News

Privacy and data protection

• December 20, 2016 20 Dec'16

  Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2016

  Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cyber crime stories of 2016:

• December 15, 2016 15 Dec'16

  Typo allowed Russian hackers to access US Democratic Party emails

  Typographical mistake in an email warning of a phishing attack on the US Democrats led to thousands of private emails being accessed and published by Russian-backed hackers

• December 08, 2016 08 Dec'16

  PowerShell security threats greater than ever, researchers warn

  Administrators should upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft PowerShell and enable extended logging and monitoring capabilities in the light of a surge in related security threats, warn researchers

• December 08, 2016 08 Dec'16

  More than 2,000 TalkTalk routers hijacked by Mirai botnet variant

  Security researchers are urging ISPs to issue emergency patches for Marai botnet infections after 2,374 TalkTalk routers were linked in a regional botnet

• December 06, 2016 06 Dec'16

  UK falls below global cyber security confidence

  Global confidence in ability to accurately assess cyber risk has fallen in the past year, but the UK has fallen below the global average

• December 05, 2016 05 Dec'16

  Top 10 ANZ enterprise IT stories of 2016

  Here is a rundown of Computer Weekly’s most popular ANZ enterprise IT articles for 2016

• December 02, 2016 02 Dec'16

  Academics link payment card vulnerability to Tesco Bank cyber heist

  UK academics uncover a vulnerability in online payment systems, which they say could have been used in the Tesco Bank cyber heist

• December 01, 2016 01 Dec'16

  US and UK government expand surveillance powers

  The US has introduced wide new hacking powers for federal agents a day after the UK's Investigatory Powers Act firmed up bulk surveillance powers for intelligence and polices services

• December 01, 2016 01 Dec'16

  Mozilla and Tor issue patches for Firefox flaw exposing Tor users

  Users of Tor anonymous browsing urged to update to the latest versions of relevant software to block an exploit that collects IP and MAC addresses to identify users

• November 28, 2016 28 Nov'16

  IBM blamed for Australian census website crash

  Computer giant reportedly pays $30m to Australian government as reports are released from two inquiries into DDoS attacks on census website

• November 25, 2016 25 Nov'16

  One in four Wi-Fi hotspots vulnerable to attack, study finds

  At least one in four Wi-Fi hotspots are open to attack, a study by Kaspersky Lab reveals

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Consumer identity key to digital transformation

  Customer identity and access management has benefits for consumers and service providers alike, but is key to digital transformation, says KuppingerCole

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Alleged hacker Lauri Love’s ‘life will be destroyed’ under Trump regime

  Supporters fear for activist Lauri Love if his extradition to face hacking charges to the US goes ahead

• November 18, 2016 18 Nov'16

  Three breach highlights several security issues, says (ISC)2

  Customer data breaches continue to demonstrate that companies are still not treating cyber risk like every other business risk, says Adrian Davis of (ISC)2

• November 18, 2016 18 Nov'16

  Hackers arrested in Three mobile upgrade scam

  Three men arrested in connection with mobile handset upgrade fraud enabled by unauthorised access to customer data

• November 16, 2016 16 Nov'16

  Digital transformation not a finite process, says Martin Kuppinger

  Security, privacy and identity are key to digital transformation, which is an evolutionary process, according to Martin Kuppinger

• November 16, 2016 16 Nov'16

  Government data security confusing, finds PAC

  A Public Accounts Committee hearing shows the government’s data and cyber security landscape is chaotic and confusing

• November 15, 2016 15 Nov'16

  Online identity needs to be fixed, says Microsoft’s Kim Cameron

  Software giant’s identity architect calls on enterprises to professionalise the way they relate to customers to help replace online identity infrastructure that is not fit for purpose

• November 15, 2016 15 Nov'16

  Amber Rudd orders Lauri Love extradition to US to face hacking charges

  Engineering student Lauri Love faces trials in three US states and a possible 99-year jail sentence for allegedly hacking into US government computer systems as part of a political protest, despite concerns over his health

• November 14, 2016 14 Nov'16

  412 million user accounts exposed in FriendFinder Networks hack

  Another huge data breach has exposed poor security of user details and continued poor user password practices

• November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

  Russian banks hit by IoT-enabled DDoS attacks

  DDoS attacks on Russian banks have been linked to IoT botnets, further confirming this worrying trend and highlighting the need for IoT suppliers to improve security capabilties

• November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

  24 cyber criminals arrested in Europol operation

  Romanian police arrest 24 members of a card skimming and cloning operation and identify 47 other suspects

• November 02, 2016 02 Nov'16

  Pure-play cyber security has real value, says incoming McAfee head

  Intel Security has outlined its strategy to protect the new digital economy as it gears up for innovation as a new independent pure-play security firm under the McAfee banner

• October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16

  Apple iCloud and Gmail hacker gets 18 months in jail

  A US man is given a sentence of 18 months in jail for hacking into celebrity iCloud and Gmail accounts after investigators failed to find a link with the leak of celebrity nude photos online in 2014

• October 27, 2016 27 Oct'16

  Information security set for steep trajectory, says (ISC)2

  By helping to create a thriving, diverse and open information security community, (ISC)2 hopes to ensure a steep rise for the profession

• October 20, 2016 20 Oct'16

  Lessons to be learned from attempted $1bn bank heist

  Analysis of an attack aimed at stealing $1bn reveals important lessons for cyber defenders, says BAE Systems head of threat intelligence Adrian Nish

• October 20, 2016 20 Oct'16

  Armed forces minister wants military recruiters to "think different" to attract cyber security pros

  Armed Forces minister Mike Penning says military must rethink how it recruits trainees to attract people with the cyber security skills the country needs to protect itself

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Snowden: the IT analyst turned whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance

  Oliver Stone's biopic on Edward Snowden reaches the heart of the ethical crisis posed by mass surveillance for the state and ordinary citizens

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Information security needs to cast recruitment net wider, says panel

  Companies struggling to fill info sec roles should focus on finding people who can do what they need, not on qualifications, according to a security industry panel

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  Saving Lauri Love: activists plan their next move

  An eclectic bunch of activists, charity workers and reformed hackers spent a rainy Sunday afternoon plotting their next move in a campaign to save Lauri Love from extradition to the US on hacking charges

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  Most businesses vulnerable to cyber attacks through firmware, study shows

  Company culture and overall attitude to security is a major contribution to vulnerability to cyber attack through firmware, a study by Isaca has revealed

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Digital Economy Bill lacks clarity on data sharing, experts say

  The Digital Economy Bill needs to firm up its definitions on data sharing and improve transparency to avoid losing public trust, according to experts

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Retail websites riddled with security holes, researchers warn

  Retailers urged to improve the security of their online stores amid a series of discoveries of cyber criminal campaigns to exploit vulnerabilities in retail websites

• October 13, 2016 13 Oct'16

  Almost two-thirds of US office workers unaware of ransomware threat

  Nearly half of ransomware attacks are aimed at office workers, but almost two-thirds of those polled in the US are unaware of the threat

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  Smartwatches banned from UK Cabinet as EC plans IoT security standards

  The EC is planning a security certification scheme for internet of things devices as the UK Cabinet bans smartwatches amid heightened fears of cyber espionage

• September 29, 2016 29 Sep'16

  NGOs challenge UK and US mass surveillance in human rights court

  Privacy International, Liberty and the American Civil Liberties Union are among 10 human rights groups backing a landmark challenge to mass surveillance in the European Court of Human Rights

• September 29, 2016 29 Sep'16

  Trust issues stifling digital economy growth, study shows

  Businesses that have products and services based on trust have a significant opportunity to future-proof their business, but those who do not risk being side-lined, a study shows

• September 20, 2016 20 Sep'16

  Business warned not to be complacent about cyber security

  Lloyds of London survey reveals just how badly some European firms are failing in terms of cyber security and low levels of awareness about the role of cyber insurance

• September 16, 2016 16 Sep'16

  Alleged hacker Lauri Love can be extradited to the US, court rules

  Westminster Magistrates’ Court has ruled that alleged hacker, Lauri Love, can be extradited to the US, where he could face a 99-year prison sentence

• September 12, 2016 12 Sep'16

  MaidSafe secure internet concept enters testing phase

  Scottish internet startup MaidSafe brings its vision for a more private and secure approach to the web a step closer to reality

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  NSA used Iraq war to develop surveillance capability, documents show

  As the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill inches closer to becoming law, NSA documents reveal that the agency used the Iraq war to develop and expand its surveillance infrastructure

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  Basic security could have prevented OPM breach, says report

  Basic security controls and malware-detection tools could have prevented the breach of more than 21 million records at the US Office of Personnel Management in 2015, claims a congressional report

• September 06, 2016 06 Sep'16

  Use ransomware to get security buy-in, says Trend Micro CTO

  Ransomware is one of the top cyber threats to business, but organisations should use that to engage stakeholders and review processes and defences, says Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes

• September 01, 2016 01 Sep'16

  Lessons from the Dropbox breach

  Dropbox is the latest major company to confirm a data breach, albeit four years old, but – as with all recent data breaches by cloud-based services – it highlights some key security lessons

• August 31, 2016 31 Aug'16

  Evidence of DNS tunnelling in two-fifths of business networks

  Cyber criminals are capitalising on the failure of many businesses to examine their DNS traffic for malware insertion and data exfiltration, according to Infoblox

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  Westpac bank launches Databank data protection service

  Australia's Westpac bank is offering organisations that share customer data a service that it says securely locks down personal information

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  Encryption hiding malware in half of cyber attacks

  Cyber attackers are using encryption to hide malicious activity, making it increasingly difficult to find as more organisations turn to encryption to protect data, a study has revealed

• August 26, 2016 26 Aug'16

  Law firms planning litigation market for GDPR

  Businesses should be preparing for the storm of litigation that is likely to be unleashed when the GDPR goes into force, warns Stewart Room of PwC Legal

• August 25, 2016 25 Aug'16

  French submarine maker data breach highlights challenges of IP security

  French naval contractor data breach proves that protecting intellectual property is challenging, say security experts

• August 19, 2016 19 Aug'16

  Expect ransomware arrests soon, says bitcoin tracking firm Chainalysis

  Law enforcement organisations are set to ramp up arrests of cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks, according to financial technology startup Chainalysis