Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Superdrug denies data breach

Superdrug has warned online customers it believes may have had personal details exposed, but claims its systems were not compromised, in what could be the first GDPR-related extortion attempt Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New Zealand to run national cyber security exercise

The island-nation will test the resilience of its critical infrastructure in November 2018, bringing together multiple agencies to protect assets of national significance Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Online crime costs more than $1m a minute

More than $1m is lost to cyber crime every minute, a report reveals, underlining the increasing and significant threats businesses face online Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Retail and finance top cyber targets

Retail and finance remain the top cyber attack targets, but the second quarter also saw a spike in attacks against the manufacturing industry and an increase in remote desktop attacks, a report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft announces free election cyber defence tools

Microsoft has revealed it recently disrupted domains associated with a Russian cyber attack group believed to be targeting US political groups ahead of the midterm elections Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS trusts lose nearly 10,000 patient records a year

Report calls for NHS trusts to work to abolish handwritten notes in hospitals to prevent loss of personal documents and to introduce a patient identity protocol Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Planned Australian law raises tech firms’ security concerns

A digital industry group representing some of the world’s largest tech firms is opposed to proposed Australian laws aimed at compelling them to help security agencies and police Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber Security Challenge UK to scale up

Cybersecurity Challenge UK plans to scale up its events and its role in coordinating UK industry efforts to attract talented people to the cyber security profession Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple confirms teen hacker took no customer data

Teenage “fan” who broke into Apple’s mainframe from his home in Melbourne is believed to have downloaded 90GB of secure files, but no customer data Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Trump sparks speculation after repealing cyber attack restraints

The US president has sparked speculation about US policy on launching cyber attacks by repealing Obama-era restraints, underlining the need for international rules on cyber warfare Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global infosec spending to top $114bn in 2018, says Gartner

The need for improved detection, response and privacy is driving the demand for security products and services in response to security risks, business needs and industry changes, Gartner reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Inside DevOps, containers and enterprise security

Global corporates are waking up to containers and orchestrated containerisation for software development that is fast and safe. Computer Weekly looks at the best approach to ensure security is not compromised along the way Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Google Chrome flaw puts privacy at risk

Imperva security researcher urges Google Chrome users to update to the latest version after discovering a vulnerability that could be exploited to uncover private data Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICS security at risk in key verticals, report shows

The security of industrial control systems (ICS) is at risk in key verticals due to under staffing, under investment and human error, a report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Intel releases fix for latest chip security flaws

Businesses and consumers are advised to download security updates from Intel for new security flaws that could allow attackers to access protected data, but some cloud providers could see a performance impact Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses urged to patch Microsoft flaw allowing MFA bypass

Security researchers are urging enterprises to update their software after the discovery of a vulnerability that could undermine the security provided by multifactor authentication Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Outsource security operations, not control

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

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• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Consumers accept fraud danger as online shopping increases, research finds

The majority of UK consumers see the threat of online fraud as “inevitable” as e-commerce popularity rises Continue Reading

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• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Phishing remains top fraud enabler, RSA reports

Phishing is the most popular way of enabling fraud for cyber criminals, who are also increasingly using rogue mobile apps, mobile browsers and social media, a report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems a specialised cyber target

 Continue Reading

Cyber attackers target infrastructure

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the growing sophistication of cyber attackers who specialise in industrial control systems. They are fast, efficient and able to move between IT and OT environments. We also discover how few businesses in general are reporting cyber crime, as they should. The issue also tracks Google’s playing court to the C-suite, with respect to cloud computing. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

FBI warns of global ATM cyber crime spree

The FBI has issued a warning to banks that cyber criminals are planning to steal millions in a coordinated worldwide attack on cash machines Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Banks lead in digital era fraud detection

All e-commerce businesses should follow the banks’ lead in how to detect fraud in the digital era, says RSA fraud and risk expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most security pros concerned about election infrastructure

A majority of information security professionals believe that election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attack, a survey shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms concerned about cyber arms race

Continuous investment and activity are key in the cyber arms race, according to Databarracks, as research shows UK firms are worried about keeping up with security challenges Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Millions of businesses vulnerable to fax-based cyber attack

Hackers could exploit security vulnerabilities in fax machines to launch cyber attacks in millions of organisations around the world, researchers warn, underlining the need for cyber resilience Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Over 146 billion records to be stolen over next five years

The US will bear the brunt of data exfiltration efforts by cyber criminals, though Asia-Pacific nations such as Singapore will not be spared Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Mimecast extends core email security to enable cyber resilience

Mimecast continues to widen its cyber security capability through in-house development and strategic acquisition, as well as extend its core email security technologies to all other areas it applies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCR patches ATM vulnerabilities

NCR has patched ATM vulnerabilities discovered by Positive Technologies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Under half of firms use vulnerability assessments

Less than half of organisations base their cyber defences on strategic vulnerability assessments, and a third of these do the bare minimum to meet compliance requirements, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smart cities a tempting target for cyber attackers

Smart cities are an attractive target for cyber attackers because of the growing number of connected systems embedded throughout their infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Benelux: Netherlands to experiment with self-driving trains

In this issue, read how Dutch railway operator ProRail will test self-driving trains on a small set of railroad tracks to learn if they can be part of the country’s notoriously busy network. Also, find out how a network of smart towns and cities is growing in the Netherlands, and why Dutch organisations are being urged to unite to fight DDoS attacks. Continue Reading

Brace for more Triton-like attacks, researchers warn

The world has not seen the last of industrial control system (ICS) attacks like Triton, researchers have warned Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Incomplete visibility a top security failing

Incomplete visibility of IT environments is among the most common basic enterprise security failings, as most organisations are still failing to achieve basic cyber security hygiene, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Check Point warns of WhatsApp vulnerabilities

Researchers are warning of vulnerabilities in WhatsApp that allow threat actors to intercept and manipulate messages sent in a group chat Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security double agents most common in the UK

Cyber security professionals who alternate between criminal and legitimate activities or move full-time into cyber criminal activity are more common in the UK than other countries, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australia calls for interventionist approach in new cyber agenda

The Australian government is forming a cyber defence network comprising security agencies and private sector partners to support a more interventionist approach towards cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

AI security hype putting businesses at risk

The hype around artificial intelligence may be putting businesses at risk, according to a study that found most IT decision-makers believe AI is the answer to all cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lack of Dmarc email validation puts brands and customers at risk 

There is a worldwide lack of Dmarc email validation to defend against fraud and phishing attacks, putting organisations and customers at risk, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems a specialised cyber target

Cyber attackers specialising in industrial control systems are fast, efficient and able to move between IT and OT environments, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Outsource responsibility, not accountability

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Mobile banking Trojans reach all-time high

Mobile banking Trojans topped the list of cyber threats in the second quarter of the year, according to research by Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Virus outbreak at iPhone chip plant could delay shipments

A computer virus at an iPhone chip manufacturing plant could delay shipments of Apple’s latest smartphones, but the impact will be limited, say analysts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Alibaba Cloud makes deeper inroads into Malaysia

The Chinese cloud supplier’s second availability zone and upcoming DDoS scrubbing centre in Malaysia comes on the heels of growing investments in the Southeast Asian nation Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Almost all security can be outsourced, but not the risk

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

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• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

UK security centre to launch IoT security standard

The London-based Centre for Strategic Cyber Space and Security Science is working on an internet of things security standard and has roped in participants from eight markets Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Google to alert firms of state-sponsored attacks on G Suite users

As cyber security increasingly becomes a market differentiator, Google has announced that businesses using G Suite cloud-based software can opt in to cyber attack alerts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Risk tolerance key to security outsourcing policy

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Gorgon Group shows simple cyber attacks remain effective

A highly effective cyber attack group that appears to be based in Pakistan is carrying out targeted attacks against nation states at the same time as criminal operations, researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Reddit breach exposes 2FA flaws

Reddit has reported a password breach despite using 2FA, exposing the weaknesses of two-factor authentication based on mobile text messages Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR harmonised with local laws in Nordic EU states

Sweden provides an interesting challenge for the European Union’s data protection regulation due to its laws around freedom of press and free speech Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Three Carbanak cyber heist gang members arrested

Three alleged members of the Carbanak gang believed to be responsible for more than 100 cyber heists worldwide have been arrested, US authorities have announced Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Top things to consider in security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Bromium evolves virtualisation-based security

Virtualisation-based security firm Bromium has evolved its technology to offer bidirectional protection for applications and underlying operating systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top dark web indicators of compromise

There are 10 common activities on the dark web that indicate a data breach or some other security compromise has taken place, according to a specialist monitoring firm Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: A risk-based approach to security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Rory Alsop

SamSam ransomware reaps $5.9m and counting

In just two and a half years, SamSam campaigns are believed to have netted nearly $6m for cyber criminals, an analysis of this adaptive and evasive strain of active ransomware reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security top priority for aircraft makers, says Airbus

There is a high level of collaboration in the aircraft industry on cyber security, but not all other industries are at the same level, according to an industry veteran at multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus Continue Reading

Australia’s health sector reports most data breaches again

In the first full quarter since Australia’s mandatory breach disclosure scheme came into effect, healthcare providers reported the most data breaches amid controversy over the national health record system Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Pentagon flags risky software suppliers

The Pentagon has drawn up a list of software suppliers that it wants the US military and defence contractors to avoid due to fears of risks to national security Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Not all security service providers are created equal

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Search begins for UK’s cyber security Unsung Heroes

The Security Serious cyber awareness campaign has opened nominations for the third annual cyber security Unsung Heroes awards Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Burden of data protection rests on firms and governments

A senior executive at Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency stressed the role of corporate data governance and government regulations in raising the bar on cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Post-quantum security on Airbus’s radar

With quantum computing on the horizon, multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus is among those organisations that are looking at evolving their cryptography capabilities to stay ahead of technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fileless malware a growing trend, warns McAfee

Cyber attackers are increasingly moving away from traditional malware to using trusted Windows executables to invade systems and breach corporate networks, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hackers targeting software supply chains, US report warns

A US government report on cyber espionage by China, Russia and Iran says software supply chains are increasingly under attack Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brace for PowerGhost cryptominer, warns Kaspersky Lab

Corporate networks are the target of a new illicit cryptocurrency mining malware that is difficult to detect and eradicate, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Crest report highlights need for bug bounty best practice

A lack of best practice guidelines for bug bounties is leaving researchers, organisations and bounty platforms confused and at risk, a report reveals Continue Reading

Software development remains insecure

The prevalence of common and well-known web-based vulnerabilities underlines the need for better education around secure software development Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security vulnerability concerns skyrocket

Security professionals are more worried about data breaches and cyber attacks than they were a year ago, with most fearing that Meltdown-Spectre attacks are becoming the norm Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dark web cyber crime markets thriving

The market for cyber criminals’ services is thriving on the dark web, research reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ERP applications are under cyber attack, research confirms

ERP applications are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals, hacktivists and nation-state actors, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apache OpenWhisk users urged to patch

IBM has patched vulnerabilities in its Cloud Functions service that is based on Apache OpenWhisk in response to vulnerability disclosures, and all other users are urged to do the same Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Application attacks demand new security approach

Applying security software updates is an ineffective way to deal with application layer cyber attacks and businesses should change their approach, security experts advise Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware concern drops despite being top cost

Fewer organisations are worried about ransomware even though it remains one of the most costly cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian energy sector caught in security catch-22

With regulators unwilling to accept security investments that would lead to higher tariffs, there is a chance that Australia’s National Energy Market could face increased cyber risks Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Top execs cyber security hypocrites, report shows

There is a critical disconnect between the cyber security behaviour that top executives recommend and the way they behave themselves, while many firms do not know where their data lives and moves, a report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most firms have software security vulnerability

Most firms have a software vulnerability that can be exploited by cyber attackers, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore public healthcare sector limits internet use

Healthcare workers who require internet access will have to use separate internet workstations following an unprecedented attack on Singapore’s public healthcare system Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Zero trust security model boosts business confidence

Organisations that combine the zero trust security model with next-gen access are more confident about meeting access control challenges, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security: A work in progress

Piers Wilson, director of the Institute of Information Security Professionals, reflects on the findings of the latest IISP industry survey and suggests there is still more work to do Continue Reading

By

• Piers Wilson, IISP

Huge Singapore data breach shows need for new approach

A major data breach in Singapore underlines the need for a new approach to protecting critical data and applications, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR drives down UK insider threat

The insider threat in European countries is falling post-General Data Protection Regulation, but continues to rise in the US, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NCSC report underlines cyber threat for legal firms

Legal firms are a top target for cyber attackers, the latest report from the National Cyber Security Centre shows, emphasising the need for comprehensive cyber defence capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK alerted to potential cyber risks of Huawei equipment

A report has raised concerns about the shortcomings of Huawei engineering processes, which it says could put UK telecommunications networks at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals use fake domains to scam businesses

UK police are warning businesses that cyber criminals are using fake domains to scam businesses out of hundreds of thousands of pounds Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CNI sector lacks cyber security skills, government warned

The UK’s critical national infrastructure sector is being negatively impacted by the lack of cyber security skills, a report warns Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Collaborative alliance to advance UK’s cyber security profession

Leading UK organisations in cyber security have united to develop a national professional body in the field Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: Defend against disruption

The security of industrial control systems (ICS) has come under the spotlight with several high-profile incidents affecting power plants and other critical infrastructure in recent years. What are the threats to these systems in ASEAN, and what is the common approach to securing ICS systems? In this month’s issue of CW ASEAN, we take a closer look at how ICS operators are improving the visibility of ICS environments without jeopardizing operations, addressing security vulnerabilities and enhancing cooperation between IT and operational technology teams. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Retail cyber security spending ineffective as breaches rise

Cyber attacks on the retail sector are increasing, and although most retailers plan to increase cyber security spending, planned investments are unlikely to be effective, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Deloitte launches EMEA-wide initiative to close cyber security gender gap

Professional services organisation Deloitte expands its UK efforts to encourage more women into cyber security to cover the EMEA area Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cyber security top priority for aircraft makers, says Airbus

There is a high level of collaboration in the aircraft industry on cyber security, but not all other industries are at the same level, according to an industry veteran at multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore to bolster threat intelligence sharing in financial sector

Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency has partnered the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Centre to glean cyber threat intelligence for the country’s financial industry Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Spectre variant gives buffer overflow a new twist

New variants of the Spectre microprocessor bugs use buffer overflow-style attacks to run malicious code Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Most airports not protected from cyber threats

The chairman of the Israel Airports Authority paints a dismal picture of the state of cyber security in aviation, and offers advice on what can be done to avert the next disaster. Continue Reading

How Australia is keeping pace with ICS threats

Besides bridging the security gap between IT and operational technology teams, Australia is driving efforts to bolster the security of IoT devices Continue Reading

An insider’s look into the dark web

A principal research scientist at Sophos offers a glimpse into the abysses of the dark web in a bid to uncover what cyber crooks are up to Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Cryptominers plateau while backdoors shoot up

Illicit cryptocurrency mining appears to be slowing down, but backdoors increased rapidly in the second quarter of the year, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber resilience key to securing industrial control systems

Operators of industrial control systems can build greater cyber resilience by getting IT and operational technology teams to work more closely together and improving the visibility of their infrastructure, among other security measures. Continue Reading

Most airports not protected from cyber threats

The chairman of the Israel Airports Authority paints a dismal picture of the state of cyber security in aviation, and offers advice on what can be done to avert the next disaster. Continue Reading