IT for media and entertainment industry

How hostile government APTs target journalists for cyber intrusions

Proofpoint shares data on multiple campaigns of cyber intrusions against journalists originating from threat actors aligned to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global IT services market shows signs of slowing

Spending on IT and business process services could be set to reduce over the coming months as the latest ISG figures show early signs of decline Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO wants to ‘empower people through information’

Information Commissioner’s Office sets out commitment to safeguard the information rights of the most vulnerable people in UK society Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Slippery phish wriggles around MFA protections, says Microsoft

Microsoft’s threat researchers share details of a phishing campaign that hit 10,000 organisations, against which standard multifactor authentication provides little defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

July Patch Tuesday brings more than 80 fixes, one zero-day

While some admins can put their feet up and let Windows Autopatch do the hard work of updating their Microsoft estates, for the rest of us, the Patch Tuesday bandwagon keeps on keeping on Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MaliBot Android malware spreading fast, says Check Point

The MaliBot malware is becoming a persistent and widespread problem, and Android users should be on their guard, says Check Point Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft Windows Autopatch now generally available

Microsoft customers with Windows Enterprise E3 and E5 licences can now take full advantage of its new automated patching service Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft VBA macro block will return

Microsoft provides more details about its sudden decision to rollback a landmark security policy, and reassures users it is a temporary measure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber insurance: An effective use of your scant security budget?

The ISF’s Paul Watts asks if cyber insurance is a must-have item, an expensive luxury, or the emperor’s new clothes Continue Reading

By

• Paul Watts, Information Security Forum

Stop telling clients to pay ransomware gangs, solicitors told

The NCSC and the ICO are calling on solicitors to help tackle the rising number of ransomware payments being made, and to stop giving erroneous advice to victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft appears to reverse VBA macro-blocking

Microsoft quietly reverses VBA macro-blocking across its Office portfolio in a move that has left security experts puzzled Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lots to consider when buying cyber insurance, so do your homework

When considering implementing a cyber insurance policy, due diligence should be your watchword, says Paddy Francis of Airbus CyberSecurity Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

MI5, FBI chiefs warn of Chinese cyber espionage threat

In a joint appearance in London, MI5 director general Ken McCallum and FBI director Chris Wray warn of the growing threat posed by the Chinese government to UK and US interests Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IBM still breaking new ground at Wimbledon

IBM Watson is playing an increasingly important role in growing the fanbase and relevance of the Wimbledon tennis tournament Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Cyber insurance – A nice safety blanket, but don’t count on it

In the second instalment of this month’s Security Think Tank, Mike Gillespie argues that cyber insurance should be thought of like car insurance – you don’t start driving recklessly because you’re covered Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Manchester United signs DXC for digital transformation

Football club is working with IT services firm DXC to support its digital transformation on multiple fronts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Prepare for long-term cyber threat from Ukraine war, says NCSC

The NCSC has published refreshed guidance on cyber preparedness as the war on Ukraine continues, urging organisations to pay attention to the state of their security teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC CEO: Why we should run towards crises to elevate cyber security

National Cyber Security Centre CEO Lindy Cameron, the 2022 Computer Weekly UKtech50 Most Influential Person in UK IT, reflects on a career immersed in crisis management, and how she is using this to elevate cyber security standards across the country Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Now is the time to think about cyber insurance

Many IT leaders shy away from cyber insurance, but new, innovative developments in the market can help organisations take an approach that suits their needs Continue Reading

By

• Carl Nightingale

New cyber extortion op appears to have hit AMD

Semiconductor specialist AMD has confirmed it is investigating reports that a ‘bad actor’ has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of its data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brexit a net negative for UK cyber, say CISOs

Six years on from the UK’s Brexit vote, the majority of security professionals say leaving the EU has raised concerns over their ability to keep their organisations safe Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LockBit ransomware gang launches bug bounty programme

A bug bounty programme is among a number of features LockBit’s developers have added to ‘version 3.0’ of the ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The cyber security impact of Operation Russia by Anonymous

The campaign against the Russian government by Anonymous surprised many with the depth and scale of the cyber attacks. What can we learn from this online war? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Black Basta ransomware crew aiming for ‘big leagues’

Emergent Black Basta ransomware gang has hit more than 50 countries since bursting onto the scene earlier this year, says Cybereason Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US cyber agency in fresh warning over Log4Shell risk to VMware

Many VMware Horizon and UAG servers remain defenceless against Log4Shell, and organisations continue to fall victim to the vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Assessment and knowledge: Your key tools to secure suppliers

There is no silver bullet that will resolve all the issues arising from today’s interconnected businesses and complex supply chains, but there are some key tools at your disposal Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Morris, Turnkey Consulting

What will the Data Reform Bill mean for UK businesses operating in the EU?

Following the government’s response to the Data Reform Bill consultation, Peter Galdies of DQM GRC looks at what might lie ahead for UK organisations working in the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Peter Galdies

Security Think Tank: Supply chain security demands systematic approach

Supply chain security measures need to be systematic and assessed so as to minimise the complexity and cost to the business Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Security Think Tank: Balanced approach can detangle supply chain complexity

Achieving an appropriate balance between people, processes and technology can help to detangle the complexities of the supply chain and create better security practices Continue Reading

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• Francesca Williamson, Information Security Forum

Government won’t regulate on professional cyber standards

The government has elected not to proceed with regulatory intervention to embed standards and pathways across the cyber profession Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New coalition lifts Finland’s 6G status

Finland is laying the foundations for future European leadership in 6G research and development Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Supply chain security goes deep – forget this at your peril

It may have hit the headlines as an IT issue, but supply chain security goes far deeper into an organisation than just technology Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

British businesses to recognise Google skills certificates

Google training programmes are being made available to more people in the UK as part of an initiative from the supplier and major UK businesses Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government responds to Data Reform Bill consultation

Westminster claims its new data laws will boost British benefits, protect consumers, and seize the ‘benefits’ of Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Consider governance, coordination and risk to secure supply chain

A recent ISACA study found myriad factors that give good reason to be concerned about supply chain security. Cyber adviser Brian Fletcher recommends three areas to zero in on Continue Reading

By

• Brian Fletcher

Office 365 loophole may give ransomware an easy shot at your files

Researchers at Proofpoint have discovered potentially dangerous Microsoft Office 365 functionality that they believe may give ransomware a clear shot at files stored on SharePoint and OneDrive Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Best practices for boosting supply chain security

In a highly connected world, managing the supply chain landscape requires an adaptation of the ‘traditional’ approach to managing cyber risk Continue Reading

By

• Carl Nightingale

Patch Tuesday dogged by concerns over Microsoft vulnerability response

The last Patch Tuesday in its current form is overshadowed by persistent concerns about how Microsoft deals with vulnerability disclosure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Basic steps to secure your supply chain

When it comes to supply chain security, there are some core things you should be doing – but remember, the devil is in the detail Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

MS Azure Synapse vulnerability fixed after six-month slog

Microsoft patched a critical Azure Synapse vulnerability twice, but each time the researcher who discovered it was able to bypass it with ease, leading to a lengthy saga Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t trust the weakest link? Don’t trust any link

Your security model shouldn’t fall apart just because a part of your business, or a partner, has weak security. This is why information-centric security is a must Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

Snake Keylogger climbing malware charts, says Check Point

Cyber criminals behind Snake Keylogger campaigns have been switching up their tactics in the past few weeks, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ProxyLogon, ProxyShell may have driven increase in dwell times

The median network intruder dwell time was up 36% to 15 days last year, thanks to massive exploitation of the ProxyLogon and ProxyShell vulnerabilities by IABs, according to new Sophos data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UAE residents think 3D printing will have the most positive impact on society

People in the UAE believe next-generation technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence will become widespread in the country Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Strong internal foundations are key to withstanding external threats

The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these attack pathways better in order to fight back Continue Reading

By

• Steve Forbes

Two-thirds of UK organisations defrauded since start of pandemic

Nearly two out of three UK companies say they have experienced some form of fraud or economic crime in the past two years, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch companies struggle to fill tech jobs

There are plenty of IT job vacancies in the Netherlands, but a shortage of IT professionals Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Ransomware volumes grew faster than ever in 2021

Verizon’s annual DBIR assessment of the security landscape highlights an unprecedented boom in ransomware volumes, to the surprise of nobody Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: To follow a path, you need a good map

The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these attack pathways better in order to fight back Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

(ISC)² to train 100,000 cyber pros in UK

Security association (ISC)² unveils ambitious UK training programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Video effects firm cuts costs by 20% and goes hybrid with Hammerspace

Jellyfish Pictures saves on rising power and office space costs, as well as Brexit difficulties, by using Hammerspace to allow access to large files from any geographic location Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

CyberUK 22: Five Eyes focuses on MSP security

The western intelligence community has set out practical steps IT service providers and their customers can take to protect themselves Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber accreditation body Crest forges new training partnerships

Crest says partnerships with Hack The Box and Immersive Labs will enhance its members’ defensive and offensive security skills Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft fixes three zero-days on May Patch Tuesday

It’s the second-to-last Patch Tuesday as we know it, and Microsoft has fixed a total of 75 bugs, including three zero-days Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU plans to police child abuse raise fresh fears over encryption and privacy rights

Draft regulation unveiled today will require internet and messaging firms to use algorithms to identify grooming and child abuse or face heavy fines Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CyberUK 22: Cyber leaders affirm UK’s whole-of-society strategy

On the opening day of CyberUK 2022, GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming and NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron have spoken of their commitment to the government’s ambition for a whole-of-society cyber strategy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CyberUK 22: NCSC refreshes cloud security guidance

The National Cyber Security Centre is revising its cloud guidance as increasing uptake of potentially vulnerable cloud services puts more organisations at risk of compromise Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware recovery costs dwarf actual ransoms

The cost of recovering from a ransomware attack far outweighs the ransoms now being demanded by cyber criminals, according to recent data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Log4Shell, ProxyLogon, ProxyShell among most exploited bugs of 2021

These 15 CVEs were the most commonly exploited last year, and if you haven’t mitigated against them, now is the time Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware victims paying out when they don’t need to

Sophos’s annual State of Ransomware report shows dramatic increases in the impact of ransomware attacks, but also finds many organisations are paying ransoms when they don’t need to Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government digital ignorance puts Dutch economy at risk

In this interview, Michiel Steltman, managing director of Digital Infrastructure Netherlands, tells Computer Weekly why the Dutch digital economy is at risk due to a lack of knowledge and understanding at government level Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

BCS passes defiant Ukrainian tech industry message to its members

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has passed on a message from Ukrainian IT suppliers that the country is open for, and in need of, business Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Emotet tests new tricks to thwart enhanced security

The operators of the Emotet botnet seem to be trying to find a way to get around recent changes made by Microsoft to better protect its users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hammers sign Acronis as backup and security in one

West Ham United set to replace separate backup from Veeam and a variety of security products with Acronis Cyber Protect to have backup, data protection and file share on a single platform Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

WatchGuard firewall users urged to patch Cyclops Blink vulnerability

The US authorities have seen fit to add the WatchGuard vulnerability used by Sandworm to build the Cyclops Blink botnet to its list of must-patch vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft patches two zero-days, 10 critical bugs

Patch Tuesday is here once again. This month, security teams must fix two privilege escalation zero-days in the Windows Common Log File System Driver and the Windows User Profile Service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Disney combines digital, data and creativity to win advertising opportunities

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the executive vice-president for client and brand solutions at Disney Advertising Sales about how it is using data to subserve story-telling excellence. We delve into how rising energy costs negatively impacted the UK arm of Sungard Availability Services. And we look at the role of infrastructure as code in edge datacentres. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CDO interview: Lisa Valentino, executive VP for client and brand solutions, Disney Advertising Sales

How the entertainment giant is bringing marketing, data and technology together to make the most of its growing digital advertising opportunities Continue Reading

European IT and BPO outsourcing off to strong start

European IT and business process outsourcing services continue to increase rapidly, with cloud-based services now more than half of the total Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Triple-threat Borat malware no joke for victims

Unlike its namesake, the newly discovered Borat malware won’t raise a smile for IT security pros Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Saudi Arabian ICT sector hits $32.1bn after strong pandemic response

The Saudi Arabian IT and communications sector is recovering strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Environmental campaigners halt Meta datacentre construction in the Netherlands

Datacentre being built to serve ‘metaverse’ worlds would consume nearly half as much energy as all other datacentres in the country Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Four moves to ‘checkmate’ critical assets thanks to lax cloud security

Malicious actors can compromise 94% of critical assets within four steps of the initial breach point, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spain’s La Liga looks to enleague data analytics with Databricks

La Liga, the first division of the Spanish football league, has turned to Databricks’ Lakehouse Platform to analyse footballer performance and engage with fans Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

One-third of UK firms suffer a cyber attack every week

New statistics from the annual DCMS Cyber security breaches survey reveal the extent and frequency with which UK organisations are being attacked by malicious actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Recruitment risks: Avoiding the dangers of fraudulent candidates

Tech companies are seeing an increase in fraudulent job applications, with associated impacts on risk and cyber security. So how can organisations protect themselves from fraudulent applicants while ensuring they recruit the best talent? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

NCSC: Not necessarily wise to ditch Kaspersky

UK’s National Cyber Security Centre issues refreshed guidance on organisations’ usage of technology and services of Russian origin, but stops short of advising users to expunge all Russian products from their IT estates Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Wave of Log4j-linked attacks targeting VMware Horizon

Sophos issues a new warning to organisations that have so far failed to patch their VMware Horizon servers against Log4Shell Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ad agency slashes NetApp costs with Datadobi data migration

US-based branding agency needed to migrate 20TB of large files to new NetApp hardware, but unwilling to stomach the vendor’s migration costs it chose Datadobi instead Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Revised scope of UK security strategy reflects digitised society

The omission of the word ‘security’ from the title of the UK government’s new National Cyber Strategy is a telling one, reflecting our increasingly digitised society, say Maximillian Brook and Arunoshi Singh of the ISF Continue Reading

By

• Maximillian Brook & Arunoshi Singh

UK Cyber Strategy a welcome injection of progress

The National Cyber Strategy should be seen as a welcome injection of both focus and investment in bettering cyber defence for everyone, says Turnkey Consulting senior consultant Louise Barber Continue Reading

By

• Louise Barber, Turnkey Consulting

Ukrainian cyber defences prove resilient

Thanks to a combination of prior experience and global support, Ukraine’s defences against cyber incidents are holding strong in the face of Russian attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

National Cyber Strategy will enhance UK’s cyber power status

The UK punches above its weight when it comes to wielding cyber power around the world, but challenges to this status are clear. The National Cyber Strategy has a clear role to play in maintaining and enhancing this status, writes Paddy Francis of Airbus Cybersecurity Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

German authorities warn on Kaspersky but stop short of ban

Germany authorities warn Kaspersky users to consider alternatives to the firm’s flagship antivirus software, citing national security concerns and the war on Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How cyber security teams can conquer the four-day working week

The four-day week may be an idea whose time has come, but for always-on cyber security professionals, the impact of squeezing more work into fewer days is a tricky proposition Continue Reading

By

• Keiron Holyome

How can I avoid an exodus of cyber talent linked to stress and burnout?

Cyber security professionals have played a crucial role during the pandemic, yet many feel like their employers aren’t providing adequate mental health support and have considered quitting their jobs as a result. What can employers do to help them? Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

National Cyber Strategy misses the mark in one important way

The National Cyber Strategy is full of fine words, says Petra Wenham, but as the old expression goes, fine words butter no parsnips, and it misses the mark in one very important way Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Tech brands sign on to HackerOne responsible security drive

Tech companies sign HackerOne’s new corporate security responsibility pledge to bring cyber out of the shadows and promote effective, secure development practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

China’s APT41 exploited Log4j within hours

APT41 compromised multiple government organisations via the Log4Shell exploit within hours of its initial disclosure, Mandiant claims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft serves up three zero-days on March Patch Tuesday

Three zero-days pop up in Microsoft’s March update, along with a number of other noteworthy concerns for defenders Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Boardroom does not see ransomware as a priority

Less than a quarter of company directors think ransomware is a top priority for their security teams, according to Egress Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gothenburg University makes breakthrough in energy efficient computers

Swedish and Japanese universities make advancement in the development of computers that can work as energy efficiently as a brain Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Middle East IT spending to recover to at least pre-pandemic levels

Middle East IT leaders expect budgets to increase this year, with spending to match or exceed pre-Covid levels Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

BBC blasted with millions of malicious emails

Responding to an FoI request, the BBC has revealed it receives more than 300,000 malicious email attacks every day Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ukraine cyber attacks seen spiking, but no destructive cyber war yet

While cyber attacks linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine are taking place, they are having little impact beyond the region Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

KnowBe4 cyber drama tackles Colonial Pipeline in fourth season

KnowBe4’s ongoing cyber security training drama, The Inside Man, reaches its fourth season with a plot drawing inspiration from one of the most impactful cyber attacks of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia behind dangerous Cyclops Blink malware

Joint NCSC CISA advisory attributes a dangerous malware, dubbed Cyclops Blink, to Russia’s Sandworm APT, likely a GRU unit, with WatchGuard users at particular risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Backups ‘no longer effective’ for stopping ransomware attacks

Traditional methods of mitigating ransomware are less efficacious thanks to the rise in double and triple extortion techniques Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft extends Defender umbrella to Google Cloud Platform

Redmond says extending Defender for Cloud native capabilities to the Google Cloud Platform will help simplify security for organisations pursuing multicloud strategies by eliminating the gaps where the bad guys can get in Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

No imminent cyber threat to UK from Russia

Intelligence officials say they have no evidence or indication that Russian cyber attackers are preparing offensive assaults on infrastructure or organisations in Britain Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor