Security policy and user awareness

Sepa data leaks as agency resists ransom demands

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is resisting extortion demands from a ransomware gang, but has suffered a data leak in retaliation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackney Council tenders for cyber security upgrade

Suppliers are being invited to tender for enhanced cyber security capabilities at ransomware victim Hackney Council Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gamarue malware found on government-issued school laptops

Devices handed out by the government to support vulnerable children contain malware that appears to be contacting C2 infrastructure in Russia Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How can healthcare organisations fight increased cyber crime in 2021?

As the Covid-19 pandemic enters what may be its most dangerous phase, we explore how healthcare organisations can ward off cyber threats while preserving their ability to deliver critical care Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Two-thirds of CISOs say they’ll be cyber attack victims this year

Security professionals are ever alert to the threats they face, but some still seem to think it is unlikely they will be attacked Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Incompetent cyber criminals leak data in opsec failure

Even cyber criminals need to pay attention to their information security posture, as this cautionary tale uncovered by Check Point reveals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Should I be worried about MFA-bypassing pass-the-cookie attacks?

Malicious actors bypassed multi-factor authentication using so-called pass-the-cookie attacks, but how worrying is this and what is the risk to organisations? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Malwarebytes also hit by SolarWinds attackers

The nation state group that attacked SolarWinds in December got inside Malwarebytes by exploiting privileged access to its Microsoft Office 365 tenant, the firm reveals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: It’s time to secure the collaboration revolution

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hotcakes? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

UK fraud agency deploys ArcGIS dashboard for data sharing

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau says it has achieved improved transparency with the public, as well as saving 3,500 staff hours and £100,000 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Click fraud levels reach new heights in pandemic

Small companies risk losing £10,000 a year, and enterprises as much as £520,000, to cyber criminals as click fraud volumes spike Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Criminals fiddled stolen Covid-19 vaccine data to damage trust

Malicious actors manipulated stolen Covid-19 data in a way clearly intended to damage public trust in vaccines, says the EMA Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: In 2021, enable, empower and entrust your users

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

MoD reports 18% rise in data loss incidents

The Ministry of Defence reported more than five hundred data security incidents in 2019-20, with seven serious enough to warrant disclosure to the ICO Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australians lost A$176m to scams in 2020

Investment scams topped the list of scams, which grew by 23.1% in 2020 as criminals exploited human psychology using social engineering Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NCSC CyberFirst Girls 2021 contest kicks off

UK’s national cyber agency says it has already had hundreds of entrants in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US cyber security agencies get $9bn in Biden plan

New funding proposals come as US government reels from the impact of the December 2020 SolarWinds attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unforeseen consequences of new technologies put UK at risk

Lords committee told that the risks associated with various emerging digital technologies must be assessed together, with input from UK citizens, if the government is to avoid ‘siloisation’ of fundamentally interconnected problems Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

APAC firms grapple with cyber security amid pandemic

Some aspects of cyber security have taken a backseat as companies across the Asia-Pacific region rush to shore up their infrastructure to cope with the demands of remote work Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Plan for hybrid working to become normal

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Martin Kuppinger, KuppingerCole

World’s largest dark web market disrupted in major police operation

Coordinated international operation including Europol and the UK’s National Crime Agency has successfully taken DarkMarket offline Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Critical zero-day features in first Patch Tuesday of 2021

Microsoft releases fixes for 84 bugs on the first Patch Tuesday of 2021, including a critical zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Defender Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Parler collapse opens door to phishing attacks

The shutdown of controversial social media site Parler, and the publication of huge amounts of user data scraped by ethical hackers, is giving cyber crime experts cause for concern Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Time for security teams to learn from Covid

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Elliot Rose and Cate Pye

New SolarWinds CEO sets out rescue plan

Customers can expect to see more regular and thorough checks on SolarWinds products, alongside greater engagement with the security community Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t bet on a new normal just yet

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Government use of 'general warrants' to authorise computer and phone hacking is unlawful

A court has ruled that the security and intelligence services can no longer rely on ‘general warrants’ to authorise the hacking of large numbers of computers and phones belonging to UK citizens Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Picking the right IAM tools is based on more than today’s needs

With remote working now normal, it is important to take proactive steps in managing credentials across platforms that can be subject to multiple data protection regulations. IAM services can streamline this process, but care must be taken to ensure the correct one is chosen Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

The nation state threat to business

The SolarWinds hack shows the widespread damage possible from a nation state cyber attack. What is the threat to business and how can it be mitigated? Continue Reading

By

• Kate O'Flaherty

The human firewall's role in a cybersecurity strategy

The human firewall is a crucial element of a long-term, holistic security initiative. Explore how human firewalls can protect your enterprise against attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Jessica Groopman, Kaleido Insights

Security Think Tank: Cyber effectiveness, efficiency key in 2021

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to face charges in US, court rules

Court rules it would be oppressive to send Julian Assange to the US to face trial after finding he is at high risk of suicide. US government says it will appeal Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: The year of the work-from-home hangover

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Lloyd, RedSeal

NPCC brings the Christmas present of partnership to UK Cyber Policing

The combination of the Cyber Resilience Centres, Police Cyber Alarm and The Cyber Helpline  provides a major advance towards joining up the UK approach to policing the on-line world, Continue Reading

By

• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Security Long Reads: Cyber insiders reveal what’s to come in 2021

In this long read, we gather together the thoughts of cyber security insiders from across the industry to get their take on what will happen in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cyber crime stories of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top 10 cyber security stories of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly’s 10 top cyber security stories of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

It’s time to accept that disinformation is a cyber security issue

Tackling the manipulation of truth and facts is no easy task, and it’s time for the cyber security sector to take up the challenge Continue Reading

By

• Saj Huq, Plexal

Patching: Balancing technical requirements with business considerations

With an increasing reliance on subscription models alongside the regular patching of software, updates have become an essential part of modern business practices. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the optimum patching process is implemented Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Ministry of Justice in the dock for catalogue of serious data breaches

Annual report reveals major incidents of personal data loss affecting 121,355 people and including misplaced, unencrypted USB stick containing documents from a trial, accidental disclosure of identities, and staff files made visible to unauthenticated users Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Utility supplier People’s Energy has entire customer list stolen

All 270,000 customers of People’s Energy, a renewable energy startup, have had their details compromised in a major data breach incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dodgy browser extensions put social media users at risk

More than three million users of third-party browser extensions for Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo and others have been infected with malware, according to Avast Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU security strategy a ‘step up’ on cyber leadership, says Brussels

The EU’s new cyber security strategy forms a key component of Shaping Europe’s Digital Future, the Recovery Plan for Europe, and the EU Security Union Strategy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SolarWinds cyber attack: How worried should I be, and what do I do now?

Security teams across the world are on high alert as more details emerge of the widespread SolarWinds ‘Sunburst’ attack. What do defenders need to do next? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How security will be different after Covid-19

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the world of cyber security will probably never return to its pre-pandemic state – we look ahead. The combination of remote working and streaming video is putting extra strain on networks. And we look at how digital transformation is changing the way contact centres are run. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Confidence in print security drops and data breach costs rise

As cyberattacks continue to increase, capitalising on the new vulnerabilities of remote working, securing the print infrastructure – across the office and home environments – must be a strategic ... Continue Reading

By

• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

Singapore trials beacons to bolster police operations

Police beacons equipped with video cameras, sirens, floodlights and speakers are being deployed at two parks to improve public safety in a year-long trial Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

The week in ransomware: Foxconn and Randstad are high-profile victims

Foxconn and Randstad are laid low by cyber criminals, while Sophos spills on Egregor, and prognosticators turn to their crystal balls to divine how ransomware will develop in the next 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Disputed PostgreSQL bug exploited in cryptomining botnet

PGMiner cryptomining botnet remained unnoticed by exploiting a disputed CVE in PostgreSQL Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Surge in Covid-19 vaccine phishing scams reported

Check Point and KnowBe4 share details of a growing number of phishing campaigns using the prospect of a Covid-19 vaccine as a lure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Integration between SIEM/SOAR is critical

SIEM and SOAR share much in common but there are key differences between the two that may influence the best fit for your organisation. What should security pros consider when making a choice? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Post-pandemic approaches to IAM for cloud security

Cloud technology may have saved businesses from catastrophe during the pandemic, but it has also introduced additional challenges around identity and access management. Here’s why IAM policies are crucial in the new normal Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

French regulators fine Google and Amazon over cookie policies

Google and Amazon rapped over their use of advertising cookies by the French data protection authorities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Helpline awarded lottery funding to support victims

The Cyber Helpline, a UK charity that provides emergency support to victims of cyber crime and online stalking, is to receive funding from the National Lottery Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: SOAR to the next level with automation

SIEM and SOAR have much in common, but there are key differences between the two that may influence the best fit for your organisation. What should security pros consider when making a choice? Continue Reading

By

• Jason Yakencheck, Isaca

Amnesia:33 IoT flaws dangerous and patches unlikely, say experts

The disclosure of multiple flaws by Forescout has raised big questions for the developers of connected products, and for their users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft presents just 58 CVEs for Christmas

The final Patch Tuesday of 2020 contains 58 fixes, a minnow compared to some recent drops, but many are still of high importance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

FireEye’s ethical hacking tools stolen in state-backed attack

Hacking tools used to conduct red team penetration testing were stolen in the state-backed attack on security firm FireEye Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Multiple D-Link routers found vulnerable to attack

Digital Defense discloses a remotely exploitable root command injection flaw in a number of D-Link wireless router devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A trillion dollars lost to cyber crime every year

Data collated by McAfee and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies highlights the growing impact of cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Opportunistic Egregor ransomware is an emerging and active threat

Researchers at Recorded Future’s Insikt Group highlight links between the emerging Egregor ransomware and other strains, and offer guidance on defending against it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Aware campaign to help safeguard Christmas shoppers

New government campaign sets out to raise awareness of online shopping fraud in the run-up to Christmas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Covid-19 vaccine supply chain attacked by unknown nation state

An unknown nation state actor is attempting to disrupt the supply of coronavirus vaccines Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dangerous Trickbot evolves to target UEFI/BIOS firmware

Dubbed Trickboot by researchers, Trickbot’s new features enable malicious actors to read, write or even erase UEFI/BIOS firmware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Covid-19: Cyber criminals will target vaccine programmes

Interpol issues a global alert to law enforcement as the UK becomes one of the first countries to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: SIEM and SOAR are far from mutually exclusive

SIEM and SOAR have much in common, but there are key differences between the two that may influence the best fit for your organisation. What should security pros consider when making a choice? Continue Reading

By

• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

Singapore government remains ‘juicy target’ for cyber attackers

The government is baking security into the design and implementation of its IT systems and looking to increase bug bounties to fend off cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

DHL, Amazon and FedEx are most phished delivery services

DHL has emerged as the most imitated delivery brand in Europe, accounting for 77% of the total volume of phishing emails received in November 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

22,000 malicious .uk domains suspended in past year

Nominet has suspended just over 22,000 domains in the 12 months to 31 October 2020, continuing a downward trend, and with less impact from Covid-19 than might be expected Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Alerts are great, it’s what you do with them that counts

SIEM and SOAR have much in common, but there are key differences between the two that may influence the best fit for your organisation. What should security pros consider when making a choice? Continue Reading

By

• Rasika Somasiri

How to modernise identity governance and administration

Modernising identity governance and administration (IGA) capabilities is essential for organisations to manage identities effectively to ensure they remain competitive, compliant and secure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How Grab is using technology to improve trust and safety

Southeast Asian unicorn Grab is tapping artificial intelligence and other technologies to keep its users safe and cyber criminals at bay Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

This Christmas, Covid-19 heightens retail security risks for everyone

Do you think it’s only retailers and consumers who need to consider cyber security when shopping online during the holidays? You’re dead wrong. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift to remote working has thrown a spanner in the works Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

APAC plagued by APT, ransomware attacks

The Asia-Pacific region was a primary target of advanced persistent threat groups, mostly from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, that carried out 34 campaigns between June 2019 to June 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

From front line to back office – how supporting the cyber community keeps the NHS safe

NHS Digital’s chief information security officer describes how the Cyber Associates Network benefits security experts in health and care Continue Reading

By

• Neil Bennett, NHS Digital

Securing UK’s critical national infrastructure is a 2021 priority

Government outlines the UK’s strategic cyber security policies for the coming 12 months, with critical national infrastructure a clear priority Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Belgian security researcher hacks Tesla with Raspberry Pi

Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters once again succeeds in hacking a Tesla vehicle, this time by exploiting the Bluetooth Low Energy standard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Accidental heroes: How one scaleup pivoted to cyber

Simeon Quarrie designed his business using virtual reality and interactivity as a tool to tell stories that effect cultural change in enterprise environments – then a cyber criminal emptied his bank account Continue Reading

Nominet introduces new resources for cyber scam victims

Domain name registrar is working with law enforcement to provide new information, guidance and resources for potential victims of online scams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC issues retail security alert ahead of Black Friday sales

National Cyber Security Centre issues refreshed guidance as cyber criminals turn their eyes to the holiday shopping season Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Manchester United praised for swift response to cyber attack

Manchester United’s systems were attacked last week, and the club has been praised for a swift and decisive response Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs subjected to over 22 million malicious email attacks in 2020

Members of Parliament are targeted by millions of spam and phishing emails every month, according to a Freedom of Information disclosure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security pros fear prosecution under outdated UK laws

CyberUp, a group of campaigners who want to reform the Computer Misuse Act, finds 80% of security professionals are concerned that they may be prosecuted just for doing their jobs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW APAC: Expert advice on zero-trust security

Zero trust is a security model that eliminates the traditional perimeter and assumes that no user or device can be trusted until proven otherwise. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how enterprises can take a zero-trust approach to securing their network, devices and workforce. Continue Reading

Security sector broadly backs Boris Johnson’s Cyber Force

Security community says the presence of a robust cyber defence force alongside a robust physical one will be vital to the UK’s national security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

2021 the year of commodity ransomware, says Sophos

Sophos researchers anticipate a trickle-down effect in the cyber criminal underground Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US cyber security chief fired for contradicting Trump

CISA chief Chris Krebs ousted for doing his job fighting disinformation in an apparent purge of officials deemed disloyal to president Donald Trump Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HMRC warns over uptick in Self Assessment tax scams

HMRC issues updated warnings as 2021 Self Assessment deadlines loom Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware stats overload risks confusing buyers

UK-based organisations are either more, or less, likely to pay ransoms, depending on which cyber security supplier you want to believe Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Financial services data volumes heighten risk of insider breach

Financial services organisations hold so much data that it is becoming virtually impossible to safeguard properly against data breaches caused by malicious or careless employees Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brexit and risks to data privacy and governance

EY privacy specialists assess the risks to data privacy, protection and governance on the table for businesses, with less than two months until Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Paul Smith and Krittika Singh

How to build an effective vulnerability management programme

As cyber criminals increasingly look to exploit vulnerabilities in software and hardware, businesses must build and implement an effective vulnerability management programme to counter this growing threat Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

How Standard Chartered approaches cyber security

Bank uses security-by-design principles and conducts red-teaming exercises among other measures to fend off cyber breaches Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Privacy advocates call for European probe into Palantir

Dutch group SOMI is trying to raise awareness of Palantir’s data privacy practices and how it works with European government agencies Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackney systems could be unavailable for months, says council

A month after a highly disruptive cyber attack on its systems, Hackney Council is still struggling to get back up and running Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online kids’ game Animal Jam confirms large breach

Cyber criminals have stolen data on 46 million Animal Jam player accounts via a third-party attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security pros coped admirably with remote working transition

Despite facing tight timescales at the onset of the pandemic, security professionals have come through the transition to remote working remarkably well, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft drops fix for serious zero-day among 112 Patch Tuesday updates

November’s Patch Tuesday contains fixes for 112 bugs, including a potentially serious zero-day exploit that malicious actors are already taking advantage of Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU aid funds used to train ‘unaccountable intelligence agencies’ in high-tech surveillance

Hundreds of documents obtained by campaign group Privacy International show how the EU is supporting surveillance programmes in the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Leaky AWS S3 bucket once again at centre of data breach

Prestige Software exposed millions of records after failing to pay attention to the security of its cloud instances Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor