Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Microsoft files lawsuit to seize domains used by Russian spooks

Microsoft has been given permission to seize multiple domains used by the Russian state threat actor Star Blizzard as part of a coordinated disruption effort undertaken ahead of the US elections Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SOC teams falling out of love with threat detection tools

Security operations centre practitioners are fed up of being flooded with pointless alerts and many no longer have much confidence in their threat detection tools, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rise of the cyber clones: When seeing isn’t believing

It is frighteningly easy to clone someone else's identity using readily-available artificial intelligence tools Continue Reading

By

• Jake Moore, ESET

UK and Singapore to collaborate on supporting ransomware victims

At the fourth Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit in the US, both the UK and Singapore have committed to working on new guidance designed to better support victims and undermine cyber criminal business models Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unmasked: The Evil Corp cyber gangster who worked for LockBit

The NCA has named and shamed a prominent member of the Evil Corp cyber crime collective who also worked as an affiliate of the LockBit ransomware gang as the UK unveils new sanctions against 16 Russian cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office ditches MoneyGram after cyber attack

The Post Office offered a short extension to enable it to asses the impact of the MoneyGram cyber incident, but the contract has now expired and MoneyGram services are no longer available in Post Office branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK on high alert over Iranian spear phishing attacks, says NCSC

The NCSC and counterpart agencies in the US have issued a warning over enhanced Iranian spear phishing activity targeting politicians, journalists, activists and others with an interest in Middle Eastern affairs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Printing vulnerability affecting Linux distros raises alarm

Security pros need to get in front of a series of vulnerabilities affecting the Cups Linux printing service after an apparently botched disclosure process saw technical details published in advance of a patch Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Closing the curtain on cyber security theatre

Leaders must redefine expectations, rethink responsibility and eliminate unproductive practices to move towards real security, says Gartner vice-president analyst Richard Addiscott Continue Reading

By

• Richard Addiscott

Racist Network Rail Wi-Fi hack was work of malicious insider

Police have revealed that this week’s racist cyber attack on public Wi-Fi networks at stations across the UK appears to have been the work of a malicious insider, after arresting an employee of one of the service providers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Islamophobic cyber attack downs Wi-Fi at UK transport hubs

An apparent hacktivist attack disrupted public-facing Wi-Fi networks at UK rail stations to display Islamophobic content Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Splunk and Cisco integration moving apace

Splunk is rapidly integrating with Cisco’s technology to enable seamless transitions between their platforms while delivering advanced threat detection capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Money transfer firm MoneyGram rushes to contain cyber attack

Money transfer specialist MoneyGram services remain down several days after a network outage developed into a full-blown cyber security incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unique malware sample volumes seen surging

BlackBerry’s latest ‘Global threat intelligence’ report details a surge in unique malware samples as threat actors ramp up the pace of targeted attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Powering Britain’s economy – datacentres gain in status

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has finally classified datacentres as critical national infrastructure – we ask, what took it so long? We assess the impact of the EU’s new energy efficiency rules on datacentre operators. And we discuss the power of information and diversity with the chief data officer at Legal & General. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK, US and Canada to collaborate on AI and cyber security

International collaboration agreement will see the governments of Canada, the UK and the US work together to research, evaluate and test new defence technologies Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

HSBC tests post-quantum VPN tunnel for digital ledgers

Encryption required for post-quantum cryptography will have a material impact on the performance of distributed ledgers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NCSC exposes Chinese company running malicious Mirai botnet

The NCSC and its Five Eyes allies have published details of the activities of a China-based cyber security company that is operating a Mirai IoT botnet in the service of government-backed intrusions Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Europol provides detail on Ghost encrypted comms platform takedown

Law enforcement bodies from across the world have revealed how they collaborated to bring down encrypted network Ghost and the new ways of working that have been established with Europol at the centre Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What is email spam and how to fight it?

Email spam, also known as 'junk email,' refers to unsolicited email messages, usually sent in bulk to a large list of recipients. Humans send spam, but more often, botnets are responsible for sending it. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan
• Rahul Awati
• Taina Teravainen

Police make arrests after hacking Ghost encrypted comms app

An international police operation has penetrated an end-to-end encrypted communications service allegedly used by organised criminals in Australia, Ireland, Sweden and Italy Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

First CyberBoost Catalyse startup cohort named

The first group of companies named to a cyber incubator programme run by Plexal and the National University of Singapore includes two growing UK businesses Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Crest secures FCDO funding to help overseas countries increase their cyber-readiness

Non-profit Crest is launching an initiative to help overseas, private-sector firms get better prepared for cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK unites nations to discuss closing global cyber skills gap

The UK government invites representatives from around the world to a summit to discuss how to address global IT security skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UN-backed cyber security report highlights global shortfalls in preparedness

In the three years since the UN-backed cyber security report was published, countries have been making a concerted effort to protect themselves from cyber threats, but there’s more to do Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Cyber workforce must almost double to meet global talent need

Research from ISC2 finds global cyber workforce needs additional 4.8 million people to fully secure businesses Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Teenager arrested in TfL cyber attack investigation

New security measures following the cyber attack, which took down some of TfL’s services, have led to delays in contactless roll-out Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO and NCA sign MoU to provide joint support for cyber crime victims

UK data protection watchdog joins forces with law enforcement agency to provide more support for organisations that fall victim to cyber crime and ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

ANZ CIOs to prioritise cyber security investments in 2025

Cyber security remains high on the agenda for ANZ CIOs, followed by data analytics, cloud and generative AI Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Multiple Veeam vulns spark concern among defenders

Veeam users are urged to patch a series of vulnerabilities in the firm’s Backup & Replication product to get out ahead of potential exploitation by ransomware gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Developing nations need the UN cyber crime treaty to pass

The UN cyber crime treaty is flawed but represents a move in the right direction for developing nations seeking greater digital sovereignty Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Hiebert, Computer Weekly

Longstanding Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to step down

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson is to leave the AI cyber company she helped build with Mike Lynch after more than a decade, following its acquisition by a private equity firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC and allies call out Russia's Unit 29155 over cyber warfare

The NCSC and counterpart agencies from the US and other countries have exposed a long-running campaign of Russian cyber espionage and warfare conducted by GRU Unit 29155 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fog ransomware crew evolving into wide-ranging threat

The emergent Fog ransomware gang appears to be changing up its victimology in search of more cash-rich victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ongoing TfL cyber attack takes out Dial-a-Ride service

The Dial-a-Ride assisted transit service for disabled people had to temporarily suspend part of its operations as Transport for London deals with an ongoing cyber attack, but the service has now been recovered Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PyPI loophole puts thousands of packages at risk of compromise

Thousands of PyPI packages are at risk of an attack technique dubbed Revival Hijack, which exploits a loophole in the platform’s package naming feature Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fraud and scam complaints hit highest ever level in UK

The Financial Ombudsman Service says it recorded almost 9,000 complaints about fraud and scams from April to June, the most ever recorded Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Transport for London hit by cyber attack

London’s transport network provider TfL experiences cyber security incident, but reassures customers there is no impact on services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK and Ukraine digital trade deal comes into force

The UK eases access to the deep tech startup community in Ukraine through digital-only agreement Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Norwegian Refugee Council leverages Okta for Good cyber scheme

Pietro Galli, CIO of the Norwegian Refugee Council, reveals how the globally distributed NGO has been taking advantage of the Okta for Good CSR programme to improve its own cyber security and data protection practice, and elevate good practice in the third sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Check Point secured for annual Security Serious cyber awards

The annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes awards, recognising the champions of the UK cyber security industry, are back once again, with a new headline sponsor joining the party Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under formal investigation, released on bail

European Commission confirms it has powers to place Telegram under ‘direct supervision’ if it meets the threshold for regulation under the Digital Services Act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Iranian APT caught acting as access broker for ransomware crews

Members of Iran-backed Pioneer Kitten APT appear to be trying to supplement their pay packets by helping Russian-speaking ransomware gangs to access their victims in exchange for a cut of the profits Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber law reform should be top of Labour's policy list

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Craig Watt

US offers $2.5m bounty for on-the-run malware dev

US State Department puts a $2.5m bounty on the head of Angler exploit kit developer and ransomware crew member Volodymyr Kadariya as part of a major developing case Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Iranian APT Peach Sandstorm teases new Tickler malware

Peach Sandstorm, an Iranian state threat actor, has developed a dangerous new malware strain that forms a key element of a rapidly evolving attack sequence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Kaspersky is driving growth in APAC

Kaspersky is leveraging its threat intelligence capabilities and local market knowledge to navigate geopolitical tensions and expand its footprint across the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Extending zero-trust principles to endpoints

By combining zero-trust principles with other security strategies and continuously monitoring and improving their security posture, organisations can effectively mitigate risks and protect their resources, says Gartner's Nikul Patel Continue Reading

By

• Nikul Patel

Public education on security must be a top priority for Labour

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Palo Alto Networks bets on ‘precision AI’

Palo Alto Networks’ regional leader, Steven Scheurmann, explains how machine learning, neural networks and generative AI can help to prevent breaches in what it calls ‘precision AI’ Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

New Qilin tactics a ‘bonus multiplier’ for ransomware chaos

Sophos X-Ops caught the Qilin ransomware gang stealing credentials stored by victims' employees in Google Chrome, heralding further cyber attacks and breaches down the line. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pakistani national arrested over Southport ‘cyber terrorism’

Authorities in Pakistan have arrested a man on suspicion of cyber terrorism over his role in the spread of online misinformation in the wake of the Southport knife attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: Ransomware and what data storage can do about it

We talk to NetApp’s Chris McKean about ransomware attacks and the role of data storage in protecting against them Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

From manifesto to material: What No. 10 needs to make reality

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

Phishing links becoming bigger threat than email attachments

Phishing techniques are evolving away from malicious email attachments, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Helsinki braced for elevated cyber attacks

The City of Helsinki is increasing its collaboration with cyber security and crime investigators following a major attack on its systems Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Popular Microsoft apps for Mac at risk of code injection attacks

Researchers at Cisco Talos turn up evidence suggesting that Microsoft apps running on the Apple macOS operating system are not as secure as they seem Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How might the UK's cyber landscape change under Labour?

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Dhairya Mehta and Cate Pye

New Relic CEO on APAC growth and future of observability

New Relic CEO Ashan Willy talks up growth trajectory in APAC, the company’s long-term vision, and how going private has enabled it to make strategic investments Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Thousands of NetSuite customers accidentally exposing their data

Misconfigured permissions across live websites are leaving thousands of NetSuite users open to having their valuable customer data stolen, researchers say Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google Cloud survey shows GenAI business benefits

Survey on behalf of Google Cloud suggests that business can start generating value from GenAI within six months Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ASEAN organisations lack mature AI strategy

IBM-commissioned study reveals that while ASEAN organisations are engaging with AI, only 4% have reached a transformative level of AI maturity Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

August Patch Tuesday proves busy with six zero-days to fix

Microsoft patches six actively exploited zero-days among over 100 issues during its regular monthly update Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminal kingpin ‘J.P. Morgan’ appears in US court

‘J.P. Morgan’, a Belarusian cyber criminal who ran a major ransomware campaign supported by malvertising scams, faces decades in prison in the United States after being extradited from the EU Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Labour's first cyber priority must be the NHS

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Adam Button

Australia’s cyber security skills gap remains pressing issue

Study reveals Australia’s critical shortage of cyber security professionals, escalating the risk of data breaches Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Deep dive into quantum-resistant cryptography for email security

Quantum computers have the potential to crack many of the encryption methods we currently rely on to keep our digital communications safe. Quantum-resistant cryptography may be the answer Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

Royal ransomware crew puts on a BlackSuit in rebrand

The Royal ransomware gang is back, with a new name and refreshed capabilities, including an apparently unique ‘partial encryption’ gambit, according to CISA Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US lawmakers seek to brand ransomware gangs as terrorists

Proposals from legislators in Washington DC could shake up the global ransomware ecosystem and give law enforcement sweeping new powers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

2024 seeing more CVEs than ever before, but few are weaponised

The number of disclosed CVEs soared by 30% in the first seven-and-a-half months of the year, but a tiny fraction of these have been exploited by threat actors, a reminder of the importance of focused security strategies Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Migrating to S/4Hana – how the Co-op made its move

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as SAP users prepare for the deadline to move off the ECC platform, we find out how the Co-op is migrating to S/4Hana. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at how to manage SaaS and on-premise software licensing. And we talk to former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin about the true risks from nation-state cyber attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Chinese cyber attack sparks alert over six-year-old MS vuln

After a proof-of-concept for a six-year-old Microsoft vulnerability emerged in a Chinese APT attack chain, defenders should be on the look-out for exploitation of CVE-2018-0824 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia’s luxury car phish continues to prove effective

Government organisations and other bodies operating in Ukraine continue to be targeted by a relatively unsophisticated phishing campaign that has proven so effective for Russia’s cyber spooks that there are now multiple agencies involved Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber lessons, and priorities for the UK's new government

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Ameet Jugnauth and Mark Pearce

Labour should focus on talent to improve UK's cyber posture

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Elliott Wilkes

How CrowdStrike is leveraging AI to empower security teams

CrowdStrike CTO Elia Zaitsev explains how the company’s multi-agent AI architecture can help to enhance analyst efficiency and tackle cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Is it time to refresh the UK's cyber strategy?

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Jon Carpenter

Banks, telcos call for more data sharing to fight fraud

A Which?-led coalition of banks and telecoms operators is calling on the UK's new government to take the lead on enabling data sharing to help fight digital fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

API attacks surge by 65% in APAC, fuelled by rapid digitisation

Akamai's report reveals a significant rise in cyber attacks on web applications and APIs in the region over the past year, with financial and commerce sectors hardest hit Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

When critical cyber response becomes second nature

When alerts and headlines blare out warnings of critical vulnerabilities in widely-used software, the cyber security community needs to adopt a more decisive and clear-cut approach, says Huntress' Chris Henderson Continue Reading

By

• Chris Henderson, Huntress

Campaigners call for evidence to reform UK cyber laws

The CyberUp Campaign for reform of the 1990 Computer Misuse Act launches an industry survey inviting cyber experts to share their views on how the outdated law hinders legitimate work Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Breach costs soar as record ransomware payment made

IBM publishes data on the spiralling costs of cyber attacks and data breaches, while researchers identify what appears to be the largest ransomware payment ever made Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Basic failures led to hack of Electoral Commission data on 40 million people

UK government identifies Chinese state-linked hackers as likely to have been behind attack on the Electoral Commission Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Core British Library services to return for new academic year

The British Library’s recovery from a devastating ransomware attack that laid waste to its IT systems continues - with hopes that some of its most popular services will be running again in September Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scam CrowdStrike domains growing in volume

Hundreds of malicious domains exploiting CrowdStrike’s branding are appearing all over the web in the wake of the 19 July outage. Experts from Akamai share some noteworthy examples, along with guidance on how to avoid getting caught out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What is a computer exploit?

A computer exploit, or exploit, is a program or piece of code developed to take advantage of a vulnerability in a computer or network system. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

North Korean cyber APT targeting nuclear secrets

Mandiant has upgraded the North Korean threat actor known as Andariel to APT status and warned of coordinated efforts to steal western military IP, including nuclear secrets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mimecast to buy insider threat specialist Code42

Mimecast is to buy fellow human-centred risk experts Code42 for an undisclosed sum to take advantage of its insider threat and data loss protection specialisms Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCA seizes thousands of social media accounts used by people smugglers

A three-year campaign has seen thousands of social media posts and accounts used to advertise the services of illegal people smugglers taken down Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCA cracks digitalstress DDoS-for-hire operation

The UK authorities have taken down a major component of the multinational DDoS cyber attack-for-hire ecosystem, hacking into the digitalstress.su service and exfiltrating data on its users, who now face arrest Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC: Beware of criminal CrowdStrike opportunists

Financially motivated cyber criminals are already conducting opportunistic attacks on organisations that leverage the CrowdStrike incident, and more targeted attacks are sure to follow Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Growth in nude image sharing heightens cyber abuse risk

The normalisation of sharing self-created intimate content with others is putting great numbers of people at risk of online abuse, says Kaspersky Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Cyber Bill teases mandatory ransomware reporting

In the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill introduced in the King's Speech, the UK's new government pledges to give regulators more teeth to ensure compliance with security best practice and to mandate incident reporting Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackney Council reprimanded over 2020 ransomware attack

The London Borough of Hackney has been reprimanded by the ICO over a series of failures that led to a devastating cyber attack, but at the same time, the regulator praised the local authority for its response and commitment to making improvements Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Labour government plans new laws around cyber security, data sharing and skills

The King's Speech outlined the legislative agenda for the new Parliament, including several bills that will impact the tech community Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How iProov is fending off deepfake fraud

Facial biometrics and controlled illumination can detect liveness, verify identities and help prevent deepfake attacks Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Strategic Defence Review must emphasise cyber security, says industry

Cyber security leaders say the new government's Strategic Defence Review needs to put digital security front and centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Trusts cancelled over 6,000 appointments after Qilin cyber attack

The two NHS Trusts most heavily impacted by the Qilin ransomware attack on pathology services provider Synnovis have cancelled over 6,000 appointments and procedures in the past five weeks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AT&T loses ‘nearly all’ phone records in Snowflake breach

Hackers have stolen records of virtually every call made by AT&T's customers during a six-month period in 2022, after compromising the US telco's Snowflake data environment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Public awareness of ID security grows, but big obstacles remain

Consumers are improving their awareness of the issues around digital identity security, but there are still some big issues preventing many from doing better, according to an Okta report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor