IT security

North Korean Lazarus Group hackers indicted in US

Charges filed relate to Lazarus Group’s long-running cyber crime spree, including financial theft and extortion, WannaCry malware and the cyber attack on Sony Pictures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Vaccine passports highlight social impact of systems design

Vaccine or immunity passports are an opportunity to advance the design of trustworthy digital systems, but much more work still needs to be done Continue Reading

By

• Carsten Maple

Security pros agree: We need to take a break

As many as 85% of security staff engage in leisure activities during working hours, but they have excellent reasons for doing so Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Egregor ransomware arrests confirmed

Authorities confirm that they have arrested an undisclosed number of cyber criminals associated with the Egregor ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotional intelligence, empathy increasingly valued in CISOs

The pandemic has highlighted the value of soft skills, rather than technical ones, in security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Malware quiz: Test your knowledge of types and terms

Malware trends are constantly evolving, but older techniques are still often used in cyber attacks today. Test your knowledge of existing and emerging threats in this malware quiz. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Donegan, Social Media Manager

Law firm and cyber criminals clash over source of stolen data

Cyber attack victim Jones Day says its data was stolen in a supply chain attack, but the gang holding it to ransom disagrees Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

7 steps for a network and IT security foundation

Enterprises should make it a habit to review their IT security systems, following steps that include network segmentation, multifactor authentication and security education. Continue Reading

By

• Terry Slattery, NetCraftsmen

North Korea accused of Pfizer Covid vaccine cyber attack

South Korean intelligence pins a recent attack on Pfizer, targeting information on coronavirus vaccines, on its neighbour Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

RDP, SSH exposures off the charts thanks to remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on the prevalence of certain vulnerabilities in the wild, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Qatar regulator launches platform to monitor human understanding of financial crime

Qatari financial services regulator works with global body to provide digital platform to assess whether financial services workers understand how to prevent financial crime Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Egregor ransomware associates arrested amid disruption

Undisclosed number of arrests made in Ukraine after investigators tracked bitcoin ransom payments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Central government should promote data policy compliance, say civil servants

Most civil servants want the government to gain additional powers to promote data policy compliance to ensure better use of data, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security Think Tank: Towards a united state of security

As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard Continue Reading

By

• Jordon Kelly, ISF

Batman Begins cyber attack a warning to CNI providers

A thwarted cyber attack in a Florida town that could have resulted in the poisoning of the water supply is a timely reminder of the vulnerability of critical services Continue Reading

How Covid-19 has hit IT salaries and job prospects

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our salary survey reveals the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on IT professionals’ wages and job security. A potentially deadly cyber attack on a US water plant highlights the risks to critical infrastructure. And we find out how NHS Scotland is using tech to support its vaccine roll-out. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The WFH ‘New Normal’ is nothing of the sort

At least, not yet. The world is still in the very abnormal grip of a pandemic, and even with widespread vaccination we will be defending ourselves against the fear of further outbreaks for months, ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Post Office to offer digital ID services to customers

Post Office partnership with Yoti is intended to expand customer choice as to how people prove their identity when accessing services Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC recognises UK’s top cyber schools

National Cyber Security Centre CyberFirst Schools initiative has handed out 14 gold, silver and bronze awards recognising excellence in cyber security teaching Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government to impose new digital identity system across all Gov.uk services

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove writes to Whitehall departments mandating the use of a new digital identity system that will allow citizens to be tracked across the Gov.uk website Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Security Think Tank: Renewed US stability may ease cyber tensions

As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard Continue Reading

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• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

UK border surveillance regime highly privatised, says Privacy International

Research from Privacy International raises concerns about the deep involvement of technology companies in the development and deployment of various technologies throughout the UK’s border regime, along with the lack of scrutiny they receive Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Security Think Tank: Biden must address insider security threat first

As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Use business email compromise training to mitigate risk

Effective BEC training can prevent scams designed to exploit the brain's automatic responses. It starts by teaching employees to slow down and make the unconscious conscious. Continue Reading

By

• Diana Kelley, SecurityCurve

Hacked Finnish therapy business collapses

Vastaamo, the Finnish psychotherapy centre whose patients were blackmailed by a cyber criminal gang, has filed for bankruptcy Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches digital identity trust framework

The government’s draft framework, which aims to set out rules for the use of digital identities, will be tested with industries, services, users and organisations ahead of a final version being published Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Low-complexity CVEs a growing concern

Analysis of thousands of CVEs logged with NIST in 2020 reveals some unwelcome developments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Future security stars shine in first round of CyberFirst Girls contest

There were more than 6,500 participants in the opening heats of the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls competition this year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is it time to ban ransomware insurance payments?

The former head of the NCSC recently called for a dialogue over whether or not it is time to ban insurers from covering ransomware payments. Is he on the right track? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Benelux: Is reluctance to report cyber crimes in the Netherlands helping the criminals get away?

According to an academic study in the Netherlands, only one in seven Dutch people report a cyber crime to the police when it happens - feeling it is better to sort the problem out themselves because they don’t think the police will do anything. This is storing up trouble as cyber crime is an increasing problem in the country. Also in this issue, read why Dutch bank ABN Amro is selling its head office. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Biden’s team can make a difference on security

As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard Continue Reading

By

• Greg Touhill

Singtel falls prey to supply chain attack

The Singapore telco reveals that its Accellion file sharing system was illegally hacked in a supply chain attack Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Dating app users warned to watch out for scammers

A vast amount of money was lost to romance scammers last year, and with millions of people isolated in lockdown the problem is getting worse, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Privacy advocates call for European probe into Palantir

 Continue Reading

Cyber crime victims in the Netherlands not reporting offences

 Continue Reading

HelloKitty almost certainly behind CD Projekt ransomware attack

Theories that the cyber attack on a high-profile gaming studio was orchestrated by players who are disappointed in a videogame are likely wide of the mark, according to analysis Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Windows 10, Server 2019 users must patch serious zero-day

Another dangerous zero-day exploit is among 56 vulnerabilities patched by Microsoft in February’s Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sim-swapping crooks targeted celebrities, influencers

Eight arrests have been made in England and Scotland in connection with a series of Sim-swapping attacks targeting high-profile victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WFH: Creating A Change In Network Infrastructure

As promised in a recent blog focusing on Cato Networks’ recent customer survey results - “The 2021 Networking Survey The Future of Enterprise Networking and Security: Are You Ready For The Next ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

Security Think Tank: UK well-placed to work with Biden on cyber

As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Oracle claims major win in Australian public sector

Australian Data Centres will deploy Oracle’s Dedicated Region Cloud@Customer to host cloud services for the federal government Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Using content disarm and reconstruction for malware protection

Content disarm and reconstruction is a modern approach to removing malicious code from files, key to detecting and thwarting successful phishing and malware attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Cobb

Facebook sued for data-sharing practices with third parties

Data protection claim filed in London against social media giant for its alleged failure to give at least one million users in England and Wales meaningful control over their personal data Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government launches review of use of health data for research

The review, which will be led by Ben Goldacre, will look at home-efficient and safe use of health data for research and analysis Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Data breaches are a ticking timebomb for consumers

Damage from data breaches goes far beyond the impact to the target organisation – an obvious fact that is too often overlooked, says F-Secure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyberpunk 2077 developer refuses to pay up after ransomware attack

Polish video game developer CD Projekt has released details of a ransomware attack on its systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Batman Begins’ cyber attack is a warning to CNI providers

A thwarted cyber attack in a Florida town that could have resulted in the poisoning of the water supply is a timely reminder of the vulnerability of critical services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS reports fewer phishing emails in 2020

The NHSmail email service saw a steady decline in suspected phishing emails during the course of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Biden has a chance to renew cyber alliances

As President Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice heard? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Watson-Bruhn and Laura Marsden

End of Emotet: A blow to cyber crime, but don’t drop your guard

The takedown of Emotet is a huge event with repercussions that will reverberate across the cyber criminal world, but unfortunately that’s not to say there will be much of a long-term impact Continue Reading

Audi fine-tunes its digital performance to boost online car sales

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the digital chief at Audi UK discusses how the carmaker is tackling the slump in new car sales. One of the largest global malware botnets has been taken down, but how much of a blow will it be for cyber criminals? And we hear how one county council made huge savings on its SAP installation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK Cyber Security Council to take charge of skills strategy

New government-backed body will be set up to boost careers opportunities and professional standards in the cyber security sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

5 cybersecurity lessons from the SolarWinds breach

Ransomware attack simulations, accessing enterprise logs and pen testing software code are among the best practices cybersecurity pros suggest following the SolarWinds breach. Continue Reading

By

• Sandra Gittlen

Too few UK organisations offering cyber training for remote work

Nearly a year into the pandemic, a study reveals a concerning tendency for organisations not to bother offering security training for remote workers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data of thousands of Dutch citizens leaked from government Covid-19 systems

Weak access controls and outdated systems blamed for leaking of the personal details of thousands of Dutch citizens tested for Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Sweden to establish national cyber security centre

Sweden becomes latest Nordic state to establish a national cyber security centre as the threat landscape grows Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

EncroChat: Appeal court finds ‘digital phone tapping’ admissible in criminal trials

Appeal Court decides EncroChat-encrypted phone records can be used in criminal trials. Critics say the decision means phone tapping no longer has a ‘clear meaning in the digital age’ Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Google Chrome update to patch serious zero-day

A serious heap buffer overflow vulnerability means Google Chrome users should patch their browsers as soon as possible Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Financial regulatory body bombarded with malicious emails

New disclosures reveal the FCA’s systems bounced almost a quarter of a million malicious emails in a three-month period Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security firm Stormshield loses source code in cyber attack

Source code from two products developed by French cyber security firm was compromised in a December 2020 incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Denmark and Sweden to issue digital vaccine certificates

Sweden and Denmark announce plans to develop digital certificates that prove people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Yarra Valley Water is tapping APIs

The largest water retailer in Melbourne has rolled out application programming interfaces to improve operations and customer service Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Picking the right IAM tools is based on more than today’s needs

 Continue Reading

Woodland Trust hit by cyber attack in December

Conservation charity is investigating what it describes as a ‘sophisticated’ cyber attack but has waited nearly two months to inform its members Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SolarWinds chases multiple leads in breach investigation

Investigators at SolarWinds are exploring multiple theories as to how the company’s systems were compromised Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fraud and cyber crime still vastly under-reported

The scale of digitally enabled crime in the UK is dramatically under-reported, new statistics indicate Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CDEI: Local government data use must keep up Covid momentum

The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation says momentum in local authority data use during the Covid-19 pandemic is in danger of being dissipated without central government investment and support for data skills development Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Cloud security policy configuration in AWS, Azure and GCP

Explore cloud security policy configurations in AWS, Azure and GCP using native security tools in this excerpt of 'Multi-Cloud Architecture and Governance' by Jeroen Mulder. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Donegan, Social Media Manager
• Packt Publishing

Design a human firewall training program in 5 steps

Follow these five steps to develop human firewall training that's not only effective at preventing social engineering attacks, but also relevant and accessible to employees. Continue Reading

By

• Jessica Groopman, Kaleido Insights

Crypto malware targets Kubernetes clusters, say researchers

Newly identified Hildegaard malware targets Kubernetes clusters and seems to herald a new campaign from the TeamTNT gang Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Foxtons rejects claims of slow reaction to data leak

Investigators have unearthed 16,000 data records that seem to have been stolen in an attack on property firm Foxtons last year, but the organisation says it acted by the book in dealing with the incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Classic’ Cerber ransomware targets health sector in high volumes

Cerber ransomware-as-a-service seems to have re-emerged as one of the most critical cyber threats facing healthcare organisations, reports VMware Carbon Black Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SolarWinds patches two critical CVEs in Orion platform

New vulnerabilities disclosed as SolarWinds reels from December 2020 Solorigate/Sunburst attack – but do not appear to have been exploited yet Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tata Communications grows IoT footprint

India’s Tata Communications has been shoring up its IoT capabilities through a handful of acquisitions and partnerships with telcos Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

SASE hype includes SD-WAN, but does it need to?

Much of the hype around Secure Access Service Edge features the importance of SD-WAN with SASE, but do the two need each other to thrive? Research says probably not. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Froehlich, West Gate Networks

Agent Tesla trojan finds new ways to sneak past defences

Updated versions of Agent Tesla Rat include new techniques that fiddle with code to disable endpoint protection tools on target systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Serco confirms Babuk ransomware attack

Outsourcing firm was hit by the ransomware last week but insists most of its operations are running as normal Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKRI suspends services after ransomware attack

UK Research and Innovation was hit by an undisclosed strain of ransomware at the end of January Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CISOs invisible to their organisations, says BT report

Ignorance of cyber issues is leading to misplaced confidence in security in many organisations, as CISOs struggle to make themselves seen and heard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Victory for free speech and openness’ after tribunal confirms no territorial restrictions to FOIA

Freedom of information tribunal rules that investigative journalists and others can use the Freedom of Information Act if they live outside the UK or are not British citizens Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

SBRC picks Check Point to support cyber helpline

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre has enlisted Check Point as the first security supplier to join its incident response partnership programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Indian firms see growing value of data

Half of Indian IT leaders see a permanent increase in value of data as their organisations come under threat from mounting cyber attacks amid the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Hunting and anti-hunting groups locked in tit-for-tat row over data gathering

The leaking of internal documents has prompted a row between pro- and anti-hunting groups about the legality of the other’s data collection practices Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Biometrics ethics group addresses public-private use of facial recognition

Home Office’s Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group releases briefing note on the use of live facial recognition in public–private collaborations following a year-long investigation Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Revealed: Brits who fuelled ‘vicious’ conspiracy theory by Trump supporters

Trump supporters have apologised and paid millions in damages to the family of murdered Democratic Party staffer Seth Rich for promoting false allegations that Rich – not Russian agents – stole emails from the Democratic National Committee Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

Manufacturing particularly at risk of Solorigate-linked breaches

Every fifth victim of the SolarWinds Solorigate/Sunburst attack was a manufacturing organisation, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Human factor dominates Australia’s latest data breach numbers

The number of data breaches resulting from human error increased by 18% in the second half of 2020, according to Australian government’s latest notifiable data breaches report Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Apprenticeships may be a solution to cyber skills shortage, say insiders

Cyber security professionals are open to new approaches to finding sorely needed talent, according to a poll Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

End of Emotet: A blow to cyber crime, but don’t drop your guard

The takedown of Emotet is a huge event with repercussions that will reverberate across the cyber criminal world, but unfortunately that’s not to say there will be much of a long-term impact Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pandemic response has improved privacy posture, says Cisco

Data privacy seems to be ‘coming of age’ to some extent and organisational responses to Covid-19 may be partly responsible, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mimecast breach was work of SolarWinds attackers

Mimecast’s investigation into a January 2021 breach of its systems turns up evidence that the culprit was the same group that targeted SolarWinds in December Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotet botnet goes offline as cops seize servers

The Emotet botnet has been disrupted and knocked offline after a major international effort by law enforcement Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Grindr complaint results in €9.6m GDPR fine

Norway’s data protection authority plans to apply a fine totalling 10% of LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr’s revenues over its data sharing practices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emergency Apple updates patch exploited zero-days

Three vulnerabilities could give attackers full control of their target Apple devices, and must be patched immediately Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global VPN downloads surge in 2020

Repressive regimes’ regulatory demands and remote working see virtual private network usage rocket over the past 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

The ransomware routine: pages from the Secret IR Insider’s diary

The Secret Incident Response Insider shares behind-the-scenes stories of what really happens after organisations are hit by cyber attacks – and shows how they could have been avoided Continue Reading

By

• The Secret IR Insider, Check Point

Conservatives broke data law to racially profile millions

The Conservative Party acted illegally in collecting data that inferred voters’ ethnicity and religious background, a Select Committee has heard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

North Korean state attacks legitimate security researchers

Threat researchers specialising in vulnerability research and development appear to be being targeted by a North Korean state-backed group Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Saudi IT spending to hit $11bn in 2021

Saudi Arabian organisations will spend about $11bn on IT this year, with emerging technologies high on shopping lists Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Juggling data silos, privacy and fraud

Among the uncomfortable truths about the government’s response to the pandemic is the fact that some people have and will continue to play the system. At the time it was introduced, the furlough ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor