Hackers and cybercrime prevention

UK organisations untroubled by Trickbot surge

A surge in Trickbot infections is targeting some of the world’s most prominent brands, but UK organisations seem thankfully unaffected Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

It takes a village: Protecting kids online is everyone’s responsibility

The rapid uptake of smartphones among children has contributed to the increasing number of cases of cyber bullying and online grooming. Is this an educational issue or a cultural problem, and can modern enterprise help? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Red Cross cyber attack the work of nation-state actors

The International Committee of the Red Cross now believes the January 2022 attack on its systems to have been the work of an undisclosed nation state Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DDoS attacks hit Ukrainian defence ministry and banks

A further wave of cyber attacks has taken place against targets in Ukraine amid heightened tension in the region Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BlackCat ransomware gang claims responsibility for Swissport attack

Ransomware gang is trying to offload 1.6TB of data stolen from aviation services firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retrospect Backup refines anomaly detection in ransomware battle

StorCentric backup software brand allows customer fine-tuning of anomaly detection in struggle against ransomware, and adds immutable copies via object locking in Azure Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Parasol data breach: Frustrated IT contractors dig into the dark web in search of their data

The emergence on the dark web of passports, payslips and other personal documents belonging to contractors affected by the cyber attack and subsequent data breach at Parasol is prompting group actions and forcing some IT contractors to find out for themselves if their data has been compromised Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

TA2451 targets aviation and transport sector with tailored lures

Newly designated cyber criminal group favours highly specific lures and a tried-and-tested modus operandi to compromise targets in the aviation, aerospace and transport sectors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

China emerges as leader in vulnerability exploitation

Threat actors linked to China are emerging as a significant force in the weaponisation of newly discovered CVEs Continue Reading

By

• 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

By

• Kim Loohuis

Why security professionals should pay attention to what Russia is doing

Even though the average organisation is an unlikely target for a Russian state cyber attack, here's why security teams still need to watch what Russian threat groups are up to Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackney Council could be forced to answer questions about IT security training after Psya ransomware

Council is negotiating with the information commissioner after refusing to reply to questions under the Freedom of Information Act about staff IT and security training during the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How diplomatic immunity silenced the prosecutor who coordinated Sweden’s EncroChat probe

Defence lawyers claim Swedish court decision not to hear evidence from a Swedish prosecutor leaves important legal questions unanswered over international police operation to hack EncroChat cryptophone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Phishing tests are a useful exercise, but don’t overdo it

The vast majority of cyber attacks start with a phish, so it’s not surprising that phishing tests form part of cyber training plans. But sometimes these tests go too far. Cyberis’ Gemma Moore looks at how to avoid the pitfalls Continue Reading

By

• Gemma Moore

Linux-based clouds an open door for attackers, says VMware

Its prevalence as a cloud operating system means Linux is becoming a meal ticket for malicious actors, but the security industry does not seem to have cottoned on to this yet, says VMware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware ever more sophisticated and impactful, warns NCSC

UK’s National Cyber Security Centre teams up with US and Australian partners in a joint advisory warning organisations of the increasing sophistication exhibited by criminal ransomware gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech companies risk being compelled by law to protect children, says online safety expert

John Carr, a child safety campaigner backing a government-funded campaign on the dangers of end-to-end encryption to children, says tech companies have no choice but to act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How Dutch hackers are working to make the internet safe

We hear how the personal mission of a Dutch hacker grew into a serious organisation with international ambitions Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Five key tech trends for digital leaders in 2022

The past two years have seen a surge in investment that will bring new challenges to digital leaders over the next year Continue Reading

By

• Bev White, Nash Squared

Log4Shell, Ukraine and umbrella firm cyber attacks – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Alex Scroxton joins the team to discuss the Log4j vulnerability and Russian pressure on Ukraine. Also discussed are cyber attacks on umbrella companies, neuro-diversity and junk in space Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business 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

By

• 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

By

• 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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Airport services firm thwarts attempted ransomware heist

Aviation services provider Swissport says its systems are mostly back up and running after a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber attacks on European oil facilities spreading

Following a cyber attack on distribution facilities in Germany, more incidents have been reported in Belgium and the Netherlands, but it is too early to necessarily draw a link between them Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Check Point looks to plug ASEAN’s cyber security gap

Check Point is shoring up its sales force and partner ecosystem to address the cyber security needs of small and mid-sized businesses in a region that is highly targeted by threat actors Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

BlackCat crew supposedly behind OilTanking ransomware heist

Preliminary reports from Germany’s national cyber authority indicate the recent OilTanking ransomware attack may have been the work of the BlackCat group Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brookson and Parasol cyber attacks: Contractor complaints about delayed payments continue

Several weeks on from the suspected ransomware attack that blighted two of the umbrella industry’s biggest players, contractors are still chasing their missing money Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Crisp supply shortage looms after KP Snacks hit by ransomware

Supplies of Hula Hoops and many other snack brands are under threat after a ransomware attack on the systems of KP Snacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

French Supreme Court raises constitutional questions over EncroChat hacking secrecy

Conseil Constitutionnel to decide whether ‘defence secrecy’ over state EncroChat cryptophone hacking breaches French constitution Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Reforms needed to tackle economic crime, says Treasury Committee

The Treasury Committee is disappointed at progress towards tackling economic crime and fraud in both the online and offline worlds, and is calling for more action Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Council data exposed by third-party cyber failure

The British Council entrusted confidential data on its students to a third-party and was let down Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What neurodivergent people really think of working in cyber security

Many firms are filling cyber security skills gaps by hiring neurodivergent talent – but more support is needed for neurodivergent cyber security professionals, writes autistic tech journalist Nicholas Fearn Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

German fuel supplier taken offline in cyber attack

Cyber attack against Germany’s Oiltanking, a major fuel logistics company, affects 13 distribution terminals across Germany, in an incident with echoes of last year’s hit on Colonial Pipeline Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO criticises government-backed campaign to delay end-to-end encryption

Data protection watchdog warns that delaying end-to-end encryption will put children at risk Continue Reading

Over one-fifth of ransomware attacks target financial sector

Newly published data reveals a significant uptick in cyber attacks against the financial services sector during the third quarter of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Ocado pushes technological boundaries

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Ocado’s CTO about how the e-commerce company pushes technological boundaries. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at the importance and technical challenges of data integration. There’s a growing dispute over the use of end-to-end encryption – we look at the differing perspectives. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Korean researchers invent silk-based security device

Experts from the Gwangju Institute of Science have built a digital security device based on natural silk fibres that they claim is practically unbreachable Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

CISOs must get out in front of Ukraine cyber crisis, says NCSC

The National Cyber Security Centre is urging UK organisations to take steps to bolster their cyber security resilience in response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DCMS taps Arqit for 5G project to provide Open RAN security by default

Quantum platform-as-a-service provider joins government’s programme to drive diversity in comms technology supply with the aim of integrating a novel quantum encryption service to enable security by default Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Novel phishing campaign highlights need for MFA, says Microsoft

Microsoft details a new multi-stage phishing campaign that only affects victims without multifactor authentication in place Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nightmare Log4Shell scenario averted by prompt, professional action

Prompt and professional community response to the Log4Shell disclosure means the dangerous and widespread vulnerability has not been exploited to the extent many had feared Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

More intel emerges on WhisperGate malware that hit Ukraine

Security experts have been poring over the WhisperGate malware with which alleged Russia-backed entities targeted Ukrainian government websites Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PwnKit bug endangers Linux distributions worldwide

Qualys researchers share intel on a memory corruption vulnerability in a program installed by default on every major Linux distribution Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TigerGraph roars into APAC

The graph database technology supplier is approaching the region with a solution-based strategy and partnering with universities to grow local capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Prepare, but don’t panic, over supposed Russian cyber threat

A fresh alert from the US Department of Homeland Security may have IT security teams jumpy over the possibility that their organisations could be targeted by Russian state actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Essentials programme gets biggest update since launch

NCSC implements a thorough revision of its Cyber Essentials scheme to reflect the changing security landscape Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government launches internal cyber strategy

Multi-pronged government security strategy is designed to protect both core systems and public services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can ask Supreme Court to hear extradition appeal

Senior judges said today that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can petition the Supreme Court to decide whether to hear an appeal against his extradition to the US Continue Reading

India’s cyber security industry doubles in size amid pandemic

Revenues from cyber security products and services reached $9.85bn in 2021 thanks to rapid digitalisation and regulatory attention on data and privacy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Mandiant analysts: Russia-backed APTs likely to ramp up attacks

More cyber attacks like those perpetrated against targets in Ukraine are to be expected, and they may become more destructive Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO criticises government-backed campaign to delay end-to-end encryption

Data protection watchdog warns that delaying end-to-end encryption will put children at risk Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cyber pros: Don’t revel in REvil’s downfall just yet

The arrests of REvil’s alleged kingpins is a welcome step, but as with any disruption to cyber criminal activity, it is never wise to assume law enforcement action means the threat has passed entirely Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scam losses in Australia hit record high

Australians lost a record A$323.7m to scams last year, with investment and romance scams accounting for the bulk of their losses Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Ransomware attacks dropped 37% in December, claims NCC

Latest monthly data reveals a significant decline in ransomware attacks at the end of 2021, but a new, emergent gang is making waves Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Updated cyber security regulations proposed for managed services sector

The Network and Information Systems regulations are to be updated to include MSPs and outsourcers, following a spate of supply chain attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data of 515,000 vulnerable people stolen in Red Cross attack

The International Committee of the Red Cross is probing a cyber attack that has already seen the personal data of hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people compromised Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows advances in malicious implants

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows evident technical improvements over others, making it a more dangerous threat to organisations. It is being used by Chinese state-backed actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Delayed pay: Umbrella company cyber attacks disrupt salary payments to thousands of contractors

Thousands of contractors across the UK are anxiously waiting to see if their payroll cycles will be disrupted for a second week, after two of the umbrella industry's biggest players were targeted by cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

NCSC for Startups programme seeks ransomware-busters

Innovative ideas for ransomware-busting technology are being sought by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and startup incubator Plexal Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore to tighten digital banking security

Banks in Singapore will have to put in place more stringent measures to combat the rise in online phishing scams targeted at bank customers in the city-state Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Investigators find Beijing 2022 app riddled with security flaws

Security flaws in Olympic app may put personal health data at risk of compromise in a man-in-the-middle attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Trellix looks to democratise access to XDR in APAC

The company formed from the merger of FireEye Enterprise and McAfee will team up with managed service providers, among other efforts, to democratise access to extended detection and response capabilities in the region Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Police take down VPN linked to multiple ransomware hits

German police led a multinational effort to seize and take down the LabVPN service, which was allegedly used by cyber criminals to facilitate ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cobalt Strike still C2 infrastructure of choice

Its utility and ease of use, coupled with explosive growth in ransomware actions, makes Cobalt Strike Team Servers the C2 infrastructure of choice for malicious actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Russian-backed’ hackers defaced Ukrainian websites as cover for dangerous malware attack

Kiev claims that a hacking group in Belarus – a close ally of Russia – was responsible for hacking Ukrainian government websites amid threats of military action Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top three questions about the Log4j vulnerability

Singapore’s Ensign Infosecurity answers the top three questions about the impact of the Log4j vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Nato offers tech support after 'massive cyber attack' hits Ukraine

Speculation mounts that Russia is behind a cyber attack which defaced Ukrainian government websites amid growing international tension Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Podcast: 2022 compliance preview – GDPR goes global

We talk to Mathieu Gorge, CEO of VigiTrust, about what’s looming in compliance, with regulations based on the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation plus the concept of cyber accountability Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Parasol systems outage leaves umbrella contractors facing late payments

Multi-day outage leaves umbrella company contractors working for payroll processing firm Parasol facing late salary payments, with the firm remaining tight-lipped over the cause of its technical difficulties Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Nordic companies targeted in wave of cyber attacks

After a slew of cyber attacks hit major companies in the Nordics at the end of last year, we look at how they were affected and how they have recovered Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

NCSC sounds alarm over Russia-backed hacks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre joins US calls to be wary of Russian state interference in critical national infrastructure IT systems Continue Reading

MEPs demand EU probe into Pegasus spyware abuse

A group of European Parliament Members has called for an EU-wide investigation into NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware after it emerged EU member states may have used it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft fixes six zero-days in January Patch Tuesday update

A larger than of late Patch Tuesday update from Microsoft comes as defenders continue to grapple with Log4Shell Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch cyber volunteers receive major funding boost

The Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure has received a $100,000 donation to expand the scope of its work Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Almost half of Log4j downloads still dangerously exposed

Whether by error or design is unclear, but a great many IT teams are still exposing themselves by downloading outdated, insecure versions of Apache Log4j Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Banks accused of neglecting customer security measures

Which? singles out Metro Bank, Virgin Money and TSB over insecure online banking processes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security failure one of biggest risks facing countries and businesses, warns WEF

Cyber risks are among the top five risks facing organisations and governments over the next two to five years. Digital inequality and the over-crowding of space with communication satellites present further risks  Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Ministry of Justice caught up in multiple cyber incidents

Besides multiple disclosed data breaches, department was also affected by two ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore retailer hit by data breach

The personal data of OG’s basic and gold members stored in a database managed by a third-party service provider was reportedly compromised Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Judges to decide whether Assange can appeal against extradition as he reaches 1,000 days in jail

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador urges US to treat WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with humanity and to consider Mexico’s offer to grant Assange asylum Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How APAC firms can stay ahead of cyber threats

Organisations will need to develop behavioural detection, machine learning and threat hunting capabilities to keep pace with the onslaught of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Vulnerabilities to fraud are increasing across the board

As the pandemic continues to affect how we work, socialise, shop and conduct business, so it has increased opportunities for digital fraud and cyber crime. Jason Lane-Sellers explores the latest LexisNexis Risk Solutions ‘Cybercrime report’ Continue Reading

By

• Jason Lane-Sellers, EMEA director of market planning, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Top 10 cyber security stories of 2021

Cyber security dominated the headlines in 2021, making it hard to gain a clear picture of what to pay attention to. What is an IT buyer to do? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2021

Cyber crime hit new heights and drew more attention than ever in 2021. We look back at the biggest stories of the year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What is Log4Shell - and why the panic?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we assess the risks from Log4Shell, a new web software vulnerability described as “catastrophic”. We look at SASE – secure access service edge – which is set to be one of the networking priorities for 2022. And some victims of the Post Office IT scandal are still waiting for proper compensation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: When will they ever learn?

Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Mark Raeburn, Accenture Security

spam filter

A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Zola

UK government to take ‘whole-of-society’ approach to cyber

Second iteration of the UK’s National Cyber Strategy broadens its focus to build a ‘whole-of-society’ security posture Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Almost half of networks probed for Log4Shell weaknesses

Close to half of corporate networks have already been actively targeted by individuals seeking to exploit the critical Log4Shell Apache bug Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Recovering from ransomware: One organisation’s inside story

In February 2021, French office equipment supplier Manutan fell victim to a DoppelPaymer ransomware hit. IT ops director Jérôme Marchandiau tells the inside story of the incident Continue Reading

The rules for a safer internet

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the government publishes the Online Safety Bill, we look at what the laws mean for internet services. A ransomware victim shares the insider story of the trauma of losing their corporate IT systems. And we ask, what happens when quantum computers get too powerful to verify their output? Read the issue now. Continue Reading

What is Log4Shell, and why are we panicking about it?

It’s been described as a ‘design failure of catastrophic proportions’ that threatens the very fabric of the digital world. Find out what the Log4j2 Log4Shell panic is all about, and what you should do about it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Julian Assange can be extradited to the US to face espionage and hacking charges, court rules

High Court overturns decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder after US government gives assurances over his treatment Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

C-suite’s biggest ransomware fear: Post-attack regulatory sanctions

Exposure to regulatory sanctions such as fines are the biggest worry for C-suite executives in the wake of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

2021 another record-breaker for vulnerability disclosure

More than 50 CVEs were logged every day in 2021, more than at any time since records began, while ethical hackers continue to prove their value Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia may be collaborating with US to bring cyber criminals to heel

Trustwave’s SpiderLabs says its analysis of chatter on underground dark web forums suggests cyber criminals are starting to panic that formerly ‘friendly’ governments are on their case Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most consumers expect banks to cover losses to scams

Consumers expect banks to cover losses to cyber crime, as the number of attacks grows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA