IT security

What we learned in cyber in 2023, and what to look out for

PA Consulting's Rasika Somasiri looks back at a busy 12 months in the cyber security world, and highlights some key learnings from 2023 Continue Reading

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• Rasika Somasiri

Evolving best practice: What next for securing remote work?

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

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• Scott Burman

ALPHV/BlackCat operation down, but maybe not out

Multinational law enforcement has targeted the operations of the notorious ALPHV/BlackCat cyber extortion gang, but the group’s members appear to remain defiant Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2023

In the year we said goodbye to NHS Digital, the NHS has made some serious strides in digitising the health service, but many challenges remain. We look back at the stories that made the headlines in 2023 Continue Reading

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• Lis Evenstad

supply chain risk management (SCRM)

Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is the coordinated efforts of an organization to help identify, monitor, detect and mitigate threats to supply chain continuity and profitability. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

Nokia and HellasQCI complete quantum-safe networks proof of concept

Trial showcase by leading networking tech firm and communication infrastructure consortium shows hybrid approach with both classic and quantum physics key to reach goal of quantum-safe networks Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: Testing to improve remote worker security

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

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• Rowland Johnson

Top 10 cyber security stories of 2023

The past 12 months have seen the security agenda dominated by the usual round of vulnerabilities, concerns over supply chain security and more besides, but it was the chaotic state of global geopolitics that really made an impact Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Anytime, anywhere access is achievable

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

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• Tim Holman, 2-sec

The ransomware threat to UK critical infrastructure

In this week’s Computer Weekly, a parliamentary report warns that a lack of ransomware preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed – we analyse the risks. We examine how AI tools are helping to enhance cloud security. And the CTO at jewellery retailer Pandora discusses organisational change in IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cathay takes off with global SASE deployment

Unified secure access service edge services provider replaces legacy MPLS network for improved performance and observability, and unified end user security, access and application performance across global sites Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Automated cloud IR: Empowering cyber with AI-powered playbooks

As cyber threats increasingly target cloud infrastructure, demand increases for robust and reliable incident response. How can AI help? Continue Reading

Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware

A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading

How threat intelligence is applied in DNS security

Infoblox’s director of security architecture explains how the company leverages its threat intelligence capabilities to help organisations stay ahead of DNS security threats Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How hybrid work patterns change end user computing

While some organisations have mandated that staff return to the office, many places still operate a hybrid policy – we look at the IT admin challenges Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cyber threats risk our progression as a society

This is a guest post by Jason Baden, regional vice-president for multicloud application services and security company, F5 A shadow of doubt has been cast over the preparedness of Australian ... Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government plans to regulate to tackle datacentre threats

DSIT outlines a range of proposals designed to protect data storage facilities from cyber attacks, as well as physical threats and the effects of climate breakdown Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Talking identity with Microsoft’s Joy Chik

Microsoft’s president of identity and network access, Joy Chik, joins Computer Weekly to discuss the evolving threat landscape in identity security, using innovations in artificial intelligence to stay ahead, and advocating for the coming passwordless future Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron to step down in 2024

NCSC chief exec Lindy Cameron, who helped lead and elevate the national dialogue on cyber security through major events such as Covid-19, SolarWinds Sunburst and Colonial Pipeline, is to step down in the New Year Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO complaint seeks answers from prosecutors over deleted Assange emails

An Italian journalist has complained to the data protection watchdog after the Crown Prosecution Service gave conflicting explanations over its deletion of key emails on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cisco eyes opportunities in AI, sustainability in Australia

Cisco is looking to tap opportunities in sustainability, AI and cyber security as it navigates Australia’s economic headwinds Continue Reading

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• Stephen Withers

How ransomware gangs use the tech media against their victims

Ransomware gangs are increasingly media-savvy operators, and this means incident response plans now need to account for communications and PR strategies too Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft’s Christmas present for cyber teams: no zero-days

Barely 30 vulnerabilities, and no zero-days, have been fixed in the final Patch Tuesday drop of 2023 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware

A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Inside the Singapore government’s cloud journey

The Smart Nation Group’s chief digital technology officer outlines the government’s cloud journey, including its approach to cloud migration and how it came to host mission-critical workloads on AWS Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

MoD fined after breach of Afghan staffers’ data put lives at risk

The MoD has been fined £350,000 by the ICO after an email blunder exposed data on Afghan nationals who had worked with British forces and were at risk of Taliban reprisals Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Outdated data protection practice key factor in PSNI data breach

The August 2023 data breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland arose chiefly from an outdated approach to data protection and compliance at the force, according to an independent review Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top IT predictions in APAC in 2024

Generative AI will continue to leave its mark on many areas in business and IT, along with other trends such as sustainability, cyber security and smart factories that are expected to shape the region’s technology landscape in 2024 Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Nordic governments join forces to protect data transfers

Nordic countries deepen their cooperation over cyber security amid heightened threat from neighbouring Russia Continue Reading

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• Gerard O'Dwyer

Fancy Bear targets Nato entities via critical Outlook flaw

A vulnerability patched in March has likely been exploited by the Russian state actor Fancy Bear, for over two years, according to the latest intelligence Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK names Russian FSB agents behind political hacking campaign

Russian hacking group, Star Blizzard, was part of a Russian intelligence operation aimed at interfering with UK politics and the democratic process, says government. Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NCSC exposes Russian cyber attacks on UK political processes

The NCSC has firmly attributed a long-running campaign of cyber attacks targeting UK political processes to a group run out of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency, known as Star Blizzard Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

2023 may have seen highest ransomware ‘body count’ yet

Ransomware, or cyber extortion as it is increasingly being termed, remained the most prominent security threat in 2023 – and thanks to large-scale supply chain attacks, the past 12 months may have seen the most victims ever Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Considerations for the security of evolving workspaces

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

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• Simon Backwell

How Proofpoint is helping to mitigate AI security threats

Proofpoint is offering monitoring tools to prevent leakage of sensitive information in generative AI models and other capabilities to mitigate AI mediated attacks Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

CW EMEA: Prepare for cyber war

When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, cyber security professionals and major government and private organisations braced for an inevitable accompanying online war. In this issue of CW EMEA, we outline cyber war, patterns of threat activity, and find out what security teams can do to protect their organisations. We also look at Finland’s advances in quantum computing, how Belgian researchers have developed technology to help datacentres process data faster, and the secrets of KPN’s successful business transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

advanced persistent threat (APT)

An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyber attack in which an intruder gains access to a network and remains undetected for an extended period. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer
• Linda Rosencrance

How a Node4 virtual datacentre proved better than MS cloud for mental health charity

Charity Together For Mental Wellbeing managed to migrate legacy servers into a new virtual environment and fix a major disaster recovery issue Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government launches UK-wide Cyber Explorers Cup

Schoolkids across the UK are being called on to team up and defeat Herbert the Hacker in a new government-backed competition Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

offensive security

Offensive security is the practice of actively seeking out vulnerabilities in an organization's cybersecurity. Continue Reading

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• Gavin Wright

How to recover systems in the event of a cyber attack

Recovering compromised systems after a cyber attack isn’t easy, but understanding industry best practice offers a template for the key processes to follow Continue Reading

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• Nicholas Fearn

Operator of Sellafield nuclear facility denies hacking claims

The operator of the Sellafield nuclear site has denied allegations that senior managers covered up a series of cyber security lapses that enabled Chinese and Russian threat actors to compromise its networks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Technologies to support hybrid working

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at technologies to support hybrid working – even when your business is as unique as farming. We examine the new guidelines on AI cyber security published by G7 government security chiefs. And we find out how the Jaguar Formula E racing team is using digital twins to improve electric vehicle performance. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board)

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is a congressionally established nonprofit that assesses audits of public companies in the United States to protect investors' interests. Continue Reading

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• Ben Cole, Executive Editor

Rhysida ransomware gang hits hospital holding royal family’s data

Ransomware gang boasts of having stolen data on the royal family in an attack on a private London hospital Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber and remote working: How Covid moved the cursor

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Lionel Garacotche

What are the cyber risks from the latest Middle Eastern conflict?

The outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel in October 2023 has seen a wide variety of accompanying cyber attacks from hacktivists and other groups. We look at the risks to organisations Continue Reading

Human augmentation tech requires dual use oversight

Researchers investigating human augmentation technologies must acknowledge the potential military applications of their work, and military bodies cannot be allowed to dismiss ethical concerns in their pursuit of national security interests, says NGO Drone Wars UK Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

National Cyber Security Centre publishes landmark guidelines on AI cyber security

The NCSC and its US counterpart CISA have brought together tech companies and governments to agree new guidelines to promote a secure-by-design culture in artificial intelligence development. Continue Reading

Supporting a hybrid workforce

The now permanent shift to cloud services and the necessity of dealing with a hybrid workforce have changed modern IT Continue Reading

Report reveals sorry state of cyber security at UK football clubs

Football clubs up and down the country are putting staff, players and fans alike at risk through outdated attitudes to cyber security, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Mark McClain, SailPoint Technologies

SailPoint founder and CEO Mark McClain reflects on how the concept of identity has evolved over the past 20 years, and points to rapid evolution still to come Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lords committee urges caution on UK use of autonomous weapons

UK government must ensure proper democratic oversight of its development and use of AI-powered weapon systems, says Lords committee Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Security Think Tank: Four steps to secure remote workers

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

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• Olivia Rofe

privacy policy

A privacy policy is a legal document that explains how an organization handles any customer, client or employee information gathered in its operations. Continue Reading

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• Gavin Wright

Prepare for your worst day: How to create a cyber incident response plan

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

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• James Allman-Talbot

Government’s Online Fraud Charter welcomed

The government has corralled 11 of the largest tech platforms in the world to commit to its Online Fraud Charter, designed to tackle online scams, fake adverts, and more Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rhysida gang stole hundreds of gigabytes of British Library data

The Rhysida ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the British Library has published almost 600GB of stolen data to its dark web leak site Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Law enforcement dismembers major ransomware operation in Ukraine

A joint law enforcement operation between the Ukrainian authorities, Europol and Eurojust has seem five ransomware operators taken into custody Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scope of Okta helpdesk breach widens to impact all users

Okta has widened the scope of the October breach of its systems to include every customer that has used its helpdesk service, after new information came to light Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

timing attack

A timing attack is a type of side-channel attack that exploits the amount of time a computer process runs to gain knowledge about or access a system. Continue Reading

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• Gavin Wright

Meta faces GDPR complaint over processing personal data without 'free consent'

Paid-for service means data protection is only available to those who can afford it, privacy group argues in data protection complaint Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

privileged identity management (PIM)

Privileged identity management (PIM) is the monitoring and protection of superuser accounts that hold expanded access to an organization's IT environments. Continue Reading

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• Rahul Awati

Scope of British Library data breach widens

Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Volume of unique malware samples threatens to overwhelm defenders

A massive increase in malware volumes could cause problems for security teams tasked with adapting their defences against them Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How passwordless authentication aids identity security

Enterprise Strategy Group's Jack Poller discusses survey results on user authentication practices and explains the security benefits of passwordless methods. Continue Reading

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• Craig Stedman, Industry Editor

The Security Interviews: Zeki Turedi, field CTO Europe, CrowdStrike

Organisations are racing to keep their security up to date against the latest threats. CrowdStrike’s Zeki Turedi explains how to protect against novel and innovative cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Peter Ray Allison

NCSC publishes landmark guidelines on AI cyber security

The NCSC and its US counterpart CISA have brought together tech companies and governments to countersign a new set of guidelines aimed at promoting a secure-by-design culture in AI development Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DORA raises the stakes for cloud use in financial services

The EU's DORA regulations will raise the stakes for cloud in financial services but resilience is more than just a tech issue, says NetApp's Steve Rackham Continue Reading

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• Steve Rackham

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Was the devil's greatest trick making you think tech CEOs are just people?

It’s been one of those weeks where tech makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. (Sadly, the wrong reasons are often the only reasons tech makes national headlines, but anyway…) There was much ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

APAC organisations warm to microsegmentation

Nearly two-thirds of organisations in the APAC region see microsegmentation as a way to protect their IT assets, but lack the skills to deploy the technology Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

MOVEit incident spurred UK decision makers to spend big on cyber

The MOVEit cyber attacks that unfolded in the spring and summer of 2023 seem to have driven an increase in both ransomware awareness and spend, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Expereo on tap for Carlsberg to deliver connectivity in 40 countries

SD-WAN/SASE and internet provider brings brewing giant ‘unrivalled’ connectivity in global network Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Navigating the DPDI Bill: A transformative shift ahead

The Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill, or DPDI, is set to reshape the UK’s data protection framework. Louise Brooks of DQM GRC considers the implications Continue Reading

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• Louise Brooks, DQM GRC

North Korean APTs go all in on supply chain attacks, warns NCSC

Threat actors linked to the North Korean regime are becoming more adept at targeting software supply chains in the service of their cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia ups ante on cyber security

Australia’s new cyber security strategy will focus on building threat-blocking capabilities, protecting critical infrastructure and improving the cyber workforce, among other priorities Continue Reading

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• Stephen Withers

An inside look at a Scattered Spider cyber attack

Threat researchers at ReliaQuest share the inside track on a Scattered Spider cyber attack they investigated Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Palantir awarded NHS FDP data contract

NHS England has awarded a £330m, seven-year contract to US data specialist Palantir, prompting concerns from data privacy practitioners Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CISA reveals how LockBit hacked Boeing via Citrix Bleed

As alarm grows around the world about the impact of the so-called Citrix Bleed vulnerability, Boeing has shared details of its experience at the hands of the LockBit ransomware crew Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

possession factor

The possession factor, in a security context, is a category of user authentication credentials based on items that the user has with them, typically a hardware device such as a security token or a mobile phone used in conjunction with a software token. Continue Reading

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• Rahul Awati

Over half of SME cyber incidents now ‘malware-free’

The age of malware-driven cyber attacks may have peaked, at least when it comes to incidents affecting small and medium sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Canada’s Mounties among government employees hit by LockBit

A LockBit attack on a specialist supplier of relocation services has engulfed multiple government agencies in Canada Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The ‘application generation’ demands more from developers

The latest Cisco AppDynamics poll of consumers has identified a new breed of app user that has emerged post-pandemic Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why transparency and accountability are important in cyber security

If we accept that the humans who build technology and systems are naturally fallible and mistakes inevitable, and then deal with that with good grace, we could do much to improve cyber standards, writes Bugcrowd's Casey Ellis Continue Reading

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• Casey Ellis

Internal documents leaked as Rhysida claims responsibility for British Library ransomware attack

Ransomware group Rhysida threatens to sell documents stolen from the British Library to the highest bidder Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Can AI take education to a new level?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Kingfisher develops AI-agnostic platform to power DIY assistant

The platform provides a framework for security and compliance and enables developers to test different large language models Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cubbit DS3 Composer brings DIY cloud to object storage pool

Cubbit customers can now build and configure S3-compatible clouds from unused capacity and offer MSP-grade services with high levels of resilience, security and data sovereignty Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

IT not ready for AI, Pure Storage survey finds

Storage, compute and networking hardware won’t cope without upgrades, and that often means total IT infrastructure overhaul Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Defence lawyers seek appeal of tribunal ruling on police EncroChat cryptophone hack

Defence lawyers are seeking leave to appeal against a tribunal ruling that found the National Crime Agency had lawfully obtained warrants to access messages from 9,000 cryptophones used in the UK Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security incident response teams are human, too

What goes into a good incident response plan, and what steps should security professionals take to ensure they are appropriately prepared for the almost inevitable attack, and secure buy-in from organisational leadership? Continue Reading

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• Mandy Andress, Elastic

Walmart’s enterprise software: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to Walmart’s David Glick about the build/buy debate and how the retailer works with large language models Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft and Meta quizzed on AI copyright

Large language models are trained using vast amounts of public data – but do the hyperscalers comply with copyright laws? Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Automated Clearing House fraud (ACH fraud)

ACH fraud is the theft of funds through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Automated Clearing House financial transaction network. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Royal Mail spent £10m on cyber measures after LockBit attack

Royal Mail has spent approximately £10m on recovery and improved cyber resilience measures in the wake of the January 2023 LockBit ransomware attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Custom chatbots and model gardens: putting Private AI to work

Part 2: More to think about It’s essential to decide where to run your Private AI - or who you will get to run it for you, in some cases - but that is just the start. Assuming that you also want ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Ransomware gang grasses up uncooperative victim to US regulator

The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang has added a new tactic to its playbook, going to ever more extreme lengths in search of a pay-off Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware

The British Library has provided an update on an ongoing cyber incident affecting its systems, confirming it to be the result of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor