch Tuesday drop fixes more than 120 CVEs, including another MSDT RCE zero-day that is being actively exploited. Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber insurance getting harder to obtain

Organisations looking to shore up their security postures face more and more barriers to obtaining cyber insurance Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS recovering key services after attack on supplier

Incident at software provider Advanced took out multiple NHS services before the weekend, including the 111 advice service Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reliance on PSN may have exacerbated cyber attack impact

As it seeks a new supplier to reinvigorate the migration away from the Public Services Network, the Cabinet Office says relying on the legacy network may be putting public sector bodies at heightened risk in cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The dangers of the UK’s illogical war on encryption

The unintended consequences of the Online Safety Bill will have a dramatic effect on our ability to communicate securely, including in Ukraine, where it is needed most Continue Reading

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• Robin Wilton

SBRC to administer NCSC training across Scotland

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre has been awarded a £500,000 contract to extend cyber resilience training across more than 250 at-risk organisations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spyware activity particularly impactful in July

After a quiet June, vulnerability exploitation ramped up in July, with intrusions linked to spyware seeing unusually high volumes of activity, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Shift to remote work sees major rise in cyber crime

Survey finds almost four in five cyber security teams agree that recent changes to working practices have adversely affected their organisation’s cyber security, with one-fifth banning the use of public Wi-Fi by policy Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

DrayTek patches SOHO router bug that left thousands exposed

Network hardware supplier has fixed an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability in multiple routers in its Vigor line, after being alerted by Trellix researchers Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Austrian data firm accused of selling malware, conducting cyber attacks

Microsoft has accused DSIRF, an Austrian data services firm, of involvement in a string of cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ex-youth footballers kick-start cyber careers

New programme aims to find fresh careers for former youth footballers in cyber security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

H0lyGh0st ransomware gang faces challenges, but still a threat

Digital Shadows reports on the recently identified H0lyGh0st ransomware outfit, a new threat actor operating out of North Korea that faces some clear challenges, but is nevertheless still a live threat Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC startups scheme turns focus to operational technology, SME security

NCSC for Startups initiative turns its focus to supporting innovation around securing operational technology and addressing the challenges facing small businesses Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals pivot away from macros as Microsoft changes bite

As Microsoft resumes blocking macros by default in its Office application suite, reversing a temporary reversal, analysis from Proofpoint suggests the action has had a remarkable effect Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Consumers left out of pocket as security costs soar

As the average cost of a security incident reaches an all-time high of nearly $4.5m, an IBM Security study reveals how these costs are being passed on to ordinary people Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retail software firm PrestaShop warns users about SQL injection attacks

Open source e-commerce platform PrestaShop warns thousands of small retailers that their customers’ credit card details may be at risk of compromise Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security training ‘boring’ and largely ignored

Two-thirds of employees don’t bother to pay attention to cyber security training – and the fault does not lie with them Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t rely on insurance alone

Cyber insurance is a useful addition to the cyber protection toolbox. However, it cannot be regarded as a replacement for the controls that should be in operation, says Turnkey Consulting’s Tom Venables Continue Reading

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• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

Visibility and proactive stance needed to secure OT systems

Critical infrastructure operators need to have more visibility into their IT and operational technology environment, and take a more active stance to fend off sophisticated adversaries, expert says Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Ducktail infostealer targets Facebook Business users

Newly uncovered Ducktail operation targets individuals with access to Facebook Business service and tries to steal their accounts Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC seeks community input for Cyber Advisor service

The NCSC is proposing to establish a new Cyber Advisor service to train up experts in security guidance, and is inviting interested parties to come forward Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: Why you need to protect abandoned digital assets

The war in Ukraine and subsequent boycott of Russia resulted in a swathe of digital infrastructure being abandoned, becoming a potential vulnerability for many organisations, says Cyberpion’s Ran Nahmias Continue Reading

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• Peter Ray Allison

TMT firms among top targets for cyber attacks in Singapore

Organisations in the technology, media and telecoms sector were among the most lucrative targets for malicious actors as their services penetrate almost every aspect of society Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

LinkedIn most impersonated brand in phishing attacks

Social network LinkedIn, along with Microsoft and DHL, are just some of the brands that are most frequently imitated by cyber criminals conducting phishing attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Buy ‘plug-n-play’ malware for the price of a pint of beer

Three-quarters of malwares and almost 90% of exploits retail on the dark web for about £8.40 or less, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia-linked APTs targeted fleeing Ukrainian civilians

Mandiant and the US authorities have shared details of a phishing campaign that spoofed humanitarian information on evacuation procedures to target Ukrainians fleeing Russian bombardment Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

(ISC)² expands entry-level cyber programme after UK success

Flush with success from a UK certification programme, reaching 100k in the UK, (ISC)² now wants to provide free security certification to a million people worldwide Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cato aims to bust cyber myths as it extends network protections

Cato Networks is beefing up its platform’s security features with ransomware and data loss protections, and the firm’s security strategy lead Etay Maor is using the occasion – and his unique access to billions of data points from the firm’s network – to explode some cyber myths Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US cyber agency CISA to open London office

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has chosen London to host its first office outside America Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What to look for when taking out a cyber insurance policy

We look at the steps organisations need to take when buying cyber insurance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NHS trust ‘deliberately’ deleted up to 90,000 emails before tribunal hearing

A high-profile case brought by NHS whistleblower Chris Day raises questions about the adequacy of information governance practices in NHS hospital trusts Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Log4Shell on its way to becoming ‘endemic’

US government report concludes that, like Covid, Log4Shell will be with us for a long time to come Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW APAC: Buyer’s guide to backup and recovery software

The cyber threat landscape leaves firms with little room for error. In this handbook, focused on backup and recovery software in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at data protection capabilities, how Veeam aims to achieve a market-leading position, Rubrik’s focus on recovery and Kubernetes’s mission to meet the challenges of containerised application environments. Continue Reading

How hostile government APTs target journalists for cyber intrusions

Proofpoint shares data on multiple campaigns of cyber intrusions against journalists originating from threat actors aligned to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO wants to ‘empower people through information’

Information Commissioner’s Office sets out commitment to safeguard the information rights of the most vulnerable people in UK society Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Slippery phish wriggles around MFA protections, says Microsoft

Microsoft’s threat researchers share details of a phishing campaign that hit 10,000 organisations, against which standard multifactor authentication provides little defence Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital break-up kit to help women get out of bad relationships safely

Domestic abuse charity Refuge teams up with Avast to equip women with the knowledge to effectively and safely end a relationship digitally Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

July Patch Tuesday brings more than 80 fixes, one zero-day

While some admins can put their feet up and let Windows Autopatch do the hard work of updating their Microsoft estates, for the rest of us, the Patch Tuesday bandwagon keeps on keeping on Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MaliBot Android malware spreading fast, says Check Point

The MaliBot malware is becoming a persistent and widespread problem, and Android users should be on their guard, says Check Point Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft Windows Autopatch now generally available

Microsoft customers with Windows Enterprise E3 and E5 licences can now take full advantage of its new automated patching service Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft VBA macro block will return

Microsoft provides more details about its sudden decision to rollback a landmark security policy, and reassures users it is a temporary measure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SMEs lagging on multifactor authentication

Only 46% of small business owners say they have implemented multifactor authentication, and just 13% mandate its use, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber insurance: An effective use of your scant security budget?

The ISF’s Paul Watts asks if cyber insurance is a must-have item, an expensive luxury, or the emperor’s new clothes Continue Reading

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• Paul Watts, Information Security Forum

Stop telling clients to pay ransomware gangs, solicitors told

The NCSC and the ICO are calling on solicitors to help tackle the rising number of ransomware payments being made, and to stop giving erroneous advice to victims Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft appears to reverse VBA macro-blocking

Microsoft quietly reverses VBA macro-blocking across its Office portfolio in a move that has left security experts puzzled Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lots to consider when buying cyber insurance, so do your homework

When considering implementing a cyber insurance policy, due diligence should be your watchword, says Paddy Francis of Airbus CyberSecurity Continue Reading

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• Paddy Francis