IT security

CrowdStrike blames outage on content configuration update

CrowdStrike publishes the preliminary findings of what will be a lengthy investigation into the root causes of the failed 19 July update that caused Windows computers to crash all over the world Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mimecast to buy insider threat specialist Code42

Mimecast is to buy fellow human-centred risk experts Code42 for an undisclosed sum to take advantage of its insider threat and data loss protection specialisms Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CrowdStrike reveals Windows weakness

The bug that impacted 8.5m PCs last week was, says, CrowdStrike due to an update it refers to as “Rapid Response Content”, which is delivered as a “template instance”. This is data stored in a ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CrowdStrike chaos: Enterprises urged to take protective action in wake of botched software update

Enterprises that emerged unscathed from the roll-out of the botched CrowdStrike software update are being urged to view it as a wake-up call rather than a lucky escape Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

WhatsApp and Signal messages at risk of surveillance following EncroChat ruling, court hears

Defence lawyers seek leave to appeal a decision by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that the National Crime Agency lawfully obtained warrants to intercept messages sent over an encrypted phone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NCA seizes thousands of social media accounts used by people smugglers

A three-year campaign has seen thousands of social media posts and accounts used to advertise the services of illegal people smugglers taken down Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Innovations to power secure-by-design development

Secure Code Warrior unveils technology designed to help CISOs and AppSec teams ensure their projects remain safe and free of coding errors and vulnerabilities – a big issue following the CrowdStrike incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What is the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA)?

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) allows United States government agencies and non-government entities to share information with each other as they investigate cyberattacks. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Terrell Hanna

Chrome cookies reprieved amid Google Privacy Sandbox changes

Google abruptly changes tack on third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser, cancelling plans to deprecate them in favour of an unspecified ‘new experience’ for users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What is the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA)?

The Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) is a United States federal law designed to protect the personally identifiable information of licensed drivers from improper use or disclosure. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Terrell Hanna
• Corinne Bernstein

Enhancing mobile app security with behaviour-based biometrics

Behavioural-based biometrics offer tantalising advantages over more traditional biometric solutions. Learn about some of the benefits and potential challenges for safe and secure implementation Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

Why did CrowdStrike cause the Windows Blue Screen?

The ‘blue screen of death’ signals a catastrophic Windows failure, which is exactly what many people faced on 19 July 2024 – but why did it happen? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The ultimate guide to cybersecurity planning for businesses

This in-depth cybersecurity planning guide provides information and advice to help organizations develop a successful strategy to protect their IT systems from attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Craig Stedman, Industry Editor

8 ERP security best practices to implement now

As supply chain attacks continue, ERP security is more important than ever. Learn some best practices to get started protecting your software's valuable information. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

NCA cracks digitalstress DDoS-for-hire operation

The UK authorities have taken down a major component of the multinational DDoS cyber attack-for-hire ecosystem, hacking into the digitalstress.su service and exfiltrating data on its users, who now face arrest Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC: Beware of criminal CrowdStrike opportunists

Financially motivated cyber criminals are already conducting opportunistic attacks on organisations that leverage the CrowdStrike incident, and more targeted attacks are sure to follow Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CrowdStrike chaos shows risks of concentrated ‘big IT’

The concentration of so much mission-critical technology in the hands of a few large suppliers makes incidents like the Microsoft-CrowdStrike outage all the more dangerous Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The sky’s the limit with the two sides of AI and networking

Generative AI is a hyped topic in virtually all industries. But within the realms of infrastructure management, there are two aspects to consider: AI for networking, and networking for AI Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

CrowdStrike update snafu affected 8.5 million Windows devices

About 8.5 million devices globally were hit by the botched CrowdStrike update, with a significant number now back online and operational Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Global Microsoft outage hits NHS GP IT system

The Emis Web IT system used by more than half of GP practices in the UK is down, following the worldwide Microsoft outage Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

What happens when the IT infrastructure is too big to fail?

Today’s global outage of Microsoft is rapidly sending shockwaves across all sectors, demonstrating the risk of having a single point of failure Continue Reading

By

• Owen Sayers, Secon Solutions

CrowdStrike security update fails Windows PCs globally

An update to the security firm’s Falcon service has led to many Windows users being unable to work this morning. Microsoft 365 is also affected Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What is data privacy?

Data privacy, also called information privacy, is an aspect of data protection that addresses the proper storage, access, retention, immutability and security of sensitive data. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Site Editor
• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

What is employee monitoring?

Employee monitoring is when businesses monitor employees to improve productivity and protect corporate resources. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Terrell Hanna

European Digital Identity Wallet: One ID for EU citizens

The European Digital Identity Wallet is a personal digital wallet with which you will be able to identify yourself digitally in the future. Is this the solution for a centralised ID? Continue Reading

Lawyers and journalists seeking ‘payback’ over police phone surveillance, claims former detective

Former Durham detective will be required to give evidence to a tribunal investigating allegations that police unlawfully monitored journalists’ phones Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Growth in nude image sharing heightens cyber abuse risk

The normalisation of sharing self-created intimate content with others is putting great numbers of people at risk of online abuse, says Kaspersky Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Netscout expands network observability for the digital edge

Network performance management firm announces business edge observability for networks, applications and user experience to mitigate risk and reduce mean time to respond Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

UK Cyber Bill teases mandatory ransomware reporting

In the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill introduced in the King's Speech, the UK's new government pledges to give regulators more teeth to ensure compliance with security best practice and to mandate incident reporting Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackney Council reprimanded over 2020 ransomware attack

The London Borough of Hackney has been reprimanded by the ICO over a series of failures that led to a devastating cyber attack, but at the same time, the regulator praised the local authority for its response and commitment to making improvements Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Labour government plans new laws around cyber security, data sharing and skills

The King's Speech outlined the legislative agenda for the new Parliament, including several bills that will impact the tech community Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How iProov is fending off deepfake fraud

Facial biometrics and controlled illumination can detect liveness, verify identities and help prevent deepfake attacks Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Strategic Defence Review must emphasise cyber security, says industry

Cyber security leaders say the new government's Strategic Defence Review needs to put digital security front and centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Incubator Plexal heads to Singapore for CyberBoost

Cyber startup hub Plexal expands its presence to Singapore through a new initiative, and sets its sights on helping new UK businesses break into the booming Asia-Pacific market Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cloud spend trumps AI but data, security and cost a common headache

Nasuni-sponsored survey finds cloud projects higher on the to do list than AI, but data management, security and cost reduction are common themes in all areas of investment Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

NHS Trusts cancelled over 6,000 appointments after Qilin cyber attack

The two NHS Trusts most heavily impacted by the Qilin ransomware attack on pathology services provider Synnovis have cancelled over 6,000 appointments and procedures in the past five weeks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What is an intrusion detection system (IDS)?

An intrusion detection system monitors (IDS) network traffic for suspicious activity and sends alerts when such activity is discovered. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Site Editor
• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

How Snowflake is tackling AI challenges

Snowflake’s regional leader Sanjay Deshmukh outlines how the company is helping customers to tackle the security, skills and cost challenges of AI implementations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

AT&T loses ‘nearly all’ phone records in Snowflake breach

Hackers have stolen records of virtually every call made by AT&T's customers during a six-month period in 2022, after compromising the US telco's Snowflake data environment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Public awareness of ID security grows, but big obstacles remain

Consumers are improving their awareness of the issues around digital identity security, but there are still some big issues preventing many from doing better, according to an Okta report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch research firm TNO pictures the SOC of the future

In only a few years, security operations centres will have a different design and layout, and far fewer will remain Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohius

Inside Israel’s cyber security operations

An emergency phone line allows cyber security analysts at the Israel Computer Emergency Response Team to map threats against national infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

The security interview: Managing the ‘no’ mindset

Matt Riley, data protection and information security officer at Sharp Europe, discusses balancing cyber risks with business leaders’ goals Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hyper-V zero-day stands out on a busy Patch Tuesday

Microsoft has fixed almost 140 vulnerabilities in its latest monthly update, with a Hyper-V zero-day singled out for urgent attention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Chinese spies target vulnerable home office kit to run cyber attacks

China’s APT40 is ramping up targeting of victims using vulnerable small and home office networking kit as command and control infrastructure, according to an international alert Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lessons from war: How Israel is fighting Iranian state-backed hacking

The general director of the Israel National Cyber Directorate talks about the rise in cyber attacks and what lessons the country has gleaned to defend against hacking from foreign parties Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Atos jumps on ‘moving train’ for Euro 2024

Atos provides the IT supporting major recurring sporting events including Uefa’s European Football Championship Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Automating public services - a careful approach

Automation is increasingly integrated into public services, promising enhanced efficiency, cost savings, and improved service quality Continue Reading

By

• Anna Dent

How data drives decisions at BAE Systems

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the chief data officer of one of the UK’s biggest manufacturers, BAE Systems, about data strategy and diversity. Microsoft’s claims over sovereign cloud for government IT are under scrutiny – we examine the issues. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at trends in cloud databases. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Synnovis attack highlights degraded, outdated state of NHS IT

More cyber attacks against the health service are likely, and will succeed if something isn’t done to address the increasingly elderly NHS IT estate, experts are warning Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How do cybercriminals steal credit card information?

Cybercriminals have various methods at their disposal to hack and exploit credit card information. Learn what they are, how to prevent them and what to do when hacked. Continue Reading

By

• Andres Phillips

Safeguarding democracy from cyber threat peril  

There has been an increase in disturbing activity emerging on the dark web involving the sale of public sector assets, including election data Continue Reading

By

•  Barry O’Connell

NCA’s Operation Morpheus targets illicit Cobalt Strike use

International law enforcement operation targets cyber criminals using the Cobalt Strike penetration testing framework for dodgy purposes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

RSA security conference video roundup: 2024 perspectives

We chatted on camera with attendees and presenters at RSAC 2024. To get the highlights of one of the world's major cybersecurity conferences, check out this video collection. Continue Reading

By

• Brenda L. Horrigan, Executive Managing Editor

Cyber Essentials at 10: Success or failure?

The Cyber Essentials scheme passed its 10th anniversary in June 2024. CyberSmart's Adam Pilton reflects on progress and argues that more needs to be done to raise security awareness among Britain's small business community Continue Reading

By

• Adam Pilton

Whatever you do, don't press the big red button...

I’m not sure if anyone has figures to hand (or the desire to find out) exactly how many cyber security vendors there are out there, but some rough stats suggest that there are verging on 6,000 in ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

Security Think Tank: Securing today's ubiquitous cloud environment

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how CISOs and security practitioners should ensure that the business can make use of public cloud services safely and securely and avoid accidental or deliberate data leakage Continue Reading

By

• Kashil JagmohanSingh

IT's a vulnerable world out there...

It was a pleasure to catch up t’other day with Rik “rock star” Ferguson, the former Trend Micro legend who is these days hanging out with Forescout as the company’s VP of Security Intelligence, ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

UKtech50 2024: The most influential people in UK technology

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal the 50 most influential people in UK technology for 2024, in our annual UKtech50 list. We talk to Post Office scandal campaigner Alan Bates, voted the most influential person in tech this year. Plus, we find out why a bunch of mobile app startups jumped into a freezing lake near the Arctic Circle. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Broadcom cemented its European cloud sovereignty credentials

The owner of VMware targets flexible deployment options for European public cloud sovereignty Continue Reading

By

• Bola Rotibi

Security in the public cloud explained: A guide for IT and security admins

In this guide, IT security and industry experts share their top recommendations for protecting public cloud deployments Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How FWD is driving its digital strategy

FWD’s group chief technology and operations officer talks up how the pan-Asian insurer is driving change faster and putting technology at the heart of its services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How Recorded Future is operationalising threat intelligence

Recorded Future is investing in APIs to enable automated security workflows, among other measures, to help organisations overcome the hurdles of operationalising threat intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

No cyber barriers: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to Sharp Europe’s data protection and information security officer about how to balance cybersecurity with the needs of the business Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Gulf Edge to operate Google Distributed Cloud in Thailand

The Gulf Energy subsidiary will offer Google’s sovereign cloud service in Thailand with a focus on air-gapped configurations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service replaces legacy SD-WAN

Contract awarded for the deployment of cross-Scotland software-defined wide area network designed to ensure efficient, secure and reliable administrative services to the judiciaries of Scotland Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Israel’s cyber chief calls for international front against Iranian hackers

Israel’s cyber chief has called for international action against Iran over state-backed hacking Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Police Scotland did not consult ICO about high-risk cloud system

Police Scotland chose not to formally consult with the data regulator about the risks identified with a cloud-based digital evidence sharing system, while the regulator itself did not follow up for nearly three months Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

digital signature

A digital signature is a mathematical technique used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a digital document, message or software. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Site Editor
• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange freed from prison

A deal reached with US authorities will end the WikiLeaks founder’s years-long legal saga, setting him free if he pleads guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NHS experts raise warning over patient data breach risk in registries project

Clinicians warn that the NHS England Outcome Registries Platform has poor security and is vulnerable to cyber attack, putting critical patient data at risk of being exposed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A revolution in space

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to astronaut Tim Peake about the imminent revolution in space tech and what it means for IT leaders. AI is set to transform the movie industry – we hear from the producers of the latest Mad Max film about how it’s already changed the process for them. And we find out about plans for Neom, the Saudi Arabian smart city in the desert. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Sellafield pleads guilty to criminal charges over cyber security

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority-backed organisation Sellafield Ltd pleads guilty to criminal charges brought over significant cyber security failings that could have compromised sensitive nuclear information Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Hybrid work prompts spike in network security threats

Survey shows more than two-thirds of organisations have seen an increase in network security threats over the past 18 months, with remote and hybrid working the biggest contributor to heightened threat levels Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Tata Communications hosted SASE claims to redefine networking, security

Tata Communications claims world-first implementation of unified SASE solution to deliver unified visibility and control of network traffic with context-led insights and enhanced user experience Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Sellafield whistleblower ordered to pay costs after email tampering claims

A former consultant at Sellafield has been ordered to pay costs for having ‘acted unreasonably’ in claiming the nuclear facility tampered with metadata in letters used against her in court Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Qilin ransomware gang publishes stolen NHS data online

The ransomware gang behind a major cyber attack on NHS supplier Synnovis has published a 400GB trove of private healthcare data online Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Executive interview: Open models pros and cons

We speak to Meta’s vice-president of AI research about recent publicly released research and models, and the role of closed AI models Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

personally identifiable information (PII)

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that could potentially identify a specific individual. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
• Corinne Bernstein

OpenID (OpenID Connect)

OpenID Connect is an open specification for authentication and single sign-on (SSO). Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Kaspersky says it can continue to sell cyber threat intelligence in spite of US ban

The US government is stopping Kaspersky Lab from offering its antivirus software and cyber security tools to US firms and citizens Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO police cloud guidance released under FOI

Long-awaited guidance from the UK data regulator on police cloud deployments highlights some potential data transfer mechanisms it thinks can clear up ongoing legal issues, but tells forces it’s up to them to decide if the measures would work Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

software patch

A software patch or fix is a quick-repair job for a piece of programming designed to resolve functionality issues, improve security or add new features. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Site Editor
• Brien Posey

Sir Alan Bates hits out at Post Office ‘incompetence’ after data breach

Victims of the scandal react with anger at news the Post Office published a document containing their names and addresses on its website Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA
• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How To Avoid Global RAGged AI Delivery Woes....

If Q1 of this year for me was the season of “newbies” – speaking to, and working with, new vendor clients, then Q2 has definitely been the season of “catch-ups”. The essence of “catch-ups” is the ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

An industry-wide agreement is needed to identify AI-generated content

With the UK general election coming on July 4th, there is very real concern that this election and others around the world are being influenced by artificial intelligence-powered (AI) content ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why AI is talking politics this year

AI is already playing a part in this year’s General Election - for good and bad Continue Reading

By

• Resham Kotecha

Microsoft admits no guarantee of sovereignty for UK policing data

Documents show Microsoft’s lawyers admitted to Scottish policing bodies that the company cannot guarantee sensitive law enforcement data will remain in the UK, despite long-standing public claims to the contrary Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

DNS attack

A DNS attack is an exploit in which an attacker takes advantage of vulnerabilities in the domain name system. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

General election 2024 – the digital policies examined

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the digital policies revealed in the three main political parties’ general election manifestos. Our new buyer’s guide looks at the latest trends in cloud security. And we find out about the EU’s plans for a digital single market that could span the globe. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

We need a judge-led inquiry into police spying on journalists and lawyers

When journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney were wrongly arrested in 2018, their case led to the discovery of a widespread police surveillance operation targeting journalists and lawyers in Northern Ireland. Barry McCaffrey tells the story Continue Reading

By

• Barry McCaffrey

Cloud security: Finding the right provider to protect your data

This month, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how CISOs and security practitioners should ensure that the business can make use of public cloud services safely and securely and avoid accidental or deliberate data leakage. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen McDermid

Autonomous weapons systems defy rigid attempts at arms control

In an ever more dangerous world, the technology is outpacing diplomacy and holds clear strategic value. Retaining human control over its use will require embracing imperfect solutions Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Hiebert, Computer Weekly

Gartner: Navigating incident response in the cloud

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud security, incident response strategies must be as dynamic and flexible as the environments they protect Continue Reading

By

• Carlos De Sola Caraballo

Securing the edge: A new battleground in mobile network security

Edge computing is changing approaches to mobile network infrastructure, but failure to secure it can expose networks and data to cyber threats. We look at the dangers and potential solutions. Continue Reading

chief trust officer

A chief trust officer (CTrO) in the IT industry is an executive job title given to the person responsible for building confidence around the use of customer information. Continue Reading

By

• Scott Robinson, New Era Technology
• Francesca Sales

5 cybersecurity risks and challenges in supply chain

Supply chains have a range of connection points -- and vulnerabilities. Learn which vulnerabilities hackers look for first and how leaders can fend them off. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Black Basta ransomware crew may be exploiting Microsoft zero-day

A Microsoft vulnerability that was addressed without fanfare in March may in fact have been exploited as a zero-day by the notorious Black Basta ransomware gang, threat hunters warn Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data leakage in the cloud – can data truly be safe in the cloud?

This month, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how CISOs and security practitioners should ensure that the business can make use of public cloud services safely and securely and avoid accidental or deliberate data leakage. Continue Reading

By

• Scott Swalling

secure access service edge (SASE)

Secure access service edge (SASE), pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles together network and cloud-native security technologies and delivers them as a single cloud service. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer