IT security

So – We Have The “New Normal” But Then IT Infrastructure’s Changing Anyway…

I was at an event in London at the beginning of the year – in the days when we were allowed to do that kind of thing – a platform migration event as it happens. One of the key takeaways from that ... Continue Reading

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• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

Airbnb hosts’ account data exposed in internal leak

Data exposure within Airbnb’s system was the result of a technical issue but was swiftly fixed, says the firm Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Forensic expert questions US claims that Julian Assange conspired to crack military password

Forensic computer expert Patrick Eller told the Old Bailey that US allegations that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange attempted to decrypt a password to help former soldier Chelsea Manning leak sensitive government documents anonymously do not fit with the evidence Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Digital Identity Policy must address Fake (and Fogged) Credentials   

Banks and employers cannot afford to trust the credentials (digital or otherwise) issued by Government or mandated by regulators (e.g. Passports, Driving Licenses or Utility Bills) until the issues ... Continue Reading

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• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Covid-19 has changed how we think about cyber security forever

Six months into the global pandemic, the true impact on the future of cyber security is beginning to look clearer, says Microsoft’s Ann Johnson Continue Reading

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• Ann Johnson, Microsoft

Gartner: Balance safety, privacy and productivity when employees return to the workplace

Organisations may decide that data collection can help keep employees safe in a Covid-secure workplace – but employers must consider all the privacy and productivity implications Continue Reading

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• Bart Willemsen, Gartner

‘Not unjust’ to extradite WilkiLeaks founder Julian Assange, court hears

Nigel Blackwood, NHS consultant psychiatrist, told the Old Bailey court that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had ‘moderate depression’ and autistic traits, but said they did not prevent his extradition Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Third-party code bug left Instagram users at risk of account takeover

A critical vulnerability in Instagram’s image processing could have allowed attackers to take over not just their victim’s account, but their entire device Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS whistleblower privacy concerns passed on to regulator, but campaigners not holding their breath

NHS Improvement chair Dido Harding acknowledges receiving concerns raised about the anonymity of whistleblowers, but campaigners have little faith that anything will be done Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Coronavirus shows inadequacy of rear-view mirror planning

Looking at historical data has hampered businesses’ attempts to move forward effectively during the pandemic Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government blasted over ‘reckless’ contact-tracing security

The Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch accuse the government of endangering public health with a reckless attitude to contact-tracing data security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top five ways backup can protect against ransomware

Ransomware threatens to put your data beyond reach, so the best way to prepare is to have good-quality data you can restore from backup. We look at the key things to consider Continue Reading

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• Stephen Pritchard

Race to patch as Microsoft confirms Zerologon attacks in the wild

Don’t be the organisation that made the headlines because it failed to patch. Microsoft says it is seeing cyber attacks ramping up around the Zerologon CVE-2020-1472 bug Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data deluge grips enterprises amid digitisation

Two-thirds of respondents in a new Splunk study expect the quantity of data to grow by nearly five times by 2025 as they embrace more emerging technologies Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Australians want more control over privacy

Nearly nine in 10 Australians want more control and choice over the collection and use of their personal information amid declining trust in how organisations handle personal data, survey finds Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has Asperger syndrome and depression, court hears

Julian Assange is on the autistic spectrum and has a history of depression that would put him at risk of suicide if he is extradited to a US prison, psychiatrists tell the court Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Over half of firms intend to continue US data transfers despite Schrems II

Survey shows many organisations do not intend to significantly change their data-sharing practices, at least until there is more guidance from regulators or governments Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Public admires security professionals, but doesn’t want their jobs

(ISC)² research finds attitudes towards security roles are increasingly positive, but not many people fancy joining the fight against cyber crime Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What's involved in VPN maintenance and management?

Before an organization's VPN is up and running, IT teams must address four important aspects of VPN maintenance and management to keep abreast of transforming security concerns. Continue Reading

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• Andrew Froehlich and Robbie Harrell

Video gamers barraged with cyber attacks

From credential stuffing to SQL injection and DDoS, video game producers and players are seeing massive volumes of cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US agencies warn of election disinformation and cyber attacks

Federal agencies are warning of heightened disinformation as the crucial 2020 presidential election nears Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government to trial new single sign-on system for Gov.uk

GDS introduces Gov.uk Accounts in its latest attempt to unify the growing number of login systems used across the government web domain Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Activision shoots down data breach claims

Gaming company denies there has been any data breach after up to 500,000 accounts appeared to have been compromised, but evidence mounts that credential stuffing attacks are to blame Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDS reviewing Cloud First policy post-Schrems II

Review seeks to determine the future of government engagement with cloud hosting services as they relate to cross-border data flows Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scam mobile apps spreading via rogue TikTok accounts

Malicious TikTok accounts are promoting a number of adware scam mobile apps Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WikiLeaks published unredacted cables after password was disclosed in book

WikiLeaks published a cache of unredacted government cables after the publication of a book containing the password led to their publication on other parts of the internet, court told Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Trump implicated in plans to prosecute Assange over war leaks

US journalist and Trump supporter, Cassandra Fairbanks, said she was given advanced details of US plans to oust Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy and to arrest him for over documents leaked by former soldier Chelsea Manning Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Why business resilience management should be high on the agenda

Business resilience management is key to business survival in the face of rapidly changing IT, cyber threat and regulatory environments Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Big questions to be answered over TikTok and WeChat reprieve

TikTok and WeChat seem to have received a stay of execution, but big questions and contradictions remain Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Resiliency must run across the supply chain

The coronavirus pandemic is the latest crisis to impact global supply chains. After the banking crisis of 2008, banks put in place stress testing to assess how resilient they were to future banking ... Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

WikiLeaks cables showed US interfered in German torture investigation

Khalid El-Masri, a German citizen who was kidnapped and tortured by the CIA in a case of mistaken identity, told a court that disclosures by WikiLeaks showed that the US had intervened in a German judicial investigation into his treatment Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Sander Priston

WikiLeaks video ‘electrified’ public to civilian war deaths, court hears

New Zealand investigative journalist and author Nicky Hager said that WikiLeaks’ publication of a video showing a US helicopter firing on civilians, along with the publication of secret war logs, ‘electrified’ the world to civilian deaths Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

SASE Is Not Just A Sassy Fashion – It’s Here To Stay So Convert That Attic Now

Earlier in the year, in this space I talked about SASE – Secure Access Service Edge – pronounced “sassy” as being one of the most relevant new Gartner definitions to explore and understand. And I ... Continue Reading

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• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

Ex-NCSC boss Ciaran Martin joins cyber venture capital outfit

Outgoing NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin is to take up a new role guiding new investments in cyber security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top 4 firewall-as-a-service security features and benefits

Firewall-as-a-service offerings implement security policies across consolidated traffic headed to all locations. Learn about four security features and benefits of FWaaS. Continue Reading

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• Mike Chapple, University of Notre Dame

Outgoing NCSC CEO: Ransomware threat kept us up at night

Former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin sheds some light on some of the biggest cyber threats currently facing the UK Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Congressman offered Julian Assange a ‘win-win’ deal that would help President Trump

Details have emerged of US congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s offer of a pardon to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a ‘win-win deal that would benefit US President Donald Trump Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

US government deplatforms TikTok and WeChat

The Commerce Department of the US government has banned new downloads of TikTok and WeChat in the US, and announced new prohibitions on doing business with them Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

German authorities probe ransomware hospital death

Hackers failed to extort a ransom from University Hospital Düsseldorf, but indirectly caused the death of a patient Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rampant Kitten spent six years hacking Iranian dissidents

Details emerge of an ongoing campaign by Tehran-backed threat actors targeting dissidents and activists Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Maze ransomware borrows Ragnar Locker tactics to sneak past defences

New research from the Sophos threat response team has found the Maze ransomware gang has adopted techniques pioneered by the cyber criminals behind Ragnar Locker Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top five ways to benefit from tape today

We look at the benefits that tape can bring, including in backup and recovery, long-term and ‘warm’ archiving, compliance and WORM use cases and ‘air gapping’ to protect data Continue Reading

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• Stephen Pritchard

Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites

Saudi Arabian CIOs have been forced to increase their security posture as the Covid-19 pandemic transforms working methods Continue Reading

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• Alicia Buller

What are the habits of highly effective CISOs?

Data crunched by Gartner analysts reveals the behaviours that differentiate the top-performing chief information security officers from the pack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Seven charged in connection with Chinese state-backed cyber attacks

Attacks by APT41, or Wicked Panda, targeted hundreds of organisations, including the UK government Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Edge security in the world of Covid-19

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentre to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• Petra Wenham

Assange revelations among most important in US history, says Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked highly classified documents that changed the course of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, says WikiLeaks exposed a serious pattern of US war crimes Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NCSC steps up ransomware support for schools and universities

New alert and updated guidance comes after several academic institutions were targeted in ransomware attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Julian Assange held back 15,000 documents to prevent harm to US government

Investigative journalist John Goetz said today that WikiLeaks held back publication of thousands of documents that could harm individuals Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: Edge datacentre security depends on specific needs

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• Paddy Francis

Retailers urged to get to grips with Magento as attacks spike

A huge spike in online retailers being hacked with Magecart credit card skimmers is being blamed on unsupported versions of Adobe Magento Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Banks report surge in impersonation scams

Fraudsters are using the Covid-19 crisis to trick people into transferring money to them Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government plan for digital identity lacks substance and strategy

The tech sector has waited over a year for the government to respond to its consultation on digital identity, and when it came, the plan could hardly be more disappointing Continue Reading

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• Frank Joshi, Mvine

Lorca security scaleups to get Splunk data expertise

Lorca inducts Splunk onto its co-marketing programme, giving security scaleups access to new data expertise Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singapore partners Apple on LumiHealth

Singapore’s Health Promotion Board has developed a programme with Apple to encourage healthy living following a similar partnership with Fitbit last year Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Western Australia government goes all-in on Microsoft

State agencies in Western Australia will be able to tap Azure cloud services and cloud applications through a new Microsoft agreement Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Gartner Security Summit: Covid-19 brings agile security to the fore

The evolving threat landscape is the top driver impacting cyber security during the next three to five years, and Covid-19 has accelerated the trend towards more agile security deployments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Risky development practice leaves company access keys exposed

Database stores, cloud storage and myriad other services are being put at risk by the accidental exposure of company access keys during development Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: No secret sauce for edge security, just good practice

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt, and given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

TikTok-Oracle partnership moves forward for consideration

Joint venture proposal could create thousands of jobs and secure TikTok’s future outside China Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data of every Welsh Covid-19 patient leaked online

Data on all 18,105 people in Wales who have received positive tests for the coronavirus was uploaded to a public-facing web server in error Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How data has helped in the fight against coronavirus

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the Office for National Statistics about the important role data plays in the battle against Covid-19. We also look at the speedy deployment of the Scottish contact-tracing app and report on a discussion about the UK government’s delayed response to its digital identity consultation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

MEPs denied access as observers to Julian Assange extradition hearing

MEPs and NGOs say they have been denied access to observe extradition proceedings against WikiLeaks founder in Central Criminal Court Continue Reading

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• Sander Priston

Julian Assange faces solitary confinement if extradited, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be held under special administrative measures if extradited to the US, said Eric Lewis, a US legal expert, effectively placing him in solitary confinement Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CW Europe: IT expertise in banks’ boardrooms reduces risk, says European regulator

Banks have for many years been underpinned by vast IT operations, but in the age of digital banking the IT is now front, centre and back of operations. It is therefore surprising that there are relatively few IT professionals sitting on the boards of Europe’s big banks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Microsoft drops out of TikTok talks, paves way for Oracle partnership

Microsoft confirms it is dropping out of the running to acquire the US operations of TikTok, leaving the way clear for an imminent partnership deal with Oracle Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

3 ways to prevent DDoS attacks on networks

DDoS attacks on networks can result in devastating and expensive damage for organizations. Learn three ways to prevent and respond to DDoS attacks to keep company networks secure. Continue Reading

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• John Cavanaugh, BlueAlly

Travel industry websites are laughably insecure, claims Which?

The travel industry is failing to take the data security of its customers seriously, according to a Which? investigation Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zoom adds two-factor authentication for all users

Latest enhancements to Zoom security make it easier for organisations to protect users and prevent breaches and unauthorised meeting access Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian interference in US elections ramps up on schedule

With the critical US 2020 presidential election looming, Russian-state backed hackers are once again after organisations directly involved in political elections, launching thousands of targeted attacks Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security is next frontier for open source

Open security will facilitate the interoperability and capabilities of cyber security tools while alleviating vendor lock-in for enterprises, says IBM Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Lorca security scaleups hit funding milestone

£153m of investment has been raised by Lorca cohort companies in just two years, almost four times the original target Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Datacentre firm Equinix investigating ransomware attack

A number of internal systems at cloud and datacentre firm Equinix have been affected by a ransomware attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches £500k healthcare security plan

A £500,000 funding pot from the government aims to help support small and mid-sized healthcare firms during the pandemic Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Assange prosecution would put journalists around the world at risk

Trevor Timm, co-founder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, tells a court that if the US prosecutes WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, every reporter who receives a secret document will be criminalised Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Branch-based anti-fraud scheme to be expanded to online banking

A successful branch-based anti-fraud scheme will be expanded by banks to include online and telephone banking Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

September’s Patch Tuesday heavy on RCE vulnerabilities

Microsoft’s September update contains patches for 129 common vulnerabilities and exposures, including a high number of remote code execution issues Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US conspiracy charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘politically motivated’

US journalism historian and investigative journalist Mark Feldstein tells a UK court that use of the Espionage Act against Assange will have wide implications for the press Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Julian Assange warned against interrupting witnesses in extradition hearing

On the second day of his extradition hearing at the Old Bailey, judge informs the WikiLeaks founder he could be removed and potentially banned from court for interrupting witnesses Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Tackling the Post Covid Cybercrime Pandemic

The pace of change along criminal supply chains is accelerating. But so too is the response from law enforcement. Lockdown saw the first step with long overdue automation of incident notification ... Continue Reading

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• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

NHS whistleblowers at risk due to poor IT policies

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our investigation into NHS practices shows how poor IT policies are putting whistleblowers at risk. Our buyer’s guide examines the networking implications of the surge in remote working. And we assess how well the public cloud giants responded to the demands of the coronavirus pandemic. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Court rejects request to exclude ‘11th hour’ US evidence against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Lawyers for Julian Assange say the US has introduced an 11th hour indictment against the WikiLeaks founder that provides additional grounds for his extradition Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government DPOs challenged by volume of GDPR work

Data protection officers working across the UK government are finding it tough to keep up with the increased workload generated by GDPR, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why predictive threat intelligence is key

Threat intelligence startup Cyfirma is using virtual agents to gather intelligence on potential cyber attacks that are being coordinated in underground forums before they occur Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Towards a Unique Government Policy for identify? What's new this time?

What has changed in the battle for control between Warlords, (who want identities to conscripts and tax their subjects, but not to accept liability when they are fogged) and Merchants (who want to ... Continue Reading

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• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Lockdown sees increase in girls applying for GCHQ cyber courses

The shift to online learning saw an increase in participants for its CyberFirst cyber security training programme, GCHQ found Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Security Think Tank: Beware security blind spots at the edge

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• Jordon Kelly, ISF

Phishing scam targets Lloyds Bank customers

Bank customers warned of emails and SMS messages that direct them to a fraudulent site and then request account log-in details Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Only 10% of tech talent have cyber skills to fill skills gap

The UK has a growing need for cyber skills as a result of the pandemic, but few IT professionals have the skills firms actually need Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

One actor behind Magecart skimmer kit

RiskIQ has identified that variations in software tools used for Magecart ecommerce site attacks are based on kits from the same group Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK businesses hardest hit financially by fallout from cyber attacks, research shows

Latest edition of Hiscox’s annual cyber readiness report suggests UK businesses are among those worst affected by the financial fallout from cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Security Think Tank: Datacentre security is a business imperative

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• Mike Gillespie

New normal of remote working compounds enterprise security challenges

Sudden changes in priorities, poor network visibility and lack of time cited by Juniper Networks as key issues for security professionals struggling to cope with new norms Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

How Certis is digitising security operations

Certis has developed more than 50 applications in a year to help employees do their jobs better and has set up an AI centre to tap the potential of robotics and video analytics in security Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Northumbria University suffers major disruption after cyber attack

Some exams cancelled as university appoints external specialists to investigate incident Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Mobile workers to form 60% of total US workforce by 2024

IDC offers more evidence of how Covid-19 has changed the face of work in the US, with CIO investment in mobile-based management and security systems to take precedence in 2020 and beyond Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Sharing responsibility: Why we need to work together to keep the cloud secure

The education sector has been fundamentally altered by months of lockdown, with cloud services topping must-have lists for academic staff, but now it’s time to consider security Continue Reading

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• Andy Powell, JISC

Security Think Tank: Seven steps to edge security

That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure as the traditional centralised model? Continue Reading

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• SIlvano Sogus and Alan Taberham

The subtle clues that show UK government is taking digital identity seriously at last (cough...)

The UK government has finally unveiled its response to the digital identity consultation that concluded a year ago this month, and along with that announced a new Digital Identity Strategy Board to ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UK government unveils next steps in digital identity plans

Long-awaited response to July 2019 consultation highlights private sector demands for digital identity support from government Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief