Security policy and user awareness

Third-party code bug left Instagram users at risk of account takeover

A critical vulnerability in Instagram’s image processing could have allowed attackers to take over not just their victim’s account, but their entire device Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS whistleblower privacy concerns passed on to regulator, but campaigners not holding their breath

NHS Improvement chair Dido Harding acknowledges receiving concerns raised about the anonymity of whistleblowers, but campaigners have little faith that anything will be done Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government blasted over ‘reckless’ contact-tracing security

The Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch accuse the government of endangering public health with a reckless attitude to contact-tracing data security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Public admires security professionals, but doesn’t want their jobs

(ISC)² research finds attitudes towards security roles are increasingly positive, but not many people fancy joining the fight against cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Video gamers barraged with cyber attacks

From credential stuffing to SQL injection and DDoS, video game producers and players are seeing massive volumes of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US agencies warn of election disinformation and cyber attacks

Federal agencies are warning of heightened disinformation as the crucial 2020 presidential election nears Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Activision shoots down data breach claims

Gaming company denies there has been any data breach after up to 500,000 accounts appeared to have been compromised, but evidence mounts that credential stuffing attacks are to blame Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scam mobile apps spreading via rogue TikTok accounts

Malicious TikTok accounts are promoting a number of adware scam mobile apps Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Trump implicated in plans to prosecute Assange over war leaks

US journalist and Trump supporter, Cassandra Fairbanks, said she was given advanced details of US plans to oust Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy and to arrest him for over documents leaked by former soldier Chelsea Manning Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Why business resilience management should be high on the agenda

Business resilience management is key to business survival in the face of rapidly changing IT, cyber threat and regulatory environments Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

German authorities probe ransomware hospital death

Hackers failed to extort a ransom from University Hospital Düsseldorf, but indirectly caused the death of a patient Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rampant Kitten spent six years hacking Iranian dissidents

Details emerge of an ongoing campaign by Tehran-backed threat actors targeting dissidents and activists Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites

Saudi Arabian CIOs have been forced to increase their security posture as the Covid-19 pandemic transforms working methods Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

What are the habits of highly effective CISOs?

Data crunched by Gartner analysts reveals the behaviours that differentiate the top-performing chief information security officers from the pack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Edge security in the world of Covid-19

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentre to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

NCSC steps up ransomware support for schools and universities

New alert and updated guidance comes after several academic institutions were targeted in ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Edge datacentre security depends on specific needs

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Gartner Security Summit: Covid-19 brings agile security to the fore

The evolving threat landscape is the top driver impacting cyber security during the next three to five years, and Covid-19 has accelerated the trend towards more agile security deployments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Risky development practice leaves company access keys exposed

Database stores, cloud storage and myriad other services are being put at risk by the accidental exposure of company access keys during development Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: No secret sauce for edge security, just good practice

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt, and given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

Data of every Welsh Covid-19 patient leaked online

Data on all 18,105 people in Wales who have received positive tests for the coronavirus was uploaded to a public-facing web server in error Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Julian Assange faces solitary confinement if extradited, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be held under special administrative measures if extradited to the US, said Eric Lewis, a US legal expert, effectively placing him in solitary confinement Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Microsoft drops out of TikTok talks, paves way for Oracle partnership

Microsoft confirms it is dropping out of the running to acquire the US operations of TikTok, leaving the way clear for an imminent partnership deal with Oracle Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security is next frontier for open source

Open security will facilitate the interoperability and capabilities of cyber security tools while alleviating vendor lock-in for enterprises, says IBM Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Government launches £500k healthcare security plan

A £500,000 funding pot from the government aims to help support small and mid-sized healthcare firms during the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tackling the Post Covid Cybercrime Pandemic

The pace of change along criminal supply chains is accelerating. But so too is the response from law enforcement. Lockdown saw the first step with long overdue automation of incident notification ... Continue Reading

By

• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Why predictive threat intelligence is key

Threat intelligence startup Cyfirma is using virtual agents to gather intelligence on potential cyber attacks that are being coordinated in underground forums before they occur Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Lockdown sees increase in girls applying for GCHQ cyber courses

The shift to online learning saw an increase in participants for its CyberFirst cyber security training programme, GCHQ found Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Phishing scam targets Lloyds Bank customers

Bank customers warned of emails and SMS messages that direct them to a fraudulent site and then request account log-in details Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Datacentre security is a business imperative

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

How Certis is digitising security operations

Certis has developed more than 50 applications in a year to help employees do their jobs better and has set up an AI centre to tap the potential of robotics and video analytics in security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Northumbria University suffers major disruption after cyber attack

Some exams cancelled as university appoints external specialists to investigate incident Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Seven steps to edge security

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• SIlvano Sogus and Alan Taberham

Norway’s corporates want government to support ‘herd immunity’ to cyber attack

Leading business organisations in Norway call on government to play a more active role in improving and coordinating the country’s cyber defences Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Vint Cerf: Why everyone has a role in internet safety

The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the power of internet connectivity. Vint Cerf talks to Computer Weekly about the challenges the internet now faces Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security Think Tank: Security at the distributed edge

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt, and given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

By

• Anup Deb, Palo Alto Networks

Machine learning wards off threats at TV studio Bunim Murray

TV studio behind reality hits including The Real World and Keeping Up With The Kardashians turned to Darktrace’s Antigena email protection service to keep its people safe from Covid-19 threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Benefit fraud: Underground trade in stolen identities revealed

A roaring underground trade in stolen identities is undermining the Universal Credit system and could potentially defraud it out of millions of pounds Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Double extortion ransomware attacks and how to stop them

As ransomware attacks increase, hackers are diversifying their tactics to get victims to hand over larger sums of money. We investigate the rise of double extortion attacks Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

NHS whistleblowers’ anonymity at mercy of inadequate trust IT policies and processes

They were clapped in the streets for their bravery at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but some NHS staff who raise workplace concerns are suffering abuse as a result Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

TikTok CEO clocks off

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the firm after just three months Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Avaddon ransomware operators having a go at double extortion

The operators of the Avaddon ransomware seem to be tooling up to leak the data of their victims in addition to holding it to ransom, Cofense researchers confirm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What are the latest GDPR security breach enforcement trends?

A cyber breach specialist from Fieldfisher runs the rule over the latest trends in cyber security, data protection and GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Kirsten Whitfield, Fieldfisher

North Korea’s Lazarus targets cryptocurrency vertical

APT group behind the infamous WannaCry incident is targeting cryptocurrency operators, according to new research Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TikTok takes Trump to court

Under-fire video app TikTok files a formal complaint in the federal courts challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to ban it in the US Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

When algorithms don’t play fair

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the auditing of algorithms to countervail bias. We examine what CISOs can learn from Covid-19. And in our buyer’s guide to modern software development, we assess how competent artificial intelligence is at building applications that deliver the best possible customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Getting physical with datacentre security

Whether it is natural disasters, terrorism or break-ins, datacentres will be vulnerable to a range of risks unless they are physically secured. Here’s how you can improve the physical security of your datacentre Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

TikTok’s GDPR compliance probed amid accusations of data misuse

Dutch privacy organisation SOMI claims TikTok falls short in protecting young users, and that it is likely violating GDPR Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs accuse ICO of failing to do its job on contact-tracing data

Cross-party group of MPs say the ICO has failed to enforce data protection standards or hold the government to account over the unlawful Test and Trace programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australian regulator sues RI Advice for cyber security lapses

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is suing RI Advice for cyber security breaches at the financial firm’s authorised representatives Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

UKAS rejects ISO certification concerns

UK’s certification body says refreshed guidance is in place to cover the possibility of lapsed ISO certifications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Social media data leak highlights murky world of data scraping

A data brokerage left its database of 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube profiles exposed to anybody who cared to access it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HMRC investigates over 10,000 Covid-19 phishing reports

HM Revenue & Customs received thousands of reports of coronavirus phishing scams exploiting its name during April, May and June Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Thousands of ISO certifications set to lapse

Delays and postponements in the auditing process are putting hard-earned security and data protection certifications at risk of lapsing Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Carnival cruise lines hit by ransomware, customer data stolen

Cruise ship operator is likely to be the victim of a major data breach after customer information is apparently stolen in a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Comms startup Element helps support secure communications during pandemic

With the huge increase in remote working, Element is using an open, decentralised network to give organisations more control over their communications Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Security Interviews: How Crest is remaking the future of consultancy

Crest president Ian Glover taught himself cyber security while working on government computing systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Now he is on a decade-spanning mission to change security consultancy models Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO acknowledges GDPR concerns over A-level results scandal

Information Commissioner’s Office says it has engaged with exams regulator Ofqual after its use of an algorithm to calculate A-level grades backfired Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia’s Fancy Bear targets Linux environments with Drovorub malware

The Russian intelligence-linked Fancy Bear group is deploying a new malware called Drovorub against Linux environments as part of a cyber espionage operation, according to US warnings Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ed Sheeran is not promoting investment opportunities, says NCSC

The National Cyber Security Centre has issued a new warning after uncovering a series of online scams promoting fraudulent celebrity-endorsed investment opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to tackle the IAM challenges of multinational companies

The rapidly changing business, regulatory and IT environment makes identity and access management a tough nut to crack for large multinationals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

APAC consumers do not feel responsible for data security

Just one in four consumers believe they should protect their own data, underscoring the tightrope between security and convenience that organisations have been walking on Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

How Dharma ransomware became an effective services business

New research looks under the bonnet of a Dharma ransomware attack, with the ransomware's ease of use being particularly dangerous for small to medium-sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft patches two zero-days with active exploits

Microsoft drops another major Patch Tuesday update, including fixes for two zero-day exploits that are already being exploited by cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security training body Sans Institute hit by data breach

Around 28,000 items of personally identifiable data were lost in a phishing attack on Sans, proving that even the professionals can be caught out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS hit by thousands of malicious emails at height of pandemic

The NHS received nearly 30,000 malicious emails at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March and April Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Phishing lures pivot to exploit vaccine hopes

Phishing emails are increasingly luring in victims with subject lines relating to the development of a vaccine for Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hospitality sector is failing on contact-tracing obligations

Cyber security experts urge the government to do more to help small hospitality businesses improve their contact-tracing data-handling practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retailer Monsoon allegedly exposing data via Pulse Connect server

A researcher has found a critically insecure Pulse Connect Secure VPN version belonging to UK retailer Monsoon Accessorize, but claims the firm is ignoring his disclosures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security teams struggle to keep pace with cloud threats

Security professionals face challenges in keeping pace with cloud deployments and migrations, and the additional security threats they open up Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Virgin Media customers targeted in Twitter phish

Customers seeking help from the ISP are being targeted by a scam Twitter account Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TikTok to be banned in US in 45 days

Trump says his Executive Orders against Chinese mobile apps are in the interests of dealing with a national emergency Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia updates cyber security strategy but offers little new

The nation’s latest cyber security strategy includes centralised management of networks and a voluntary code of practice for deploying internet-connected devices, among other areas Continue Reading

By

• Anthony Caruana

Qualcomm chip vulnerability puts millions of phones at risk

Qualcomm has patched multiple vulnerabilities in its chip hardware that left hundreds of millions of smartphones open to compromise by malicious actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Canon said to be latest Maze ransomware victim

Canon may have had up to 10TB of its data exfiltrated by the Maze ransomware gang Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GCHQ seeks researchers to tackle deep fakes and misinformation

A GCHQ research fellowship based at its Manchester office will explore various national security priorities such as deep fakes, fake news and the impact of AI Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Seven questions you need to ask when buying security insurance

Find out what you need to ask to make an informed decision on cyber security insurance with new help from the UK’s NCSC Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The countdown is on for TikTok after Schrems II

Given the US’ threatened actions against TikTok and the outcome of Schrems II, it is clear that the spotlight is now firmly on international data transfers Continue Reading

By

• Jagvinder Singh Kang, Mills & Reeve

Second wave of Covid-19 cyber attacks locked in

More cyber attacks exploiting the pandemic seem likely, says Interpol Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Liam Fox hack raises questions over government security

The hack of a former cabinet minister’s emails casts doubt over the effectiveness of safeguards and security training processes at the highest levels of the British government Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New foundation to bolster security of open source software

The Open Source Security Foundation will bring together key open source security initiatives across the industry to improve and support the security of open source software Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Estonian police and border services need better IT to block criminals from becoming e-residents

Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia needs to improve its IT systems to stop criminals from becoming e-residents, says report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft offers way out of TikTok impasse

Microsoft offers to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent to ease security fears in the US Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

More data breaches from ransomware attacks in Australia

The number of data breaches caused by ransomware rose to 33 in the first half of 2020 from 13 in the previous six-month period, according to the latest report from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Labour Party is latest victim of Blackbaud ransomware attack

Widening Blackbaud data breach ensnares the Labour Party as the cloud software firm continues to duck questions about its behaviour Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Twitter confirms it was hit by targeted spearphishing attack

Investigation into 15 July 2020 hack of a number of high-profile accounts by cryptocurrency scammers has found evidence of a targeted spearphishing incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU sanctions China and Russia over cyber attacks

The EU is applying restrictive measure to six individuals and three entities accused of conducting disruptive cyber attacks in Europe, including the Russian GRU Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

List of Blackbaud breach victims tops 120

More than 120 education and third-sector organisations may have had their data compromised through the breach of Blackbaud’s cloud platform Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Serious BootHole vulnerability puts millions of systems at risk

BootHole is a GRUB2 bootloader vulnerability and puts millions of PCs, servers and other devices at risk of compromise Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Majority of organisations at risk of cloud data exposure

Report casts doubt on the effectiveness of the shared responsibility model of cloud security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

De Montfort, KCL, Newcastle universities join list of Blackbaud victims

Embattled cloud services provider now has big questions to answer over its handling of data belonging to UK universities and charities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Garmin may have paid hackers ransom, reports suggest

Garmin’s services are coming back online, but the company remains tight-lipped about what exactly happened to it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC names national security expert Lindy Cameron as new CEO

New National Cyber Security Centre head joins from the Northern Ireland Office and has spent 20 years in government at home and abroad Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scotland’s security resilience centre concept goes national

Based on the success of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, a series of regional Cyber Resilience Centres are now launching across the rest of the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia issues new cloud computing guidelines

The new guidance, which comes after the expiry of the government’s cloud services certification programme, will help to bolster Australia’s cyber security resilience Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Investment in neurodiverse talent a win-win for security

Current careers guidance and recruitment processes for security jobs are not working for people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, but the problem is fixable with a little attention to detail Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A question of trust: University and supplier on the hook for data breach

Data on students at the University of York was stolen in a ransomware attack on a supplier two months ago, and the response of both parties raises serious questions Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC reveals scale of cyber attacks on UK sports industry

The UK’s sports industry is under near constant cyber attack, according to new statistics from the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

No let-up in cyber attacks as lockdown eases

Cyber attacks are up by one-third as the coalescence of cyber activity and nation state-linked threats around the pandemic bears fruit for bad actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US charges Chinese nationals with Covid-19 research hacking

The two hackers allegedly worked with the Chinese Ministry of State Security, targeting intellectual property and confidential business information Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor