IT for telecoms and internet organisations
Telecoms is one of the largest business sectors, and communications providers often have large IT budgets and are early adopters of new technologies. Our news and analysis of this important industry looks at how telecommunications firms, ISPs and other internet companies are using IT, and the regulatory issues that affect the services they provide.
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News
20 Dec 2024
Top 10 data and ethics stories of 2024
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 data and ethics stories of 2024 Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2024
LockBit ransomware gang teases February 2025 return
An individual associated with the LockBit ransomware gang has broken cover to tease details of a new phase of the cyber criminal operation's activity, which they claim is set to begin in February 2025 Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2023
Vidar, nJRAT re-emerge as prominent malware threats in January
Trojans and infostealers once again dominate the list of most commonly observed threats, according to Check Point’s latest telemetry Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2023
Researcher exposes crypto scam network exploiting YouTube
A massive network of fake YouTube videos promoted by automated sock puppet accounts is reeling in hundreds of cryptocurrency enthusiasts and persuading them to hand over their money, WithSecure researchers found Continue Reading
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Opinion
14 Feb 2023
How to protect your business from fraud during a recession
This winter, the chilly winds of a global recession have fraudsters turning up the heat. PJ Rohall of SEON Fraud Fighters shares some guidance on how to bundle up against fraud Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2023
KPMG launches metaverse and digital twin hub in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian government’s commitment to investing in metaverse technology has attracted a KPMG centre of excellence to its shores Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2023
Security buyers lack insight into threats, attackers, report finds
The majority of cyber security purchasing decisions are made without proper insight into the attackers organisations are facing, according to a Mandiant report Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2023
Social media platform Reddit breached in phishing attack
An unspecified threat actor obtained access to internal documents, code and business systems at Reddit after stealing employee credentials in a phishing attack Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Feb 2023
Security Think Tank: Poor training is worse than no training at all
Bad security training is a betrayal of users, a security risk, and ultimately a waste of money, but there are some reasons to be optimistic about the future, say Mike Gillespie and Ellie Hurst of Advent IM Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2023
Campaigners lament lack of movement on Computer Misuse Act reform
Westminster has opened a new consultation on proposed reforms to the Computer Misuse Act of 1990, but campaigners who want the law changed to protect cyber professionals have been left disappointed Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2023
Rakuten targets big edge deployments with Symworld Cloud
Japanese giant Rakuten bought Kubernetes management platform Robin.io and put it in 50,000-plus telco antennas. Now it aims Symworld Cloud at enterprise edge deployments Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2023
Cops make arrests and seize drugs after hacking Exclu encrypted messaging app
Police in the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland raided 80 addresses after covertly intercepting messages from the Exclu encrypted messaging app Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2023
The Security Interviews: How to overcome data protection compliance challenges
Complying with the vast swathe of data protection legislation around the world is complex, especially for smaller organisations without the necessary expertise. Could the compliance process be simplified, and if so, how? Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2023
FCA cracks down on misleading promos by social media influencers
Social media is becoming a major part of the FCA’s work in clamping down on misleading financial advertising and promotions, with multiple influencers rapped for their behaviour Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Feb 2023
Security Think Tank: In 2023, we need a new way to cultivate better habits
Regular, small adjustments to behaviour offer a better way to keep employees on track and cultivate a corporate culture of cyber awareness, writes Elastic’s Mandy Andress Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 Feb 2023
Security Think Tank: Getting the training and development mix right
Rob Dartnall, CEO at SecAlliance and chair of Crest’s UK Council, describes the need for formal, varied and continuous development in the cyber security sector Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2023
Romance fraudsters stole £65m from Brits since 2020
Online romance fraudsters have scammed Brits out of £65m in the past three years, according to retail bank TSB Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2023
Cloud security top risk to enterprises in 2023, says study
A PwC study finds senior executives expect cyber attacks on cloud services to increase significantly this year Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2023
UK Cyber Council and ISACA launch audit, assurance programme
The UK Cyber Security Council has teamed up with ISACA to partner on a new audit and assurance programme for security pros Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2023
meta description tag
A meta description tag is a snippet of HTML code in a web page header that summarizes the content that's on the web page. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2023
MPs warned of AI arms race to the bottom
Expert tells Parliamentary committee that tech companies developing artificial intelligence are cutting corners and placing safety on the backburner, opening up ‘enormous risks’ for the future of AI Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2023
Lords question ‘extensive’ government online safety powers
Digital minister Paul Scully defends government Online Safety plans to give secretary of state powers to direct Ofcom Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2023
Hive ransomware gang taken down after FBI hacks back
The FBI hacked into Hive’s servers, stole its decryption keys and then took down its servers in a major action that has successfully disrupted a prolific and dangerous ransomware operation Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2023
Boards struggle to resolve cyber risk in digital supply chains
Accelerated digitisation of supply chains is introducing more cyber risk for which many organisations seem unprepared, according to the BSI’s annual report on supply chain risk Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2023
Chinese IoT suppliers expose UK businesses to espionage and data theft
Chinese companies supplying network components, known as IoT modules, post a greater long-term threat to UK security than the now banned 5G supplier Huawei, according to a study by a Chinese expert and former diplomat Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2023
UK insurers need to up their game on cyber gaps, says PRA
Gaps and limitations in how insurers respond to cyber risk need to be addressed, according to the Bank of England regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2023
SSRF attacks hit 100,000 businesses globally since November
There has been a dramatic increase in attacks exploiting the ProxyNotShell/OWASSRF exploit chains to target Microsoft Exchange servers Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2023
Fake online contest makes Yahoo! most phished brand of Q4 2022
Yahoo! was the most frequently phished brand during the last three months of 2022, according to a report Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Jan 2023
The rise of fraud in pop culture is impacting consumers’ digital trust
Shows such as The Tinder Swindler and Inventing Anna were big money-earners for Netflix in 2022, but Onfido’s Mike Tuchen says their popularity risks damaging consumer trust Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2023
WhatsApp’s £4.8m fine raises questions for organisations using behavioural advertising
The Irish Data Protection Commissioner has fined WhatsApp, owned by Meta, in a case that will raise questions for organisations that rely on contracts rather than consent to comply with GDPR when offering behavioural advertising Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2023
Mailchimp suffers third breach in 12 months
Email marketing service Mailchimp has suffered its third data breach in a year, but has been praised for being open about its latest attack Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2023
UK seeks to ban sharing ‘positive’ Channel crossing videos online
Under UK government amendments to the Online Safety Bill, video footage that shows people crossing the Channel in a ‘positive light’ could be added to a list of illegal content that all tech platforms must proactively prevent from reaching users, while senior managers could face further criminal sanctions Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2023
Cloudflare urged to clamp down on pirates, counterfeiters
A whitepaper produced by brand protection specialist Corsearch calls on Cloudflare to do more to stop online content piracy and sales of counterfeit goods Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2023
Crest throws support behind CyberUp CMA reform campaign
Cyber accreditation association Crest International has lent its support to the CyberUp campaign for reform to the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2023
StarHub to undertake major network transformation
Singapore telco StarHub is deploying a hybrid cloud architecture that will enable it to launch sovereign cloud services, among other capabilities Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2023
The Security Interviews: Protecting your digital self
Our digital self – the virtual presence of who we are online – has a pervasive influence in the real world. People make judgements based on these digital depictions, so what can be done to ensure positive representation? Continue Reading
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News
13 Jan 2023
Unionised contract workers who train Google’s AI win pay rise
Google contract workers employed at artificial intelligence training supplier RaterLabs have secured their first-ever pay rise, following collective demands that Google fulfil its own commitment to pay its extended workforce a minimum of $15 an hour Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2023
Internet shutdowns cost global economy $24bn in 2022
Deliberate disruption of people’s access to the internet by governments is having a substantial economic impact and contributing to a range of human rights abuses, primarily against protestors Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2023
Microsoft fixes EoP zero-day on January Patch Tuesday
On the first Patch Tuesday of 2023, Microsoft fixed an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call, which has been actively exploited in the wild and may be co-opted into ransomware campaigns Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2023
Insurer Beazley introduces catastrophe bond to ease cyber risk
Insurance company Beazley says that its $45m cyber catastrophe bond will help to protect its balance sheet and enable it to offer more cyber insurance cover Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2023
Proposed digital fraud refund rules risk excluding many victims
Proposals to establish a fraud refund mechanism in the UK risk excluding many victims of digitally enabled fraud, a major bank has warned Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2023
Meta to appeal £345m fine for Facebook and Instagram privacy breaches
Social media company Meta is to appeal after the Irish Data Protection Commission fined the company for breaching GDPR Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2023
Cyber gang abused free trials to exploit public cloud CPU resources
A South Africa-based cyber crime gang exploited free trials and introductory offers to run cryptominers via public cloud services, then did a runner without paying Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Jan 2023
Securing low Earth orbit represents the new space race
The barriers to launching satellites into low Earth orbit are falling fast, and that brings new cyber security challenges Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Dec 2022
How Finland develops its national plan for investment in innovation
A small country with limited resources, Finland carefully chooses strategic technologies to lead it into the future Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Dec 2022
Cyber security professionals share their biggest lessons of 2022
In the run-up to 2023, cyber security professionals are taking the time to reflect on the past few months and share their biggest lessons of 2022 Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2022
Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2022
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2022 Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2022
Top 10 Nordic IT stories of 2022
Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 Nordic IT articles of 2022 Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Dec 2022
How does red teaming test the ultimate limits of cyber security?
An expert ethical hacker reveals how he goes about carrying out a red team exercise Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2022
Complaints that NCA failed in duty of candour over EncroChat warrants ‘incredible’, court hears
NCA lawyers argue that a decision by an NCA intelligence officer to disclose notes of a key meeting after two-and-a-half years boosts her credibility as a witness Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2022
NCA ‘wrong-footed’ defence lawyers after agreeing to take expert evidence on EncroChat ‘as read’
The National Crime Agency argued at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that expert evidence it agreed to ‘take as read’ is limited, flawed and often based on an incorrect interpretation of the law Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2022
Top 10 cyber security stories of 2022
The war in Ukraine loomed large over the cyber security news agenda, but 2022 also saw growing awareness of open source security, discussion around cyber insurance, and more besides Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2022
Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2022
Cyber crime continued to hit the headlines in 2022, with impactful cyber attacks abounding, digitally enabled fraud ever more widespread and plenty of ransomware incidents Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2022
Four-day working week set to stay at Atom bank
Challenger bank Atom has formalised a four-day working week policy after a successful trial Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Dec 2022
Security Think Tank: 2022 brought plenty of learning opportunities in cyber
At the end of another busy 12 months, Turnkey Consulting’s Andrew Morris sums up some of the most important takeaways for cyber pros Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2022
Advanced Azov data wiper likely to become active threat
Check Point deep dives into an emergent data wiper strain known as Azov, which is making waves with hundreds of new samples being submitted to VirusTotal daily Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2022
Ethical hackers flex their muscles in 2022
Ethical hackers working through HackerOne programmes found 21% more vulnerabilities in 2022 than in 2021 Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2022
Microsoft fixes two zero-days in final Patch Tuesday of 2022
December’s Patch Tuesday is typically a light month for Microsoft, and this year proved no exception, but there are still several critical issues worth addressing, and two zero-days for defenders to pore over Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2022
EU issues draft data adequacy decision in favour of US
The European Commission has concluded that the United States does ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the European Union and will now launch the process towards the adoption of an adequacy decision Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2022
The nature of the CISO role will be in flux in 2023
As cyber risk outpaces organisational defences, and cyber attacks and breaches cause more and more damage, the nature of the CISO role is entering a state of flux, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2022
More Uber data exposed in possible supply chain attack
A second incident affecting ride-sharing app Uber appears to have originated through a third party in a supply chain attack Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 Dec 2022
Onwards to 6G - the UK government's 'bold plan' for a connected Britain
The UK telecoms minister outlines the government's thinking on developing a digital infrastructure for the connected age Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2022
Cloud-based fingerprint system for UK police nears completion
Police Digital Service announces that a new cloud-based fingerprint system developed under its Transforming Forensics programme is nearly complete, but data protection concerns around the use of US-based cloud providers remain Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Dec 2022
Security Think Tank: Embrace prioritisation, people, imperfections
Security and IT professionals should try to make peace with their imperfections in 2023, says Nominet CISO Paul Lewis Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2022
Iranian APT seen exploiting GitHub repository as C2 mechanism
A subgroup of the Iran-linked Cobalt Mirage APT group has been caught taking advantage of the GitHub open source project as a means to operate its latest custom malware Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2022
Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament
MPs and online safety experts have expressed concern about encryption-breaking measures contained in the Online Safety Bill as it returns to Parliament for the first time since its passage was paused in July Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Dec 2022
Security Think Tank: 2022 changed how we thought about resilience
Increasing cyber resilience is at the heart of the people-processes-technology triangle, and 2022 saw shifts in all three of these aspects, says PA Consulting’s Sharon Shochat Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2022
Consumers to get new protections against dodgy apps
Government’s new code of practice will impose new privacy and security measures on app store operators and developers Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2022
Apple to tap third party for physical security keys
Apple is launching a number of new security protections, including the addition of third-party-provided hardware security keys Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2022
Google, MS, Oracle vulnerabilities make November ’22 a big month for patching
Vulnerabilities affecting the likes of Google, Microsoft and Oracle proved particularly troublesome in November Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 Dec 2022
Security Think Tank: As cyber pros, we need to articulate our needs better
There is always a lot to learn about security, but one of the most important lessons may not relate to technology at all, says Petra Wenham Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2022
Don’t become an unwitting tool in Russia’s cyber war
Researchers have turned up evidence that enterprise networks are being co-opted by Russian threat actors to launch attacks against targets in Ukraine. How can you avoid becoming an unwitting tool in a state-backed attack? Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2022
Fake investment ads persist on Meta’s social networks
Online adverts for investment scams relating to property and crypto assets are still getting past measures designed to stop them Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2022
Twitter ‘replacement’ Hive Social shuts off service in privacy alert
Hive Social, a recently established social media network, has temporarily closed its servers to address deep structural privacy issues identified by ethical hackers Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2022
LastPass probes new cyber incident related to August attack
The August 2022 cyber attack on LastPass seems to have begat another incident, according to company CEO Karim Toubba Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Dec 2022
Ransomware: Is there hope beyond the overhyped?
Up-and-coming cyber concepts attack surface management and security mesh architectures seem to hold some promise in tackling ransomware, but they are a little way off maturity Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2022
Microsoft 365 banned in German schools over privacy concerns
German schools cannot legally use Microsoft Office 365 over lack of clarity about how data is collected, shared and used, as well as the potential for unlawful transfer of European citizens’ personal data to the US Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2022
Latest LockBit ransomware versions have wormable capabilities
Sophos researchers have reverse-engineered the Lockbit 3.0 ransomware, shedding new light on its evolving capabilities and firming up links with BlackMatter Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2022
NIS regulations to be extended to cover MSPs
The UK government is moving ahead with plans to update the Network and Information Systems regulations to bring outsourcers and MSPs into scope Continue Reading
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Opinion
30 Nov 2022
Think technology, process, human risk to manage ransomware
Effective ransomware handling boils down to three core areas – technology, process and human risk Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2022
‘Legal but harmful’ clause dropped from Online Safety Bill
Online Safety Bill’s ‘legal but harmful’ provision will be dropped by the UK government in favour of public risk assessments, tools to help users control the content they consume, and new criminal offences around self-harm Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Nov 2022
How gamifying cyber training can improve your defences
Security training is the cornerstone of any cyber defence strategy. With ever-escalating online threats, it is now more important than ever that this training is an engaging experience Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2022
Plexal inducts six into cyber leadership scheme
Tech innovation hub Plexal is expanding its Cyber Runway programme with a new Ignite strand dedicated to supporting high-potential security leaders Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2022
Data management, backup becoming the CISO's responsibility
More and more CISOs are taking on responsibility for wider data management strategies, and this trend looks set to grow next year Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2022
Meta faces UK lawsuit over surveillance business model
The High Court case against Meta could set a precedent for millions of UK users to object to their personal data being collected and processed for advertising purposes Continue Reading
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Opinion
24 Nov 2022
Your staff are the frontline in your ransomware fight
As part of a solid cyber defence plan, the CISO must make sure that the frontline within the organisation is prepared for an attack, says Theodore Wiggins of Airbus Protect Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2022
UK police arrest 120 in largest-ever cyber fraud crackdown
The administrator and more than 100 users of the iSpoof.cc cyber fraud website have been arrested in a major counter-fraud operation led by the Metropolitan Police Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2022
AI accountability held back by ‘audit-washing’ practices
Algorithmic auditing will be useless in holding artificial intelligence accountable until there are common standards, approaches and goals that scrutinise systems at each stage of development and deployment, says think-tank Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2022
South Korea data adequacy pact brings £15m Brexit bonus
UK government finalises a data adequacy agreement with South Korea, saying it will unlock a post-Brexit business bonus of just under £15m Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2022
Ducktail spins new tales to hijack Facebook Business accounts
The increasingly active Ducktail cyber crime operation is refining its operations, seeking new methods to compromise its victims’ Facebook Business accounts Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2022
Killnet DDoS hacktivists target Royal Family and others
Russia-aligned hacktivists targeted multiple UK websites, including those of the Royal Family, in a new campaign of DDoS attacks Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2022
C-suite mystified by cyber security jargon
Malware, supply chain attack, zero-day, IoC, TTP and Mitre ATT&CK are just some of the everyday terms that security pros use that risk making the world of cyber incomprehensible to outsiders Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2022
Is Elon Musk’s Twitter safe, and should you stop using it?
With a litany of security and compliance issues exposed and in many cases caused by Elon Musk’s takeover of social media platform Twitter, some may be asking if it’s still safe or appropriate to use Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2022
Brexit deregulation will make UK next Silicon Valley, vows Hunt
Chancellor vows to revolutionise how the IT industry is regulated to spur competition, investment and innovation in a technological ‘Big Bang’ Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2022
Another Log4Shell warning after Iranian attack on US government
The breach of a US federal body by an Iranian threat actor exploiting the Adobe Log4j Log4Shell vulnerability has prompted a fresh flurry of patching Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2022
Global network fragmentation a source of increasing risk
Risk consultancy’s report says the weaponisation of cyber space and geopolitical clashes herald a breakdown of global networks into distinct regional or national architectures Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Nov 2022
Security Think Tank: Ransomware defences: An extended to-do list
Strategies to extend ransomware protection beyond backups and intrusion detection must centre dark web monitoring, among other things Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2022
APP fraud volumes expected to double by 2026, says report
Losses to authorised push payment fraud in the UK are expected to climb to over $1.5bn in the next four years. Meanwhile, the NAO accuses the Home Office of lagging on progress to tackle the issue Continue Reading
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Opinion
14 Nov 2022
Security Think Tank: Let’s be transparent about ransomware
Greater transparency regarding ransomware attacks, including details about attack methods used and what kinds of assets were compromised, would likely help the community prevent future attacks Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2022
Online scam victims lose an average of £1,000 each
New data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau shows victims of online fraud lose an average of £1,000 per person Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Nov 2022
Cyber insurance: The good, the bad and the ugly
Most cyber insurance contracts are innately flawed because they exclude losses arising from state-backed cyber attacks, and this will make proper attribution even more important in the future, says Cisco Talos’ Martin Lee Continue Reading
