IT security

Ransomware getting more targeted, warns Flashpoint

Ransomware attacks are becoming more targeted and designed to infect different sized organisations in specific industries and regions, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR at a critical stage, says information commissioner

The ICO is calling on data protection officials to help kick off the next phase of the GDPR by embedding sound data governance at its annual conference, where another DPO was recognised for excellence Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How APAC firms can tame the data beast

Companies and data management experts across Asia-Pacific reveal how they are tackling data management challenges that have been compounded by growing cloud usage and compliance requirements Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK plans for online safety laws not enough, says BCS

Government plans for online safety laws need to be complemented with a national cyber safety programme in schools, according to IT and computer science professional and educational body Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: How to reduce the impact of a potential cyber extinction event

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

By

• Andy Jones, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Critical infrastructure under relentless cyber attack

A lack of visibility into the attack surface, inadequate security staffing and reliance on manual processes undermine operational technology security capabilities, a study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

London council fined by the ICO for disclosing personal information held on Met Police Gangs Matrix

The London Borough of Newham has been fined for disclosing the sensitive personal information of more than 200 individuals that police held information on Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

European firms see value in ‘known good’ approach to security

European data protection regulations are driving enterprise interest in an approach to security being championed by virtualisation software maker VMware, says the company’s security lead Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei ban will cost UK plc £6.8bn, delay 5G

If the UK government decides to impose tighter restrictions, or an outright ban on the use of Huawei in national 5G networks, the country faces severe consequences, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The rise of digital workers and the bot economy

Automation Anywhere’s booming business, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, is a sign of things to come in the new world of work where digital workers can be hired from a bot store Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Enhanced Wi-Fi cuts costs to maximise efficiency at Dorset school

The need for cost-effective, manageable wireless infrastructure without additional annual licence fees drove Lytchett Minster School’s decision to upgrade its on-site network with TP-Link Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Researchers uncover US-based malware distribution centre

More than a dozen US-based web servers are operating as the malware equivalent of an Amazon fulfilment centre to target businesses, security researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Document-based malware on the rise, businesses warned

Document-based malware spiked in the first quarter of the year, building on a gradual rise in the past year, warn researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Third-party Facebook apps expose 540 million users’ details

Researchers have discovered another trove of Facebook users’ details, showing there is still no control over data shared with third parties, potentially exposing Facebook to more regulatory and legal action Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fresh approach needed to reap cloud security benefits

Transitioning to cloud-based services offers businesses an opportunity to improve security capabilities, but only if they adopt a proactive cloud-native approach, says Palo Alto Networks cloud security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government urges businesses and charities to up cyber security

The UK government is urging businesses and charities to take action to prevent cyber attacks as the costs go up, despite an overall reduction in breaches, partly driven by new data protection laws Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employees lack awareness of corporate data-sharing policies

IT leaders believe their organisations are highly likely to lose data in the next 12 months due to accidental data breaches Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Akamai to open second traffic scrubbing centre in Australia

New centre in Melbourne will meet growing demand for scrubbing services to mitigate the impact of distributed denial of service attacks in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Women now almost a quarter of cyber security workforce

Women in cyber security are younger, have achieved higher levels of education and are assuming leadership roles at higher rates than men, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Four in 10 leading banks failing on email fraud protection

Top UK traditional and challenger banks risk exposing customers to email fraud, a study reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attacks increasingly exploiting supply chain weaknesses

Cyber attacks are increasingly characterised by supply chain attacks, counter incident response and lateral movement, research reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei reports record numbers despite tumultuous year

Huawei has become one of the world’s largest technology companies by revenue, suggesting the accusations over its ties to the Chinese government are failing to have much impact Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The nightmare driving test – making driverless cars safe

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to AI experts about the challenges of teaching autonomous vehicles how to drive safely in often extreme environments, and how deep learning simulations can help. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at business intelligence and analytics technologies. And we examine the implications of the EU’s controversial new copyright laws. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Thales completes acquisition of Gemalto

Multi-billion-euro acquisition gives Thales a global leadership position in digital identity and security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Black Hat Asia 2019: Get ready for the cyber arms race

The arms race is now squarely in the cyber realm as defence teams and threat actors arm themselves with AI tools Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Rapidly multiplying IoT cyber attacks use well-known weaknesses

Internet of things threats and attacks are increasing rapidly, but rely on well-known security weaknesses, security researchers discover Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Zuckerberg calls for new internet regulation

Facebook chief calls for new internet regulation in four key areas to define clear responsibilities for people, companies and governments, including more GDPR-aligned data protection rules Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mind the Brexit gap in cyber security

Leaving the EU could mean a new cyber security regime for the UK – firms need to understand how the changes might affect them Continue Reading

By

• Elliot Rose

Singapore government to review data security in public sector

A high-level committee comprising ministers and private sector security experts will review data security practices and recommend measures to better protect citizens’ data Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Windows 10 security breach highlights third-party vulnerabilities

The recent Windows 10 PC security breach brought on by third-party software from a Chinese tech company raises concern about the security strength of third-party providers. Continue Reading

By

• Jesse Scardina, News Writer

Magento e-commerce sites urged to apply security update

Security experts are urging companies using the Magento e-commerce site to apply security updates without delay to avoid a disastrous hacking campaign Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO kicks off sandbox beta to support innovation

The UK’s privacy watchdog has launched the first phase of an initiative aimed at enhancing data protection while supporting business innovation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Infosec pros slam government-mandated backdoors

Government-mandated encryption backdoors increase vulnerability to nation-state attacks, according to the majority of cyber security professionals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei making no progress on addressing security concerns

Huawei has made no material progress on addressing the issues identified last year by the NCSC, according to the latest highly critical report from its HSCEC Oversight Board Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Encryption adoption driven by new tech and compliance

The adoption of encryption is at its highest level yet, driven by the need to protect data generated by new digital initiatives, but still less than half of organisations are applying it consistently across the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK IoT research centre to tackle cyber risk

A government-backed national IoT research centre has been launched as part of UK efforts to become a world leader in tackling cyber threats   Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attacks targeting industrial control systems on the rise

Malicious cyber activity increased to almost half of the industrial infrastructure protected by Kaspersky Lab in 2018, but the UK is among the most secure countries, the security firm reports Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mind the overlap between GDPR and ePD, warns privacy lawyer

Organisations need to be aware of the overlaps between European data protection and privacy rules, and which takes precedence, a privacy lawyer warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norsk Hydro cyber attack cost estimates up to $41m

Initial estimates have put the financial impact of last week’s ransomware attack on the Norwegian aluminium producer of up to nearly $41m, raising questions about cyber insurance coverage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Web inventor wants a web built on solid data principles

Tim Berners-Lee has urged app developers to be courteous to users’ data privacy, saying users should own their own data and apps need to interoperate Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Police make 61 arrests in global crackdown on dark web

Law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada and Europe, including the UK, have joined forces to target suppliers and buyers of illegal goods on dark web marketplaces and warn buyers of risks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT complexity raises concerns of certificate-related outages

Company executives are concerned that increased IT complexity will result in more security certificate-related outages, with nearly two-thirds of organisations affected in the past year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europe passes controversial Copyright Directive

The European Parliament has passed a new Copyright Directive, including a number of highly controversial articles Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT switches on quantum network link at Adastral Park

BT has opened its quantum network link between its Adastral Park research base and the UK Quantum Network node at the University of Cambridge Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Asus releases fix for supply chain cyber attack

Asus has released a fix for a supply chain attack and downplayed the impact on customers while promising to contact all those affected as incident highlights code signing vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A ‘stunning victory’ in Post Office Horizon trial

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the latest news from the court case about the controversial Post Office Horizon IT system after claimants achieve a ‘stunning victory’ in a judge’s ruling. Top IT leaders share their views on creating a strategy for the digital age. And the CIO of Halfords talks about cloud, data analytics and emerging technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nominet urges SMEs to register .uk domains to thwart squatters

The automatic right of .co.uk domain name holders to register the shorter .uk domains ends in June Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Firms urged to gear up for new malware and tactics as threats proliferate

The volume of malware attacks reached a record level in 2018, with UK and India bucking global trend of increased ransomware attacks, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Geopolitical issues affecting cyber security

Geopolitical issues are affecting business decisions, according to the majority of cyber security professionals, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security challenge is to move as fast as the business

Adapting security to the pace at which the business is moving is one of the biggest challenges facing infosec professionals in the cloud era, says Palo Alto Networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lack of security skills exposing business to attack

The cyber skills shortage is leaving businesses at increased risk of attack as organisations continue to struggle to fill security-related positions, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MPs hear more revelations about Gov.uk Verify as troubled project gets a new leader

Hello and good luck, to Lisa Barrett  - the newly appointed director of digital identity at the Government Digital Service (GDS). She's taken on what many people outside GDS see as something of a ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mike Lynch heads to High Court to defend against HP allegations

The UK’s biggest fraud case commences, with the former CEO of Autonomy, Mike Lynch, attempting to clear his name Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Small businesses hit hardest by cyber crime costs

Small businesses felt the biggest impact of the UK’s cyber crime bill in 2018, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital Darwinism unkind to those who wait, says Palo Alto

As business-driven digital transformation, including the move to cloud, continues apace, companies need to rethink their approach to how they deploy and consume security, or risk being left behind Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government at odds over Huawei threat

The chair of the Science and Technology Committee has criticised the government’s vague response to concerns about Huawei’s activities in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Facebook security policy and practices unfit, say infosec pros

Confidence in Facebook’s ability to keep users’ data safe has once again been shaken by revelations of poor password protection practices, prompting calls for a security review Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK police should not deploy live facial recognition technology until issues are resolved, MPs told

The Science and Technology Committee has heard from the information and biometrics commissioners about the flawed use of live facial recognition technology by UK police Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government cyber security strategy is ‘chaotic’

Responding to potential threats at a national level is unfeasible given the time ministers are currently dedicating to Brexit negotiations, says shadow Cabinet Office minister Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Remainers accidentally DDoS the British government

With eight days until the UK's scheduled exit from the European Union, a prime minister who has lost control, a paralysed political system, and Britain reduced to a laughing stock on the world ... Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian cyber espionage groups targeting EU governments

Two Russian cyber espionage groups are targeting EU governments ahead of European elections, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Spike in cyber attacks targeting Cisco Webex

Cyber attacks targeting a leading web conference tool have increased dramatically and sextortion is becoming more popular with attackers, according to WatchGuard Technologies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police investigate Norsk Hydro ransomware attack

Ransomware attack on one of the world’s largest aluminium producers is under police investigation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK cyber experts to support global company boards

A consortium of UK cyber security experts and academics is to support multinational company boards to tackle online threats and protect against cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government organisations’ email security lagging

Email security in UK government organisations is lagging far behind that of central government, analysis reveals, with less than a third implementing standard protection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Growing board focus on cyber risk challenges current thinking

As digital transformation continues to drive change in the business and risk landscape, business and cyber security leaders need to improve discussions around this topic Continue Reading

By

• Marcus Alldrick

Norsk Hydro confirms ransomware attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has confirmed a ransomware attack is affecting several areas of its business, forcing it to switch to manual operations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

More than half of EU firms report cyber attack losses

More than half of European firms admit business disruption and data loss due to cyber attacks in the past 24 months, with UK firms among the most targeted, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to protect against spear phishing

Spear phishing attacks are sophisticated, targeted, costly and increasing in popularity among cyber attackers, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How IT leaders should work with marketing

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we hear expert advice on how IT and marketing chiefs can work together to deliver a high-quality customer experience. We examine how supercomputers are transforming science by processing large-scale data analytics. And we look at one of the key ethical aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) – how to explain the decisions an AI makes. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Supercomputers are playing a major role in the transformation of experimental science

Combining unified threat management with other security systems and a strategic CISO is essential to defend against threats. Continue Reading

Norwegian aluminium producer hit by ‘extensive’ cyber attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has disclosed that it has come under cyber attack affecting several areas of its business as the firm faces claims of environmental damage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Build in trust, experts advise cyber innovators

Trust will be increasingly important in the digital era, and is therefore a key component of new products and services, experts have told cyber security innovators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EU law enforcement agencies prepare for major cyber attacks

Law enforcement agencies across the European Union are preparing for major cross-border cyber attacks, says Europol Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CyLon announces latest cyber security accelerator cohort

Swiss and Israeli cyber security startups join teams from the UK for CyLon’s ninth London accelerator cohort Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Layer your approach to web security

Combining unified threat management with other security systems and a strategic CISO is essential to defend against threats Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Businesses failing to grasp DevSecOps

UK and US businesses are being exposed to security risks by a failure to integrate security into DevOps programmes, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brexit complicating already complex data protection

GDPR impact is yet to be felt and data protection is set to become increasingly complex, with Brexit adding even more complexity that could be overwhelming, warns head of international privacy association Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why the web needs patching

Regulators want to curb the web giants, while World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee believes problems with the web's misuse can be fixed Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

National Cyber Security Programme at risk of missing targets

The National Audit Office has sharply criticised the Cabinet Office over failings in how it set up the National Cyber Security Programme that mean it may struggle to meet its goals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT Priorities 2019: ANZ organisations focus on fundamentals

Organisations in Australia and New Zealand will spend more on modernising legacy applications and breaking down data silos this year Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Avoid infosec mistakes of the past, urges Robert Hannigan

Technology innovators need to avoid security mistakes of the past by building in integrity so that products and services can be used with trust and confidence, says former GCHQ director Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Met Police collaborated with US prosecutors in WikiLeaks investigation

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it exchanged information on WikiLeaks staff in the UK with the US Department of Justice, which is conducting criminal investigations into the organisation Continue Reading

By

• BIll Goodwin & Niels Ladefoged

Security Think Tank: Map your own important risk metrics

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• RV Raghu, ISACA

CW APAC: Buyer's guide to cloud security

When putting data in the cloud, companies must understand how it is protected – and not assume that security is all taken care of. In this buyer's guide, Computer Weekly offers advice on making cloud security choices, looks at how to guard against DDoS attacks, and finds out Amazon's approach to building secure cloud products. Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2019: ASEAN organisations lay digital foundations

Organisations in Southeast Asia are planning to shore up their IT infrastructure to speed up application development and become more customer focused Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How traffic scrubbing can guard against DDoS attacks

Although most scrubbing services can help fend off distributed denial of service attacks, a more comprehensive mitigation strategy is required to remain unscathed. Continue Reading

A guide to choosing cloud-based security services

Cloud-based security services can help organisations with a growing cloud footprint to reduce cost and address the manpower crunch in cyber security. Continue Reading

ICO pledges to support innovation

UK data privacy watchdog is increasingly gearing up to support innovation to ensure developers of tech and digital services do not lose society’s trust Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Financial loss as a key security risk indicator

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Yeomans, Information Security Forum

Almost half UK firms hit by phishing attacks

Almost half of UK organisations have been compromised in the past two years using phishing attacks, despite high levels of cyber awareness and training, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attackers favouring stealthier attacks, says Darktrace

Cyber attackers are moving away from ransomware to stealthier tactics, including banking Trojans and cryptojacking, an analysis of attack data reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: No one key risk indicator is generic across all businesses

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Many firms unaware of data exfiltration threat

Many firms are unaware that they are being targeted by cyber espionage and that data is being exfiltrated from their networks by overseas adversaries, a security firm warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Making unified threat management a key security tool

As data protection becomes critical to businesses, we look at how unified threat management can be a useful tool, providing it is selected and deployed correctly according to business needs Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 7

In this week’s episode of The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team talks cyber attacks against the NHS, the everywoman in Tech Forum, 5G connected cows, and covers off the latest round of revelations about Facebook’s data processing procedures Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

Despite failings, exec appetite for secure collaboration growing

Top business decision makers are more reckless than ever with company data, but the appetite for secure collaboration tools is growing, survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Is it true you can't manage what you don't measure?

What should be the key cyber security risk indicator for any business? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Making unified threat management a key security tool

As data protection becomes critical to businesses, we look at how unified threat management can be a useful tool, providing it is selected and deployed correctly according to business needs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NatWest launches biometric card pilot

NatWest Bank is set to trial biometrics-based cards with 200 customers to verify contactless payment transactions over £30 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari