Application security and coding requirements

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

Norway has NOK200m plan to bolster cyber defences

Norway is investing heavily in its cyber defences amid heightened threat from Russia Continue Reading

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• Gerard O'Dwyer

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

James Hatch, BAE Systems: Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to the chief digital officer at BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business about the challenges of “digital” in high-trust organisations Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DevSecOps: Software developers lack sufficient security focus

GitLab survey shows developers want to produce high-quality code, but ‘shifting’ security left is hard to achieve Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing 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, TechTarget

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

GitHub targets vulnerable open source components

There are thousands of vulnerabilities in open source code – GitHub aims to help developers see if their projects are impacted Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing 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

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

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

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

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

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, TechTarget

Latest Atlassian Confluence vulnerability raises concerns

CVE-2022-26138 is the second major vulnerability disclosure made for Atlassian’s Confluence collaboration platform in recent months Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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, TechTarget

(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

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

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

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

Singapore doubles down on OT security

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore will fund 80 scholarships to groom a talent pool of operational technology security experts, among other efforts to bolster the security of critical infrastructure in the city-state Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

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

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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

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The evolution of threat modelling as a DevSecOps practice

Threat modelling is becoming ever more integrated into software architecture design. Here, Stephen de Vries of IriusRisk looks at the evolution of the process Continue Reading

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• Stephen de Vries

Plexal seeks new scaleups for next phase of Cyber Runway

Established security startups looking to grow and scale their operations are being invited to join the next phase of Plexal’s Cyber Runway programme Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to get the right level of cyber insurance

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at how the market for cyber insurance is evolving and how to avoid buying the wrong level of cover. We find out what role hydrogen technologies could play in reducing datacentre carbon emissions. And we hear how a 125-year-old bicycle maker is embracing digital innovation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Avast uncovers ‘thieves’ kitchen’ of malware-writing teens

Researchers stumble across online community of 11 to 18-year-olds constructing, exchanging and spreading malware Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Developers grapple with open source software security

Software developers are taking longer to fix vulnerabilities and many do not know about the dependencies of open source software components they are using, study finds Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

SolarWinds unveils new development model to avoid a repeat of Sunburst

SolarWinds has unveiled a new, secure-by-design software development model to protect itself from a repeat of the infamous 2020 cyber attack on its systems, and serve as a blueprint for the industry Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

We’re all technologists now – the powerful impact of low-code platforms

Low-code platforms are bringing a shift in how organisations develop and use technology – and it’s the job of the CIO to let it happen in a controlled, secure and connected fashion Continue Reading

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• Rob Mallaband , Crimson
• Tom Cadman, Crimson

Challenges of securing a software supply chain

The US president has issued an executive order to improve cyber security, which has ramifications across the software development supply chain Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dundee security research centre opens with support from SBRC

An £18m hub at Abertay University in Dundee forms the centrepiece of Scotland’s first security research cluster Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

directory traversal

Directory traversal is a type of HTTP exploit in which a hacker uses the software on a web server to access data in a directory other than the server's root directory. Continue Reading

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• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

Patch Tuesday dogged by concerns over Microsoft vulnerability response

The last Patch Tuesday in its current form is overshadowed by persistent concerns about how Microsoft deals with vulnerability disclosure Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MS Azure Synapse vulnerability fixed after six-month slog

Microsoft patched a critical Azure Synapse vulnerability twice, but each time the researcher who discovered it was able to bypass it with ease, leading to a lengthy saga Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Qatar bolsters cyber security in preparation for World Cup

With hackers honing their cyber weapons to target the upcoming football World Cup, Qatar is busy developing countermeasures and raising awareness Continue Reading

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

Cyber researchers step in to fill Patch Tuesday’s shoes

Afraid you’ll miss Patch Tuesday when it’s gone? You’re not alone, but security analysts at Recorded Future are taking action to help the community come to terms with its loss Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Software house Mega achieves holistic SaaS security with Synopsys

Mega International, a supplier of IT management software, turned to Synopsys’s Coverity and Black Duck products to reassure both itself and its customers that its software-as-a-service offerings were built to the best possible security standards Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Executive interview: Jeetu Patel, general manager of collaboration and security, Cisco

Anyone with an idea can help solve a problem if geography and distance don’t matter when bringing in talent, says Cisco’s collaboration and security chief Continue Reading

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• Melisa Osores, Managing Editor para América Latina

Security leaders call for more observability for cloud native apps

New research highlights the challenges CISOs face securing modern, cloud native applications Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Log4Shell: How friendly hackers rose to the challenge

HackerOne CISO Chris Evans looks back at how the security community successfully rose to the challenge of Log4Shell, and saved end-user organisations millions Continue Reading

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• Chris Evans, CISO and chief hacking officer, HackerOne

Building a pathway to commercial quantum computing

The shortage of expertise in quantum technologies will drive up salaries. A new report from TechUK assesses the route to commercialisation Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How Ivanti views patch management with a security lens

Bringing development, operations and security teams together will help organisations to improve their visibility of IT assets and vulnerabilities while keeping threat actors at bay Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Microsoft drops emergency patch after Patch Tuesday screw up

Microsoft fixed a certificate mapping issue that caused server authentication failures on domain controllers for users that had installed the most recent Patch Tuesday updates Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Red teaming will be standard in Dutch governmental organisations by 2025

The Dutch government wants to include the testing of the digital security of systems, processes and people – also known as red teaming – in all of its governmental organisations’ test planning and budgeting by 2025 at the latest Continue Reading

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• Kim Loohuis

Mastercard biometric programme will allow payment authentication by smile

Mastercard is inviting banks and merchants to join a programme to set standards for biometric payments technology Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australian CISOs least prepared for cyber attacks

Australian CISOs are under pressure and feel the least prepared globally to deal with the consequences of a cyber attack, study finds Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Open source community sets out path to secure software

A 10-point plan to improve the security and resilience of open source software was presented this week at a summit in the US Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotet has commanding lead on Check Point monthly threat chart

Emotet remains by some margin the most prevalent malware, according to Check Point’s latest monthly statistics Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft fixes three zero-days on May Patch Tuesday

It’s the second-to-last Patch Tuesday as we know it, and Microsoft has fixed a total of 75 bugs, including three zero-days Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government puts pressure on IT sector to clean up app security

Apps can be exploited to carry malicious payloads that steal personal information and cause financial loss – and not enough is being done to secure them Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

LDAP injection

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) injection is a type of security exploit that is used to compromise the authentication process used by some websites. Continue Reading

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• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

Five TLS comms vulnerabilities hit Aruba, Avaya switching kit

Five new vulnerabilities in the implementation of transport layer security communications leave several popular switches vulnerable to remote code execution Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Manufacturer sues JPMorgan after cyber criminals stole $272m

Manufacturer files lawsuit alleging that US bank failed to inform it of suspicious transaction activity Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Log4Shell, ProxyLogon, ProxyShell among most exploited bugs of 2021

These 15 CVEs were the most commonly exploited last year, and if you haven’t mitigated against them, now is the time Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotet tests new tricks to thwart enhanced security

The operators of the Emotet botnet seem to be trying to find a way to get around recent changes made by Microsoft to better protect its users Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mimecast makes deeper push into ASEAN

Mimecast opens regional office in Singapore and is looking at setting up a datacentre in Southeast Asia as it makes a deeper push into the region Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Singing the key management blues

We need cryptographic keys, but who is going to manage them? How do you make an obscure topic like cryptographic key management interesting? And can you then persuade people to move this security ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

How Adnovum is leveraging its Swiss roots

Software company Adnovum is leveraging its strengths in identity and access management and its Swiss heritage as it expands into new markets and areas such as zero-trust security Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UAE bolsters cyber security

The United Arab Emirates has successfully improved its security posture amid mounting cyber threats Continue Reading

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

Zoom adds new round of cyber security enhancements

Videoconferencing platform Zoom adds multiple third-party security certifications and service enhancements Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW APAC: Trend Watch: Cyber security

Protection from malicious actors has become a critical consideration for organisations in recent years. In this handbook, focused on cyber security in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at how to minimise edge security risks, India’s rise in cyber security revenues, Check Point’s sales force and partner ecosystem processes, and Trellix’s decision to democratise XDR access Continue Reading

AWS fixes vulnerabilities in Log4Shell hot patch

AWS issues fixes for a series of Log4Shell hot patches after they turned out to leave its services vulnerable to further exploitation Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NSO Group faces court action after Pegasus spyware used against targets in UK

Three human rights activists whose phones were targeted by spyware traced to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have begun legal action against both countries and Israel’s NSO Group Technologies Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Microsoft patches two zero-days, 10 critical bugs

Patch Tuesday is here once again. This month, security teams must fix two privilege escalation zero-days in the Windows Common Log File System Driver and the Windows User Profile Service Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore to start licensing cyber security service providers

Those providing penetration testing and SOC services will need to apply for a licence under a new licensing regime that is expected to safeguard consumer interests and improve service standards Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Open source CMS platform Directus patches XSS bug

A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Directus platform could have enabled malicious actors to gain access to valuable data Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Just How Secure Are You?

Back in the autumn of last year, I talked about a vendor – Bugcrowd – that doesn’t simply rely on AI and ML within a microchip, but actually uses real flesh and bone people (AKA ethical hackers) to ... Continue Reading

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• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

Was Spring4Shell a lot of hot air? No, but...

Find out why Spring4Shell was apparently not as impactful a security problem as many had at first feared, and why it’s on the cyber community as a whole to do better Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apple criticised over unpatched CVEs in Catalina, Big Sur

Apple patched two zero-days in macOS Monterey last week, but did not address the same issue in Catalina or Big Sur, raising questions Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Denonia malware may be first to target AWS Lambda

The newly discovered Denonia malware appears to be custom designed to target AWS Lambda environments, and may be the first of its kind Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apple drops emergency patches for two zero-days

Apple has fixed two zero-day vulnerabilities that appear to have been actively exploited in the wild Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spring4Shell zero-day sprung on security teams

Some are describing a newly disclosed Spring Java framework vulnerability as the next Log4Shell, but what is Spring4Shell, and what can we do about it? Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT professionals wary of government campaign to limit end-to-end encryption

Members of the Chartered Institute of IT, the professional body for technology professionals in the UK, warn against limiting end-to-end encryption Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How India organisations can mitigate cyber threats

Organisations in India will need to invest more in cloud security, gain more visibility into their systems and improve security awareness among employees to fend off cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Pratima Harigunani

Kaspersky CEO: Ukraine war must end through diplomacy

Eugene Kaspersky speaks out on the war in Ukraine, and rebuffs Germany’s BSI, branding its warnings over his company’s trustworthiness as insulting Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

FCSA takes steps to help umbrella company members protect themselves better from cyber attacks

After a spate of suspected ransomware attacks on its members, the Freelance and Contractor Services Association is partnering with a cyber security firm that can coach its umbrella firms on how to protect themselves better Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Kubernetes vulnerability underscores repeated security warnings

The disclosure of a new vulnerability in an important container runtime engine that underpins Kubernetes has drawn fresh warnings to pay attention to securing Kubernetes environments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech brands sign on to HackerOne responsible security drive

Tech companies sign HackerOne’s new corporate security responsibility pledge to bring cyber out of the shadows and promote effective, secure development practices Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft serves up three zero-days on March Patch Tuesday

Three zero-days pop up in Microsoft’s March update, along with a number of other noteworthy concerns for defenders Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

security identifier (SID)

In the context of Windows computing and Microsoft Active Directory (AD), a security identifier (SID) is a unique value that is used to identify any security entity that the operating system (OS) can authenticate. Continue Reading

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• Peter Loshin, Former Senior Technology Editor

How APAC organisations can mitigate edge security threats

The move to the edge expands an organisation’s attack surface. Here are some measures that organisations can take to minimise their edge security risks Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

When to pull the plug on an ecommerce site

Distributed denial of service and other attacks on websites have the potential to leak personally identifiable information Continue Reading

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• Danny Lopez

Nato Cyber Security unit tests post-quantum VPN

Nato’s Cyber Security Centre has successfully tested secure communication flows in a post-quantum world using a UK-designed VPN Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Time to act on "Authorised Payment" Fraud

In 2014 a working group hosted by the DPA (Digital Policy Alliance) working with faster payment data from six banks established that 75% of fraudulent payments could have been stopped in real time ... Continue Reading

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• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Internet Key Exchange (IKE)

Internet Key Exchange (IKE) is a standard protocol used to set up a secure and authenticated communication channel between two parties via a virtual private network (VPN). Continue Reading

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• Andrew Zola
• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

The UK’s cyber security sector is thriving, but our work has only just begun

The government’s Annual Cyber Sector Report painted a positive picture of the UK security industry. CIISec’s Amanda Finch thinks we can go further in developing cyber talent and opening up the sector Continue Reading

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• Amanda Finch, Institute of Information Security Professionals

Salesforce pays out over £2m in bug bounties

Salesforce says it received more than 4,000 vulnerability reports in 2021 alone as it delivers a rare public update on its bug bounty programme Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IBM opens cyber security hub in India

Big Blue’s new cyber security hub, comprising a cyber range, software development facilities and a security operations centre, will serve enterprises across the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

2021 another record year for UK cyber investment

Total revenue generated by the UK’s cyber sector was up 14% last year, and UK-registered security firms raised over £1bn in investment Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lack of knowledge disastrous for effective security strategy within Dutch companies

Most Dutch companies still haven’t realised that security is an integral part of their IT and company strategy Continue Reading

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• Kim Loohuis

Microsoft stomps on 48 bugs in February Patch Tuesday update

It’s a light Patch Tuesday for February 2022, as Microsoft issues fixes for just 48 CVEs, including a solitary zero-day Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DPD delivers swift fix for serious API flaw

API vulnerability potentially left PII on DPD Group’s customers dangerously exposed, but was rapidly fixed on disclosure Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft to start blocking macros to thwart malware

Microsoft is making changes to web macro permissions across multiple Office apps to help improve user security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Building the UK’s future cyber ecosystem

As the government lays out the next iteration of its Cyber Security Strategy, we speak to Plexal and Lorca’s Saj Huq about his work building a cyber ecosystem to support the UK’s future ambitions Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security's Buoyancy Aid - Keeping Your Head Above Murky Cyber Waters With Swimlane

Towards the end of last year, I spoke about a vendor, Swimlane, who appeared to be getting the concept of automation and orchestration absolutely on the money – and in the area where it is most ... Continue Reading

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• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing