Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Legal briefing: The Draft EU General Data Protection Regulation

This report from law firm Morrison & Foerster, sets out some of the most important changes for private sector organisations in the draft EU Data Protection Regulation. Continue Reading

Microsoft takes aim at passwords

Microsoft says it is determined to solve the problem of ineffective authentication that relies on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employee mobiles expose firms to attack, says Webroot

Employees mobile devices expose companies to malicious applications and attacks, according to the latest mobile threat report from Webroot Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms see 1,000+ internal data breaches a day, study finds

Internal threats are not a high priority for UK firms despite more than 1,000 internal data breaches a day Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS England puts patient database on hold

NHS England is to delay by six months the roll-out of its controversial Care.data scheme for sharing patient records through a central database Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cut Microsoft admin rights to mitigate 92% of threats, study shows

Removing Microsoft admin rights from employees mitigates 92% of critical vulnerabilities reported in 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK among targets of 'Mask' advanced cyber espionage campaign

The UK has been hit more than 100 times in an advanced global cyber espionage campaign that has gone undetected for more than five years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK critical infrastructure at risk of cyber attack, says IET report

UK critical national infrastructure is at risk of cyber attack, says a report by consultancy Atkins for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Continue Reading

Bank of England publishes Waking Shark II cyber security exercise results

Bank of England publishes the results of its Waking Shark II security exercise, which tested financial institutions' contingency plans for cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

NHS site malicious redirects are a warning to developers

A coding error that redirected NHS website visitors to malicious content should be a warning to developers, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hackers access Yahoo Mail with stolen passwords

Yahoo has revealed that hackers have tried to access some Yahoo Mail accounts with stolen passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security quest strong in UK, says Isaca

There is a strong interest in cyber security in the UK, says Rob Stroud, international president-elect for Isaca Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New Snapchat security measure easily by-passed, says researcher

A new Snapchat security measure to verify users are human is easily by-passed, says researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US startup aims to turn tables on hackers

US startup Shape Security is turning the tables against hackers by using one of their own techniques against them Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CERT-UK to drive international cyber security collaboration

The UK’s new national computer emergency response team (CERT-UK) is set to drive international cyber security collaboration once it becomes operational Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet at risk of 'cybergeddon' says WEF

Internet is at risk of fragmenting amid concerns over spying and cyber crime, says World Economic Forum Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NSA uses secret radio tech to spy on offline computers

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has the capacity to monitor, enter and alter data on computers even if the machines are not connected to the internet, it has emerged Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top European IT initiative to support business in 2014?

Expanding IT to support business growth is one of the biggest areas of focus for IT departments in 2014, so what does this mean? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security considerations for UK enterprises

This Research Snapshot from Vanson Bourne looks at IT security spending trends, awareness of cyber-threats, and the factors perceived as the biggest security risks for organisations. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Information security strategy should support the business

How should Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA and GCHQ influence future information security strategies in the UK? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

Infosec Skills, BCS announce winners of Cyber Security Challenge

Stuart Pringle, Simon Robinson and Robert Wyllie have won over £2,000 of training and a place in the semi-final of the current UK Cyber Security Challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Yahoo claims malicious ads under control

Yahoo says the situation is under control after its advertising network served up malware to thousands of visitors last week Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FireEye acquires Mandiant in $1bn deal

Security firm FireEye has bought Mandiant in a deal worth just over $1bn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Research reveals widespread mobile app hacking

The top 100 paid Android apps and 56% of the top 100 paid Apple iOS apps have been hacked, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Thirteen plead guilty to Anonymous DDoS attack on Paypal

Thirteen people have pleaded guilty to taking part in DDoS attacks on eBay’s Paypal, organised by the Anonymous hacker group in 2010 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ransomware looks set to increase, warns Sophos

Cyber criminals are planning to produce new forms of ransomware on an unprecedented scale, according to IT security firm Sophos Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Automation key to balancing agility and security, says AlgoSec

Automated critical business application management enables a more agile business and enhances security, says security policy management firm AlgoSec Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cybercrime and warfare: All that matters

Peter Warren and Michael Streeter assess the history, scale and importance of cyber crime in this chapter from their book, Cybercrime and warfare: All That Matters. Continue Reading

Proof-of-concept malware jumps air gap with sound card

Researchers demonstrate proof-of-concept malware exfiltrating data using high-frequency transmissions inaudible to humans Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK proposes formal talks on cyber security with China

Prime minister David Cameron has called on China to be more open about cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EU calls on US to rebuild trust in post-Snowden era

The EC has called on the US to provide guarantees to restore trust in the wake of spying revelations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

European Parliament closes Wi-Fi after man-in-the-middle attack

A number of mailboxes have been compromised and users’ smartphones could be at risk following a man-in-the-middle attack on the European Parliament’s public Wi-Fi Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

NCA changed UK cyber crime fighting, says NCCU head

The NCA has changed the UK law enforcement landscape, says Andy Archibald, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government lays out 2014 cyber security agenda

The UK government has reiterated its commitment to addressing cyber security and laid out some plans for 2014 at the Cyber Security Summit 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FTSE 350 firms complete cyber risk assessment

Most FTSE 350 companies put cyber risk on the board agenda, but many need to improve how they manage that risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CSA appoints Microsoft’s Adrienne Hall to board

The CSA has appointed Adrienne Hall, from Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, to its board of directors Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Report highlights poor UK attitudes to mobile security

Businesses should note that many UK mobile users do not take security precautions and do not know how to guard against data theft Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google and Microsoft to block searches for child porn

Google and Microsoft have announced measures to make it more difficult to find child abuse images online Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber collateral damage a concern for all, says Lancope

All organisations could be affected by cyber attack collateral damage, says network security firm Lancope Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mass surveillance a bad idea, says Information Commissioner Christopher Graham

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham says issues of national security must not overshadow concerns of legitimate public interest Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global profiles of the fraudster

Computers, rather than conmen, are set to be the future face of fraud, as criminals turn to robotics in an effort to avoid detection, this report from KPMG reveals. Continue Reading

UK intelligence heads defend mass surveillance operations

Heads of the UK’s intelligence services insist all they do in term of mass surveillance is strictly within the confines of UK law Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Intellect relaunches as TechUK and targets 500,000 new UK IT jobs

The UK’s technology trade association, formerly known as Intellect, has relaunched as TechUK, unveiling plans to create over 500,000 jobs by 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Analysis: RSA says security needs to change, but what does that mean?

RSA executive chairman Art Coviello has issued a call to action to the security industry to improve technology and collaboration Continue Reading

Most businesses need to transform IT security, says RSA

No modern network or IT system can withstand the onslaught of a skilled adversary, given focus and time, says Amit Yoran, general manager of RSA Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attack shuts down Israeli toll road tunnel

A cyber attack has shut down a major link in Israel's national road network, experts claim Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Thales launches critical infrastructure cyber security lab

Thales has set up a cyber security lab dedicated to help improve the security of critical national infrastructure, government and business Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US publishes draft cyber security framework

The US has published a draft framework of voluntary cyber security standards aimed at reducing risks to critical national infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dexter payment card malware variant hits South Africa

The Dexter payment card skimming malware discovered last year has resurfaced in South Africa, resulting in millions of pounds lost to fraud Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Neustar to host first DDoS awareness day

Communications firm Neustar is to host the first international awareness day on distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The ICO issues BYOD warning after breach

The ICO is calling on organisations to ensure data protection policies reflect how employees are using personal devices for work Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

10 security reasons to upgrade to iOS 7

Even if it did not include numerous security fixes, iOS 7 has compelling reasons for corporates to adopt it to improve their security Continue Reading

By

• Rob Buckley

D-Link begins fixing router backdoor

D-Link has begun releasing security patches to close the backdoor discovered on some of its routers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Legitimate users of Tor need not worry, says NCA

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says criminals cannot hide on the internet, but legitimate business users of anonymity software Tor are safe Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK National Cyber Crime Unit becomes operational

The UK's National Cyber Crime Unit has become operational as part of the new National Crime Agency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FBI shuts down Silk Road online drug market

The FBI has shut down the Silk Road online drug market and arrested kingpin Ross Ulbricht, previously known only as Dread Pirate Roberts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee Focus 2013: McAfee leadership upbeat about Stonesoft acquisition

Intel-owned security firm McAfee is upbeat about its acquisition of Stonesoft and its future capability to tackle security differently Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT security industry still immature, says (ISC)2 board member

The information security industry is still immature and failing to act or speak as one, says Dave Lewis, (ISC)2 board member Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MoD announces specialist programme to fend off cyber attacks

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a strategy to defend UK national security from the threat of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Financial markets next big cyber target, says US expert

Manipulation of international financial markets will be the next evolution of cyber crime, says US Cyber Consequences Unit chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-hackers best qualified to improve cyber security say 70% of IT firms

Over half of businesses are not taking IT security seriously enough and almost three quarters of IT professionals think ex-hackers could be the right people to help businesses improve cyber-security. Continue Reading

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2013

Cyber crime featured heavily in security news coverage in 2013, with cyber criminals and cyber law enforcers upping their games with each passing month Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Software acquisition is risk acquisition, says industry panel

New software often means new security vulnerabilities, panel tells the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Risk assessment key to cloud adoption, says Isaca

There is mass confusion among small and medium businesses about cloud computing, says Amar Singh, chair of Isaca UK Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most websites could be targeted through PHP, warns Imperva

Hackers are focusing on vulnerabilities in PHP web application development platform, threatening most websites, warns Imperva Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NSA and GCHQ unlock online privacy encryption

UK and US intelligence agencies have unlocked the technology used to encrypt online services, including email, online banking and medical records. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond

This extract from the book Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond shows you how to plan your platform security requirements and gives you the critical questions to ask. Continue Reading

Printing: a false sense of security?

Louella Fernandes and Bob Tarzey show how secure printing technology can provide authentication, authorisation and accounting capabilities, helping businesses improve document security and meet compliance regulations. Continue Reading

Windows 2012 Server Network Security

This book chapter offers an introduction to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 network security and IPv6. It includes a 30% discount code for Computer Weekly readers. Continue Reading

Disinfecting PCs false security, says security expert

Many companies proud of their ability to identify and clean malware infected machines are missing a trick, says veteran security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Box.com forges new cloud security model

Service providers and consumers need to move to a security model better suited to the cloud computing, says Box.com Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Charlie McMurdie joins PwC’s cyber practice

Charlie McMurdie, former head of the Metro Police central e-crime unit, is joining business consultancy firm PwC as its senior crime adviser Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Keeping it private at Beth Israel Deaconess after the Boston Marathon Attacks

Doctor and healthcare CIO shares his lessons learned from the Boston Marathon attacks and how to protect patient data Continue Reading

By

• Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly

Targeted attacks and how to defend against them

Analysts Bob Tarzey and Louella Fernandes assess the scale and real impact of targeted attacks the measures being taken to defend against them. Continue Reading

Websites hacked to show child abuse images

More than 25 business websites worldwide have been hacked to show illegal images of child sex abuse Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

The ideology of hacking

Business leaders need to be educated on the true threats their firms face and IT security professionals have to arm their executives with that information Continue Reading

By

• Mark Brown

Big data journalism exposes offshore tax dodgers

How journalists harnessed big data to challenge offshore financial secrecy Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell and Craig Shaw

An introduction to cyber liability insurance cover

Cyber liability insurance cover has been around for 10 years, but most security professionals seem to have not heard of it or know that it exists Continue Reading

By

• Sarb Sembhi

Continual vigilance key to security, says Damballa

UK businesses must update their approach to cyber security to look for signs of compromise continually Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FireEye partners with Phishme for multi-layered security

Security technology developer FireEye has partnered with phishing awareness training firm PhishMe to offer a multi-layered approach to securing information networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MI5 and GCHQ call for FTSE 350 cyber health check

Intelligence agencies MI5 and GCHQ call on UK’s top listed companies to take part in a cyber governance health check Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco buys cyber security company Sourcefire for $2.7bn

Networking giant Cisco has reached an agreement to buy cyber security business Sourcefire in a $2.7bn deal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Insider threat: Balancing security with privacy

How can organisations increase security without affecting productivity or encroaching on employees’ right to privacy? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK to block online porn by default

The UK is to block online pornography by default to all new internet users, David Cameron is to announce Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook to acquire UK startup Monoidics

Facebook is to acquire UK startup Monoidics, which makes code verification and analysis tools and specialises in detecting coding errors Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT security case studies

Four critical IT security case-studies selected from the winners of Computer Weekly's European User Awards for security Continue Reading

Needle in a Datastack: The rise of big security data

This research from McAfee investigates how well organisations are positioned to address the challenges of managing security in a world of ever increasing amounts and types of data. Continue Reading

Tech firms target piracy profiting websites

Tech firms including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft join an initiative targeting websites that profit from piracy by cutting off advert revenue Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

2013 Cost of Data Breach Study: UK

The cost of data breaches has risen for UK organisations over the past year, the Ponemon Institute reveals. Continue Reading

IT Security Case Studies

Warwick Ashford presents 4 essential IT security case-studies selected from the winners of Computer Weekly's European User Awards. Continue Reading

More than one-fifth of UK firms hit by DDoS attacks in 2012

More than a fifth of UK firms experienced a disruptive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack in 2012 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Black market for software security flaws reaches new highs

The black market in previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in commercial software is so established that the average flaw sells for up to $160,000 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security visualisation

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series shows how to generate a visual representation of a dataset and use visualisation in the evaluation of known security vulnerabilities. Continue Reading

Protecting against modern password cracking

This article in our Royal Holloway Security Thesis series explains just how insecure passwords are and offers advice on alternative methods of security. Continue Reading

Smart cards: security risks

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series assess the new features introduced in Java Card 3 Connected Edition smart card specification and their associated security risks. Continue Reading

Microsoft notches up over 3,000 copyright cases

In its battle against piracy, Microsoft says it has settled 3,265 copyright cases in the past year and warns of links to malware distribution Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Will cloud services follow the evolution of the banking industry?

Cloud service providers say security will become the very reason companies choose cloud services in future Continue Reading

UK takes cyber threats to infrastructure seriously

The UK is taking seriously potential cyber threats to critical national infrastructure, according to GCHQ head Iain Lobban Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tougher EU penalties for cyber crime not enough, say security experts

The European Parliament has adopted a draft directive to toughen up EU penalties for cyber crime, but security experts say this is not enough on its own Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Prism unlikely to change much

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham