IT security

Facebook: Legality of EU-US data sharing to be decided by Court of Justice

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice will give an opinion on the legality of EU-US data transfers that could have major implications for big tech companies and US government mass surveillance practices Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top 10 Australia IT stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Australia IT stories of 2019 Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Group-IB CEO talks up global threat landscape

Public attribution of cyber attacks could backfire while a global cyber norms framework won’t emerge until a catastrophic incident occurs, says the head of Singapore-based Group-IB Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Can Europe legally share data with the US? A court far away is about to decide

The European Court of Justice will deliver an opinion on whether Europe can legally continue to send private data about European citizens to the US Continue Reading

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• Kevin Cahill

Security Think Tank: Data-centric security requires a holistic approach

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

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• James Walsh, Fieldfisher

Barco fixes ClickShare wireless flaw, but users still at risk

Supplier patches a major vulnerability in its popular ClickShare wireless presentation system with a firmware upgrade, but experts warn that users are not out of the woods yet Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

We can’t allow fake news and disinformation to upend our democracy

Fake news, misinformation and cyber attacks are part of our political process – now is the time to act Continue Reading

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• Andrew Roughan, Plexal

Alarm bells ring, the IoT is listening

With Christmas bearing down on us, a series of vulnerability disclosures has drawn attention to the parlous state of IoT security, and serves as a timely warning to people planning to buy smart devices as gifts Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Data-centric security requires context and understanding

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

By

• Eoin Keary

Top tips for avoiding and dealing with data breaches

Been hacked, lost a laptop or sent an email to the wrong address? Do you need to notify anyone and what should you do? Find out in this simple guide Continue Reading

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• Andrew Jerrard and Guy Cartwright, Coffin Mew

CW Europe: Deutsche Bank creates innovation division

German banking giant Deutsche Bank is opening a division focused on innovation which will be led by former SAP executive Bernd Leukert. It will create agile teams with business and infrastructure divisions leading teams of technologists, using agile principles. Also read why China’s Huawei has offered governments an anti-industrial espionage commitment, and how software robots are helping social workers in Sweden. Continue Reading

Sweden’s first GDPR fine sets regulatory tone

 Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Risk-based response critical to protect data

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

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• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Best practices to help CISOs prepare for CCPA

With the CCPA taking effect in 2020, check out security chiefs' best practices to get ahead and stay ahead of impending data privacy and protection compliance regulations. Continue Reading

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• Sandra Gittlen

Rapid evolution of quantum computing a concern for CISOs

With the race to achieve so-called quantum supremacy hotting up, security pros are concerned that it will outpace the development of appropriate safeguards, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The art of surveillance: the Stasi archives and the Investigatory Powers Act

A photographic exhibition captures the chilling impact of surveillance in the UK and the former German Democratic Republic Continue Reading

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• Rose Butler, Sheffield Hallam University

Who should get the technology vote in the UK General Election?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we take an in-depth look at the technology and digital policies in the main political parties’ election manifestos. We examine the rise of alternatives to relational databases that better support a big data environment. And we assess the security issues around container technology. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scottish Justice Committee wants extra powers for biometrics commissioner

Members of Scottish Parliament in the Justice Committee have welcomed the creation of a biometrics commissioner for Scotland, but want ensure that they have the ‘necessary teeth’ for the job Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Public sector still losing user devices in high numbers

The Ministry of Justice has lost 354 smartphones, PCs, laptops and tablets in the past 12 months, according to a Freedom of Information request, and other government departments are in the same boat Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Jailed hacker ordered to pay back £270k

An Essex man jailed in April over malware offences dating back years has been ordered to pay back the profits of his crime spree, and sell valuable assets Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

China bans foreign computing kit from government contracts

All government offices and public institutions must eliminate foreign hardware and software within three years, according to a leaked directive dubbed 3-5-2 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How commodities firm ED&F Man solved its threat detection challenges

After a minor server breach, leading commodities trader turned to Vectra’s Cognito service to expose hidden threats, spot privilege misuse, and conduct conclusive investigations Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch government must facilitate and coordinate a broad eID system

The Dutch government should push for an electronic ID system for its citizens that works across the public and private sectors, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Cyber security takes its place alongside UK’s armed services

Head of armed services says cyber security will take its place alongside the army, navy and air force as a key pillar of the UK’s defence strategy Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Is data more or less secure in the cloud?

Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security professionals best work with their teams and cloud providers to resolve the problem? Continue Reading

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• Benoit Heynderickx, Information Security Forum

Great Cannon DDoS operation fires on Hong Kong protesters

AT&T’s security unit has evidence that China is pressing its Great Cannon DDoS tool into service once again, specifically to target pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Time for a devolution of responsibility

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

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• Mike Gillespie

Two Russians indicted over Dridex and Zeus malware

The US Department of Justice has indicted two Russian citizens over their alleged role in the distribution of the virulent Bugat, or Dridex, and Zeus banking trojans Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Girls First volunteers encourage girls to think high-tech

More than 80 schoolgirls spent a day learning about computer hackers and rocket science – Cyber Girls First hopes they will become the next generation of technologists Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Black Hat Europe: Mental health websites are leaking user data

At Black Hat Europe in London, researchers reveal the extent to which confidential data is being leaked to third parties by online mental health websites Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Aviatrix VPN vulnerability left user endpoints wide open

Immersive Labs has disclosed a serious vulnerability in VPN supplier Aviatrix’s enterprise client that could have granted hackers elevated user privileges across enterprise targets Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackers primed to exploit 5G to Wi-Fi handover flaws

Warning that attackers will find new vulnerabilities to access voice and data on 5G mobile phones as carriers hand off calls and data to Wi-Fi networks to save bandwidth Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

RMIT to tackle cyber security challenges

Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology has teamed up with Amazon Web Services to launch a Cloud Innovation Centre to solve cyber security challenges Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Black Hat Europe: Red teams and blue teams must evolve in the 2020s

The red team versus blue team dichotomy is somewhat arbitrary and risks pigeonholing skilled security professionals into certain roles, says Facebook’s Amanda Rousseau Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Optimise data-centric strategies with AI

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

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• Stuart Lyons, PA Consulting

General Election 2019: Which manifesto is best for the UK’s tech sector?

Computer Weekly breaks down each political party’s technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election to see how they compare Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber security: How to avoid a disastrous PICNIC

Fieldfisher’s David Lorimer examines how individual employees often facilitate cyber attacks, and what can be done to reduce the risk Continue Reading

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• David Lorimer, Fieldfisher

Survey finds most firms don’t respond to GDPR requests in time

Most organisations do not respond to requests for GDPR data in the one month allowed, while many return incorrect data. The education sector does best, but the public sector lags behind Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Biometrics to enable $2.5tn of mobile payments by 2024

Juniper Research study predicts that biometric technology will be present on 90% of smartphones in five years’ time Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Tenable buys Indegy to integrate IT and OT security

Acquisition of industrial security specialist Indegy will create a unified, risk-based platform spanning both IT and OT security for Tenable Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 39

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Brian McKenna are joined by Bill Goodwin and Sebastian Klovig Skelton to discuss their stories about Facebook’s machinations against app developers and competitors Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor
• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Security Think Tank: In-depth protection is a matter of basic hygiene

The belief that effective perimeter security is the best way to protect data is a fallacy that is being repeatedly exposed. We must recognise the need for a data-centric security model to protect data from both internal and external threats, but what does this mean for security professionals? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Chinese web users take more risks than Brits or Americans

A research paper published by the University of Birmingham seems to show that differences in cultural values have an impact both on risky behaviour online and legal regulation Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Top Android apps at risk from StrandHogg vulnerability

Researchers at Promon say all of the 500 most-downloaded Android apps are at risk from a newly discovered vulnerability Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminal RAT busted by cops

Police forces around the UK have arrested nine people as part of an international operation targeting users of a remote access trojan Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TfL locks down Oyster accounts to ward off credential stuffing

Mandatory password reset for all travellers who use Oyster and contactless payment systems follows minor breach incident earlier in 2019 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hack Friday: This Christmas, fight back against cyber criminals

It’s nearly Christmas, and cyber attacks and fraud attempts in the retail sector are ramping up. Is it time to panic? And is there anything we can do beyond hammering home the message around basic cyber security hygiene? Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five essential steps to a sound disaster recovery plan

We walk through the key steps to develop a disaster recovery plan – from risk assessment and setting recovery objectives, to the plan itself and a testing regime to keep it fresh Continue Reading

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• Stephen Pritchard

Get ready for CCPA: Implications for UK businesses

The California Consumer Privacy Act, a wide-ranging data privacy and consumer protection law, comes into effect on 1 January 2020. How does CCPA differ from the EU GDPR regulations and what are the responsibilities for UK businesses operating in the US? Continue Reading

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• Peter Ray Allison

The Security Interviews: Do cyber weapons need a Geneva Convention?

On a cold afternoon in Finland, F-Secure’s Mikko Hypponen discusses cyber weapons and nation state threats, and explains why arms limitations treaties might one day expand to include malware and other threats Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Australia’s Fenner Dunlop ditches tape backups for cloud

Australian manufacturer of conveyor belts Fenner Dunlop has freed up its IT staff to focus on future projects by moving tape backups to the cloud Continue Reading

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• Beverley Head

Top APAC security predictions for 2020

More attacks on critical infrastructure, supply chain vulnerabilities and file-less attacks are some of the security threats that enterprises should keep an eye on next year Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security skills gap will take a decade to fill

The British education systems cannot move fast enough to address the security skills crisis, and in the absence of government action increased reliance on automation may be the least worst solution Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The super-resilient organisation

We need to build super-resilient organisations that can not only survive in a tempestuous world, but become energised by it Continue Reading

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• Ade McCormack, Auridian Consulting

Enterprises muddled over cloud security responsibilities

A McAfee study suggests that 2020 will be a big year for cloud adoption, but confusion still persists over who is responsible for securing it Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW500 Interview: Jonathan Moreira, CTO of PrimaryBid.com

In this CW500 video, Jonathan Moreira, CTO of PrimaryBid.com, gives a fintech startup’s perspective on the security challenges small businesses can face when adopting new technologies. Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Facebook undermined rivals in bid to dominate global messaging

Facebook used buyouts and bullying tactics towards competitors to grow its business empire, documents leaked to Computer Weekly reveal Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Crina Boros

General Election 2019: The Conservatives’ technology policies and digital plans

With the UK gearing up for its third general election in four years, Computer Weekly outlines the Conservative and Unionist Party’s main technology policies and digital plans, as laid out in its manifesto Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI may open dangerous new frontiers in geopolitics

Truly artificial intelligence has the potential to provoke an international geopolitical crisis, warns F-Secure’s Mikko Hypponen Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Uber app exploit posed safety risk to passengers

A flaw in Uber’s system meant thousands of trips in London were taken with unauthorised drivers at the wheel Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tim Berners-Lee launches nine principles for the web

Inventor of the worldwide web sets out Contract for the Web to protect its freedom, data privacy and access for all Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Conservatives propose national cyber crime force

Manifesto also says Tories would “empower the police to safely use new technologies like biometrics and artificial intelligence, along with the use of DNA, within a strict legal framework” Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW500 Interview: Paddy Francis, CTO, Airbus CyberSecurity

In this CW500 video, Paddy Francis, CTO, Airbus CyberSecurity shares his advice and experiences of keeping tabs on security when trying to introduce emerging digital technologies into large organisations. Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Mystery surrounds leak of four billion user records

Threat researchers uncover four billion user records on a wide-open Elasticsearch server but who left them there is a mystery Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT chiefs recognise the risks of artificial intelligence bias

Artificial intelligence promises to change the way businesses operate. IT leaders are now taking bias in AI algorithms seriously Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Some 29,000 UK web domains suspended for criminal activity

Domain suspensions for criminal activity over the past year has dropped for the first time since 2014 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Druva eyes data protection for IoT workloads

Cloud data protection software supplier Druva is looking at a comprehensive platform that will protect data generated by IoT workloads Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Labour pledges review of NCSC in UK security overhaul

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre may get expanded powers under a Labour government Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Airways cancels flights due to technical issue

British Airways customers are suffering delays and cancellations as a result as a technical issue Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Stopping data leaks in the cloud

Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security professionals best work with their teams and cloud providers to resolve the problem? Continue Reading

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• Cath Goulding, Nominet

F-Secure’s Blackfin challenges perceptions of how AIs think

New research project aims to develop adaptive, autonomous and collaborative AI agents, and challenges the notion that machine intelligence should merely mimic human intelligence Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Nordics: Automation pays off for Sweden’s social workers

Software robots are freeing up time for social workers in Sweden to help benefits claimants find employment and to receive the money they are entitled to. Also in this issue, read how Sweden’s SEB bank is using a Google-inspired, cloud-native core banking platform, and why India is leading the pack when it comes to IT outsourcing from the Nordic countries. Continue Reading

How Nicigas is disrupting Japan’s gas market with IoT

Japanese energy retailer Nicigas is deploying 850,000 IoT devices to convert traditional gas meters into smart meters to unlock consumption data amid efforts to shake up the utilities industry Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Senators raise questions over Facebook’s monitoring of phone users’ locations

After Facebook publishes a blog post with conflicting statements, two US senators ask for clarification on how the company collects location data from its users Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Mimecast blocked 99 billion suspicious emails in third quarter

Latest threat intelligence report reveals the scale of the threat posed by malicious emails, with the transport, legal and financial sectors hit hardest Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Massive increase in fraud attacks on TSB customers during IT meltdown

There was a massive spike in attempts by fraudsters to steal from TSB customers when the bank’s IT systems failed in 2018 Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Conservatives slammed over social media trickery

The Conservative Party has been caught spreading online disinformation during the General Election campaign for a second time Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Carbon Black to open Australia datacentre in 2020

Australia datacentre comes on the heels of VMware’s acquisition of Carbon Black and will serve organisations with data sovereignty requirements Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Public sector risks downplayed by senior IT leaders

Sophos reveals a significant cyber security perception gap between senior IT and security leaders in the public sector and their front-line teams Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Macy’s Magecart breach presages Christmas fraud spike

US retailer Macy’s admits some customer data was accessed by unknown actors during a week-long Magecart attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Anti-stalkerware coalition calls time on intrusive abusers

New coalition plans to tackle the scourge of stalkerware as a tool of domestic and other forms of abuse Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses failing to wipe data from old endpoints

Organisations are not taking adequate precautions to sanitise data held on endpoints when refreshing their PC or mobile device estates Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Huawei shrugs off latest US reprieve

Chinese tech giant dismisses the latest extension of the US Temporary General Licence and maintains that the US government is harming its own interests in banning it Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Managed services fuelling APAC security market

Spending on managed security services will account for almost half of Asia-Pacific’s cyber security market by 2023, as global and local providers shore up their offerings in the region Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Is facial recognition happening too fast?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the information commissioner calls on police forces to slow down the introduction of facial recognition, we examine the issues. We look at what the use of DevOps methods means for storage strategy. And we talk to Microsoft’s global cyber security chief. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: Applying AI to Lego, and security

Ann Johnson, Microsoft corporate vice-president of cyber security, is on a mission to prove that artificial intelligence holds great promise for the security sector, and she has the analogies to back it up. Continue Reading

ICO says UK police must ‘slow down’ use of facial recognition

The Information Commissioner’s Office is calling for a statutory code of practice to govern how police in the UK deploy live facial recognition technology while controversy surrounding its use continues. Continue Reading

Microsoft increases data protection for enterprises following Dutch MoJ audit

Last year’s audit by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security got the attention of the European Data Protection Supervisor. Now Microsoft has reacted Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The top 10 network security best practices to implement today

Even as security techniques improve, attackers are becoming more adept. Learn about 10 network security best practices and how they can keep your network secure. Continue Reading

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• Amy Larsen DeCarlo, GlobalData

Notorious hackers claim responsibility for Labour DDoS

Hackers claiming to represent Lizard Squad say they were behind a distributed denial of service attack on the UK’s Labour Party Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Home Office Brexit app contains multiple security flaws

The Home Office’s Brexit app may be putting EU citizens’ personal data at risk Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals tool up for Christmas fraud season

Organised criminals are trying to cash in on the festive retail boom with both brand new and tried-and-tested techniques Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Collaborative security approaches underpin container success

Containers are helping organisations to accelerate age-old software development approaches, but success is underpinned by a constant and team-wide attention to security. Continue Reading

How APAC enterprises can keep pace with container security

For all the promises of containers, changes in architecture and practices associated with the technology bring new challenges and opportunities. Continue Reading

CW APAC: Expert advice on container security

For all the promises of containers, changes in architecture and practices associated with the technology bring new challenges and opportunities. In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at the security challenges associated with container technology. Continue Reading

What the EU’s decision on Facebook means for social media

Recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union will have global implications for social media companies and any organisations that host online content Continue Reading

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• Peter Ray Allison

11 new 5G hacks enable user device tracking and monitoring

Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Iowa publish details of several new 5G mobile network vulnerabilities Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Business leaders fibbing to cover up lax security posture

Nominet study finds evidence that many businesses tout the robustness of their security posture as a selling point even though their security teams lack confidence in themselves Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Finnish biometric identity plans for seamless air travel

Finnair and Finavia explore options for automatic digital identification and authentication of air travellers Continue Reading

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• Alex Cruickshank

Attack on Labour shows need for DDoS defence but should alarm few

After being hit by two DDoS attacks in the space of 24 hours, many commentators are convinced the UK’s Labour Party is the victim of foreign interference in the General Election campaign. It probably isn’t Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor