Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Hacker group Lizard Squad downs Sony PlayStation Network

Sony remains in the firing line of hackers – who have now brought down its PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber criminals are targeting smartphone supply chains, warn researchers

A new mobile trojan dubbed “DeathRing” is being pre-loaded onto smartphones somewhere in the supply chain, warn researchers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sony hack exposes poor security practices

Sony Pictures Entertainment remains tight-lipped about its recent cyber attack, but security lessons can be drawn from what is known Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Films leaked online after Sony Pictures hack

High-quality copies of still-to-be-released films have been leaked online a week after Sony Pictures Entertainment was reportedly hacked Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CGI secures communications between pilots and air traffic control

Satellite communications firm Inmarsat has outsourced the provision of security IT and services to CGI Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

BSI urges UK businesses to bolster cyber security

UK businesses are at risk of reputational damage due to lack of awareness on how to protect their data assets, BSI research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cert-UK calls for better cyber threat data-sharing

Cert-UK has called for more UK firms to join the government’s Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Russian webcam-spying site highlights common security failing

A Russian website collecting images from internet-connected cameras highlights a common security failing, say security professionals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK police make four arrests in international cyber crime crackdown

UK police make four arrests during an international crackdown on cyber criminals using malware tools to steal data Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft releases emergency security patch for Windows and Windows Server

Microsoft emergency patch fixes a Windows and Windows Server vulnerability hackers are exploiting to compromise networks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US State Department bolsters email security after suspected breach

The US State Department took its unclassified email system offline to bolster security after a suspected breach in October 2014 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Network firewalls as relevant to data security as ever, says industry pioneer Gil Shwed

Network firewalls are as relevant to data security today as they were 20 years ago, says industry pioneer Gil Shwed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US Postal Service latest government target for cyber attack

Hackers breach the networks of the US Postal Service in the latest of a series of attacks on US government agencies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Depot traces credit card data hack to supplier compromise

US retailer Home Depot reveals its recent data breach was linked to a compromised supplier’s credentials Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The real story behind The Imitation Game film

The life of Alan Turing is being celebrated on the big screen this month. The Imitation Game from Studio Canal opens on November 14th 2014 and tells the story of the war hero who’s achievements until recently were largely unknown. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Business needs to take cyber crime seriously, says top EU cyber cop Troels Oerting

Troels Oerting, head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, says businesses must heed the risk of cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Many firms still unprepared for cyber attack, EY survey shows

More than a third of organisastions have no real-time insight on cyber risks necessary to combat rising threats, a survey has shown Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms at serious risk of data loss through file sharing, study shows

Businesses are at serious risk of data loss and compliance violations due to risky file-sharing practices, a study has shown Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most businesses do not understand risks of data breaches, study finds

More than 70% of businesses do not understand fully the risks associated with data breaches, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Incident response: a common failing

Organisations hit by cyber attacks often lack an effective incident response plan. Why are so many unprepared? Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Securing critical industrial systems

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the security threats to the industrial control systems that power the UK’s critical national infrastructure, and ask what can be done to better protect them. We look at the key considerations when choosing an infrastructure as a service supplier. And we compare six of the top hybrid flash array products from the leading storage hardware providers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

GCHQ embodies British values, says Iain Lobban

Outgoing GCHQ director Iain Lobban has defended the intelligence agency in his final speech before retiring Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US retailer Staples investigates possible data breach

US retailer Staples confirms it is investigating a possible credit and debit card breach Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FBI director James Comey joins call for online surveillance tools

FBI director James Comey has reiterated the need for online surveillance and joined calls for more tools to do so Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK is prime target for cyber attacks, says FireEye

The UK has been greatest target of advanced cyber attacks in Europe, the Middle East or Africa in the first half of 2014, report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems: What are the security challenges?

Targeted attacks on industrial control systems are the biggest threat to critical national infrastructure, says Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cybercrime fighters to target kingpins, says top EU cyber cop

International cybercrime fighters are to focus on the relatively small number of top malware producers, says Europe's top cyber cop Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Azure CTO Mark Russinovich's top ten public cloud security risks

Microsoft Azure cloud CTO Mark Russinovich identified ten key security risks of public cloud services Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

WordPress most attacked application

Websites that run the WordPress content management system are attacked 24% more often than those using other systems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Malware being used to steal cash from ATMs

Criminals are using malware to steal cash from ATMs without debit and credit cards Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google could face $100m lawsuit over nude celebrity pictures

Lawyers of celebrities whose private pictures were published by hackers are threatening to sue Google Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

European firms far from ready for new data rules, study shows

As European authorities aim to ratify revised data protection rules by 2015, many firms have a lot to do to comply Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber Essentials for public sector IT suppliers: pros and cons

What are the pros and cons of the Cyber Essentials Scheme certification mandated for public sector IT suppliers? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hacking IT from the inside

In this week’s Computer Weekly, car giant Daimler talks about its IT security strategy and the benefits of having its own in-house hacking team. App developers are under fire for collecting too much personal data – we examine the latest best practice. Our new buyer’s guide looks at virtualisation backup. And our review of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 tablet asks whether it can replace the laptop. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Bash bug could be bigger threat than Heartbleed

A bug in the Bash command prompt software used by many Unix computers could be a greater threat than Heartbleed. Continue Reading

Nato and business join forces to tackle cyber security threats

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at how Nato wants to work with businesses to tackle their common cyber security threat. Is Amazon Web Services becoming the new Microsoft? We examine the historic similarities between two very different suppliers. And low-cost airline easyJet talks about how it has implemented a hybrid cloud for greater IT and business flexibility. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Conficker infections an indictment of IT security, says CWG

Conficker worm infections reflect the “sad state of affairs of IT security”, says the Conficker Working Group Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Depot under fire for data breach notification

US retailer Home Depot criticised for delays in telling customers their payment card details may have been compromised Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Risk management key to cyber strategy, says BP

Cyber attacks constitute a group-level risk that is managed as part of BP’s standard set of risk management processes, says group chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google denies breach after hackers leak millions of user logins

Google denies claims cyber criminals stole users' data and downplays the threat after a hacker purportedly leaked 4.9 million Gmail logins Continue Reading

Ransomware on the rise, warns cyber threat report

The first half of 2014 saw an increase in online attacks that lock up user data and hold it for ransom, reports F-Secure Labs Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nude celebrity hack forces changes at Apple and 4Chan

Apple and image-sharing site 4Chan take security measures after celebrity iCloud accounts were compromised and photos leaked Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Barclays bank launches biometric authentication

Barclays bank plans to launch biometric readers that read users' finger veins to authenticate customers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Apple and FBI launch iCloud hack investigation

Apple and FBI investigate the breach of Apple’s iCloud causing fresh business concerns over cloud security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nato set to clarify stance on cyber attack

Leaders will discuss changing the mission of collective defence with respect to cyber attack at this week’s Nato summit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nude celebrity pictures posted online after alleged iCloud hack

Hundreds of nude images of female celebrities have been leaked, allegedly after Apple’s iCloud service was hacked Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft re-releases security bulletin MS14-045

Microsoft has re-released a software security update that was withdrawn because it put some computers in endless reboot loops Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security experts identify top 10 software design flaws

The IEEE Center for Secure Design has published a report on how to avoid the top 10 software security design flaws Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

South Korea arrests 16 suspects in massive cyber fraud

South Korea has arrested 16 suspects in connection with a multi-million-dollar fraud enabled by the theft of 27 million online gaming credentials Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DDoS attacks hit Sony’s PlayStation Network and other gaming services

Sony's PlayStation Network and other gaming services reported disruptions at the weekend in a suspected cyber attack campaign Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Heartbleed bug linked to US hospital group hack

A security firm has linked the Community Health Systems data breach to the Heartbleed bug Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

21% of manufacturers hit by intellectual property theft

More than one in five manufacturing firms reported a loss of intellectual property in a cyber attack in the past year, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

USB-connected devices present cyber vulnerabilities

Connecting devices to computers using a USB port could lead to security breaches, say Berlin-based researchers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Cyber Security Challenge UK takes on the internet of things

The latest level of the Cyber Security Challenge will involve participants hacking devices connected to the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Paddy Power hit by data breach in 2010

Gambling firm Paddy Power owns up to 2010 data breach after recovering a compromised dataset in Canada Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tackle IAM with a risk-based approach, says KPMG

A risk-based approach is the best way to tackle identity and access management, says KPMG Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hacker and UFO hunter Gary McKinnon launches SEO business

Hacker Gary McKinnon has set up a search engine optimisation business after winning a 10-year battle against extradition to the US Continue Reading

Six cyber criminals charged in $1m Stubhub fraud

The US has charged six members of an international cyber crime gang that defrauded Stubhub of $1m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hackers abuse Bitly API in novel attack, reports Websense

A cyber attack targeting MSNBC highlights cybercriminals’ abuse of the public’s trust in news sites, says Websense Security Labs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Info sharing key to cyber defence, says financial services firm

Threat information sharing is key to success in combating cyber attacks, says the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK leads international partnership to fight financial malware

The UK National Crime Agency is leading international collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to fight bank theft malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why using voice biometrics is a good idea

Banks and other organisations are turning to voice biometrics, but why do they believe the technology is good idea? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smart light bulbs get security update

Smart light bulb maker LIFX has issued a firmware update after security researchers exposed a security weakness Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Barclays passes government’s ‘internet-born threat’ test

Barclays Bank has been awarded the government’s cyber security certificate for digital banking services after independent tests of services such as Pingit Continue Reading

Industrial control systems increasingly under attack, says Kaspersky

Targeted attacks on industrial control systems take place on a regular and increasing basis, says Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Domino’s breach underlines value of personal data, say experts

The latest cyber breach to hit a high-profile brand underlines the high value of personal data, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Technology key to secure document future, says UK Home Office

Physical security is just as important as digital security in documents such as passports, says UK Home Office Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft admits running out of IP addresses for Azure

Microsoft has assured US Azure customers data remains in the US, despite running out of US-registered IP addresses at times Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The case for a European cloud market

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the European Commission wants to create a digital single market in Europe based on industry standard clouds – but is the plan realistic? Network encryption promises to solve many IT security threats – we examine the benefits. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at business process management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IT departments unprepared for internet of things

Only 41% of IT professionals are working on projects to prepare their business for the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Turing Test 2014 marks historic milestone in artificial intelligence

A computer program has made history by passing the artificial intelligence test set by computer science pioneer Alan Turing Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threats hiding in plain sight, says Palo Alto Networks

Cyber attackers exploit commonly used business applications to bypass security controls, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK shoe retailer Office hit by data breach

Data breach at UK shoe retailer Office prompts calls for online firms to beef up security around customer details Continue Reading

Android Outlook app has privacy issues, warn researchers

Microsoft’s Outlook.com app for Android is exposing users' data, warn security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

eBay under fire over handling of data breach

eBay is coming under increasing criticism over its handling of the data breach that exposed millions of user records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

eBay reveals major security breach and urges users to change passwords

eBay has revealed it was hit by a major cyber attack earlier this year, and is urging users to change their site passwords. Continue Reading

US cyber criminal jailed for 20 years

US authorities have jailed a cyber criminal for 20 years, for trading in stolen credit cards and identities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet of things security is relevant to business, says researcher

Internet of things is relevant to enterprise information security professionals, says researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Minnesota passes mobile kill switch law to stop theft

Minnesota has become the first US state to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the theft of smartphones Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Orange data breach underlines need for encryption, say experts

The theft of 1.3 million customer records from Orange, France underlines the need for encryption, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet privacy could thwart data security, warns expert

Steps to improve online privacy could thwart data security, warns security expert Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Infosec 2014: Threat knowledge is key to cyber security, say experts

Business should improve awareness of cyber risks to stay ahead of criminals, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK and Ireland cyber attacks up 300% in 2013, says FireEye

UK and Ireland enterprises were hit by an average of more than 70 new infections a day in 2013, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threat detection paramount, says SANS fellow

Cyber threat prevention is ideal, but detection is a must, says Eric Cole, SANS Institute fellow Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Heartbleed prompts tech firms to pledge open-source support

Top tech firms have joined forces to support open-source software to help prevent future bugs like Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Adapting to life after Heartbleed

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate the most significant flaw in recent history to impact the internet. The Heartbleed bug in OpenSSL leaves millions of internet servers vulnerable to attack. Hackers have already exploited Heartbleed to steal passwords from the Mumsnet parenting site. What can websites do to foil future attacks? Continue Reading

Datacentre lessons learnt from Heartbleed bug

The Heartbleed bug, an OpenSSL flaw affecting millions of websites, has some lessons for datacentre providers and operators Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Microsoft halts Windows 8.1 update for businesses due to bug

Microsoft has suspended the Windows 8.1 update for business users because of a bug. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TCG releases TPM 2 specification for improved security

The Trusted Computing Group has published an updated specification for the Trusted Platform Module Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government signs £5.5m Microsoft deal to extend Windows XP support

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to support Windows XP across the UK public sector for 12 months after 8 April deadline Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Security an unnecessary expense, say one in six techies

One in six IT professionals see security as an unnecessary expense, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Target data breach: Why UK business needs to pay attention

Late last year, US retailer Target was hit by one of the biggest data breaches in the industry's history. So what happened and why is it relevant to UK businesses? Continue Reading

By

• Lee Munson

Pirated software malware to cost business $491bn in 2014, study shows

Malware deliberately loaded into pirated or counterfeit software is expected cost enterprises $491bn in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have urged businesses to take action on a cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of 25,000+ Unix servers worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Cyber Security Challenge UK 2014

The Cyber Security Challenge UK is a series of events designed to test the ability of thousands of amateur applicants who have skills in the cyber security space. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

SMEs believes they are immune to cyber attack

Most SMEs believe they are not at real risk of cyber attack, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hacktivism: good or evil?

IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics Continue Reading

By

• Dai Davis, Percy Crow Davis & Co

More than 162,000 WordPress sites used in DDoS attack

Security researchers have uncovered a DDoS attack that used more than 162,000 legitimate and unwitting WordPress websites Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Making data flow freely

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at open data and how it can improve public services – and even help prevent a repeat of the recent floods. We report from Cloud Expo on the reasons why public cloud is yet to be embraced by enterprise IT. And we look at the key issues for buying HR software in 2014. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Dark web key enabler for cyber criminals, say McAfee researchers

The dark web is a key conduit for the malware industry to refine and distribute its products and services, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst