Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Security Think Tank: Five tips for killing the campers on your network

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

Nigerian cyber attackers up their game

Nigerian cyber attackers have modernised their approach to cyber crime, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Financial sector cyber-related laws are a bellwether, says Deloitte

As the regulatory landscape becomes more complex, organisations should look to the financial sector to see what else is coming, as well as focus on three key areas of GDPR compliance, according to Deloitte Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Majority of security professionals favour shorter disclosure deadline

Google’s Project Zero unit’s 90-day deadline for software suppliers to disclose vulnerabilities has always been controversial, but a survey reveals that most security professionals feel even that is too long Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: More time equals more opportunity for cyber attackers

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Rory Alsop

Security pros must avoid hype, demonstrate value, says RBS CISO

Security professionals must avoid over-hyping cyber threats, and penetration testers need to reinvent themselves to demonstrate value to businesses to remain relevant, says RBS CISO Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Twitter password security bug underlines need for industry change

Twitter has revealed that a bug in its systems resulted in some passwords being stored in a log in clear text, underlining the need for alternative authentication methods, say industry commentators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

City Police use Lego simulation to teach businesses cyber security

City of London Police are offering to train business leaders and IT security in cyber security using a Lego simulation that is surprisingly close to real life Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Redscan warns of GDPR phishing scams

Cyber criminals are using fake GDPR-related privacy notices to trick recipients into disclosing personal data and spread malware, a security firm warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Prevention and detection are key to limit dwell time

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Security Think Tank: Containment should be top priority in cyber breaches

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important, and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

ARM aims to boost physical security of IoT

Chipmaker ARM announces microprocessor aimed at improving the physical security capabilities of devices making up the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Critical infrastructure firms urged to patch Schneider Electric flaws

Critical infrastructure suppliers and manufacturing firms are being urged to ensure that their systems are patched up to date, after researchers discover Schneider Electric remote code execution vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware still a threat to business, F-Secure warns

Ransomware attacks tapered off towards the end of 2017 after an explosion in such attacks earlier in the year, but ransomware remains a threat to big business, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security industry welcomes City of London Police cyber initiative

The security industry has welcomed plans to fight cyber crime in the heart of London using a community-based approach, but says more investment in cyber security skills is required Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google Chrome helps clean up certificate authority industry

The security industry has welcomed the introduction of measures by the Google Chrome browser aimed at achieving certificate transparency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Reducing cyber attacker dwell time is critical

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important, and how should it be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Password practices still poor despite increased threats

Despite growing cyber threats and heightened global awareness of hacking and data breaches, password behaviours remain poor and UK users are in denial, a study has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK critical services need to up cyber defences to avoid fines

UK critical infrastructure providers could be liable for fines of millions of pounds if they do not improve their cyber defences and resilience of their IT infrastructure, a study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Reducing dwell has never been more important

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important, and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Getting cyber security innovation to market is key, says NCSC

Getting cyber security innovation to market is an important area of focus, according to the National Cyber Security Centre, which runs a cyber accelerator programme and recently stated a Dragons Den style security innovation pitch at the 2018 CyberUK conference Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security industry welcomes NHS move to Windows 10

Representatives of the security industry have welcomed the announcement that the NHS will be migrating to Windows 10 as part of a multi-million pound deal with Microsoft, but warn that the move will not be without its challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: GDPR compliance one good reason to cut attacker dwell time

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important, and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Microsoft releases Windows 10 security pack

Microsoft has released a download pack that incorporates NCSC guidance to save UK companies weeks of work to secure Windows 10 and comply with government guidelines Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How machine learning is used to detect fraud

One of machine learning’s most well-known use cases is fraud detection, an area that has drawn the attention of a growing number of technology suppliers looking to develop the best algorithms and ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Reduce attacker dwell time with defence in depth

Why is reducing cyber attacker dwell time important and how should this be tackled? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Finnish R&D and utilities in line of cyber espionage fire, say security police

Finnish research and development, as well as critical infrastructure, are being targeted by state-backed cyber espionage attacks, says report Continue Reading

By

• Tarmo Virki

NCSC shows support for common standards for secure communication

The UK cyber security authority is supporting an industry drive towards common standards for secure communication by joining an industry organisation that aims to achieve this goal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital economy research projects to get funding

Research projects aimed at building trust, privacy and security in the use of personal data and digital technologies are to receive funding Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government urges UK businesses to beef up cyber crime defences

Government is urging UK organisations to defend against cyber crime, as newly released figures show that large numbers of businesses and charities suffered at least one cyber attack in the past year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Major DDoS cyber crime website shut down

International law enforcement has shut down the Webstresser cyber crime website, which was the world’s biggest marketplace for selling distributed denial of service attack services that were used against seven UK banks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employees still in the dark about data protection

With just a month to go before the GDPR compliance deadline, many employees still don’t know how to protect confidential data, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber fraud costs SMEs more than £1,000 per case

Just over half of IT and telecoms SMEs are targeted by fraudsters, with each case of cyber fraud costing more than £1,000, study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware attack hit Ukraine energy ministry website

Cyber attack on Ukraine’s energy ministry shows that websites remain a weak point for many organisations online, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Orangeworm cyber attack group targets health sector

A cyber crime group is targeting the health sector and related industries in the US, Europe and Asia in a suspected corporate espionage campaign, researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nearly half of UK manufacturers hit by cyber attacks

Nearly half of UK manufacturers have been hit by a cyber security incident, according to a report by an industry organisation, which calls for greater government focus on the specific security needs of the sector Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Next generation of SCADA industrial controls will protect against cyber attack

Oil, energy and chemical companies are rethinking how to control big manufacturing plants, replacing expensive control technology with cheaper, more secure systems, taking their cue from biology Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

No business safe from cyber attack, says KPMG

Businesses that operate online should be working to ensure operational resilience, while the financial sector should focus more on collaboration, says professional services firm KPMG Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global cyber crime worth $1.5tn a year, study reveals

Cyber criminal operations worldwide are generating revenues that equal the GDP of Russia though a web of profit that involves legitimate businesses, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data protection is critical for all businesses

Companies that misuse data or fall victim to breaches not only risk financial loss, but also reputational damage. There are many reasons good data practice is essential Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Account takeover up tenfold in past year

The incidence of online account takeover and the proportion of high-risk account access attempts underlines the need for improved authentication, says fraud detection firm Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Use good practice to address cryptojacking risk

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

UK Commonwealth cyber security funding welcomed

The security community has welcomed the UK government announcement of funding to help Commonwealth countries strengthen their cyber security capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CyLon continues to drive cyber security innovation with next accelerator cohort

CyLon has selected the next group of innovative cyber security startups for its seventh London accelerator programme Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Mastercard calls for global online payments standard

Mastercard and its EMV partners are pushing for online payments standards similar to those for point-of-sale payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

PAC sets June 2018 deadline for Department of Health to count NHS cost of WannaCry

Government spending watchdog orders Department of Health and Social Care to work out the cost of the WannaCry ransomware attack on the NHS so trusts know where to target their cyber security spending Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DDoS attacks cost up to £35,000

Despite the direct financial impact of DDoS attacks, this is not considered to be the most damaging effect on companies targeted this way, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security budgets up, but talent scarce, says Isaca

Security budgets are increasing, but qualified cyber talent remains difficult to find with positions taking at least three months to fill, an industry association report on the state of cyber security reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

APAC is becoming a hotspot for DDoS attacks

The region’s largest and most-connected economies are most vulnerable to distributed denial-of-service attacks, according to CenturyLink Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK identity fraud reaches record level

The level of identity fraud has reached its highest level to date, a UK fraud report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top tech firms take cyber security pledge

Top tech firms have committed to protecting customers worldwide from cyber attacks and prevent the misuse of their technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business at risk from unidentified network traffic, report warns

A lack of network traffic visibility poses significant security challenges to businesses, a report on network firewalls warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

China’s ZTE a national security risk, UK telcos warned

UK national cyber security authority has warned telecommunications companies against using equipment and services from Chinese network equipment supplier ZTE, citing national security risks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Targeted cyber attacks doubled in past year, study shows

The number of targeted attacks has doubled in the past year compared with the previous 12 months, despite improvements in detecting and blocking them, a cyber resilience study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Flashpoint researchers warn of new VBS Loader

Researchers have issued warnings about a new VBScript downloader that behaves like a remote access Trojan, is designed to run undetected and can update and delete itself Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK and US accuse Russia of targeting network infrastructure

The UK and US have accused the Russian government of targeting network infrastructure, calling on network operators to take the necessary protective measures Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK businesses urged to ensure they do cyber security basics

The cyber threat to business has never been greater, so the National Cyber Security Centre is urging UK companies to ensure they have implemented all the basic, best-practice cyber security controls and processes Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian healthcare services most hit by data breaches

Nearly a quarter of data breaches reported under Australia’s new mandatory data breach regime took place in the healthcare sector Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Cyber attackers can breach targets in hours, report reveals

The majority of hackers claim they can breach an organisation within hours, while most security professionals admit they do not know what to look for Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK playing central role in Facebook data misuse probe

Data protection is a hot issue and all about increasing confidence in the way data is handled, says UK privacy watchdog Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security a shared responsibility, says Amber Rudd

The UK home secretary has emphasised that cyber security is a shared responsibility and committed to promote EU cyber cooperation post-Brexit at the National Cyber Security Centre’s conference in Manchester Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lauri Love escaped extradition to the US - what does that mean for future cases?

The US lost its attempt to extradite Lauri Love to face hacking charges in a landmark case. What will it mean for other UK citizens facing extradition? Continue Reading

By

• Joanna Dimmock , White & Case

GCHQ growing cyber capability to match threat

GCHQ continues to grow and develop its cyber capability to match the rapidly expanding and evolving threat landscape, says agency director Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK cyber attack reporting set to be more streamlined

Government funding has been allocated to help streamline cyber attack reporting, according to the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New cyber incident classification to boost UK response

A new cyber attack categorisation system has been unveiled to improve UK response to incidents Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government to set up £13.5m cyber security centre

Located at the 2012 Olympic Park, the London Cyber Innovation Centre could create up to 2,000 jobs in cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Diversity key to more effective cyber security, says NCSC

Diversity in defence teams is key to improved cyber security, according to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GCHQ to set up shop in Manchester

UK intelligence, security and cyber agency GCHQ is expanding its network of UK sites to north west England Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NSA calls for cyber security community collaboration

A US National Security Agency (NSA) representative has called for cyber security community collaboration at the National Cyber Security Centre’s conference in Manchester Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK to launch crackdown on dark web

The UK is to enhance its specialist law enforcement response to crack down on criminals operating on the dark web Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobile phishing a growing threat, warns report

Phishing on mobile devices is a growing threat to business as attacks move beyond email to text messages and apps Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Podcast: Storage compliance for GDPR data subject requests

The General Data Protection Regulation is upon us. Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, talks you through the key areas needed for compliance in storage of data subjects’ data and how to find it quickly on request Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Cyber criminals earn up to $2m a year, study shows

Academic study reveals just how lucrative cyber crime can be, with top-level cyber criminals out-earning government leaders and university graduates Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware top cyber threat, DBIR shows

Ransomware remains the top cyber security threat to organisations, humans continue to be significant weakness and HR departments are a top target, according to the latest Verizon Data breach investigations report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threat to UK business greater than ever, report reveals

The cyber threat to UK business is “bigger than ever” and the best way to defend against it is collaboration between government, law enforcement and business, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Cryptojacking can be costly

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

More than one in 10 employees fall for social engineering attacks

Employees download malicious files, click phishing links, correspond with hackers, and even share contact information for their colleagues, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Six tips for securing your organisation against cryptojacking

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

Business increases use of encryption in the cloud

The use of encryption has seen double-digit growth in the past year due to a number of security-related drivers, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why businesses must think like criminals to protect their data

Cyber criminals use three main methods of operation to steal commercial data. Understanding their mindset can help organisations put the right defences in place Continue Reading

By

• Andy Barratt, Coalfire

HSBC IT whistleblower faces extradition to Switzerland

Hervé Falciani, who stole data from thousands of private banking customers, is apprehended in Spain following the issuing of an international arrest warrant Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Retail sector top cyber attack target

The retail sector was the top cyber attack target in 2017, as cyber attacks evolved to become more organised and structured, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business should note Facebook data sharing, say security advisers

Businesses that use Facebook and have employees that use it should take note that data is shared with potential cyber attackers, security advisers warn, as Facebook reveals the Cambridge Analytica data exploitation scandal may affect 87 million users Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Deal with cryptojacking to avoid security vulnerability

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

More than 1.5 billion business and consumer files exposed online

With just over a month to go before the GDPR compliance deadline, more than 1.5 billion data files are exposed online without adequate protections, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: GDPR will give Dutch privacy watchdog its teeth

The Netherlands’ privacy watchdog has not handed out fines so far because there has been no reason to, says the organisation’s chairman, Aleid Wolfsen Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Security Think Tank: User vigilance key to cryptojacking defence

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

Ransomware puts pressure on incident response

Cyber attackers switched focus to ransomware attacks in 2017 putting pressure on incident response, while human error was responsible for two-thirds of compromised records, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Average attacker dwell time nearly six months for EMEA, study shows

Firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa take nearly six months to detect cyber attacks on average, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms failing to make financial plans for cyber attacks

Most UK firms are failing to plan for the financial impact of cyber attacks, a survey by Lloyds Bank has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Use awareness, education and controls to halt cryptojacking

How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Data breaches revealed at four US retail chains

The Easter weekend has seen another round of data breaches, further underlining that many companies are still failing to take the necessary steps to protect customer data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

 Automation and gamification key to cyber security

The use of automation and gamification are key to winning the fight against cyber criminals in the face of the skills’ shortage, a study investigating challenges facing IT security teams reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europol operation nabs another 20 cyber criminals

Police have arrested 20 cyber criminals in connection with a €1m fraud operation across Italy and Romania Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business unaware of scale of cyber threat

Many businesses, especially board members, do not understand the scale of the cyber threat, but international efforts to combat cyber crime are being hampered by political barriers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cryptocurrency mining rampant in higher education

Higher education institutions are the biggest target for illicit cryptocurrency mining, data shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How the IT sector can help plug the cyber security skills gap

Businesses have a role to play in plugging the cyber security skills gap by engaging with future talent at a young age, providing more role models for under-represented groups, communicating the nature of the threat, and changing their approach to cyber security recruitment Continue Reading

By

• Frank Stajano, University of Cambridge

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

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Majority of European firms unprepared for phishing attacks

Most cyber attacks can be traced back to a phishing email, but more than half of European firms are unprepared to deal with email-based attacks, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook announces more privacy control updates

Social media giant updates privacy settings and tools in response to the unfolding controversy over Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data for political campaigns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst