IT security

Security Think Tank: Patch, scan and lock down to counter fileless malware

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Businesses need to take cryptojacking seriously

Organisations must pay attention to cyber criminals hijacking computing resources to mine cryptocurrencies, because nearly half are affected and the impact is greater than many realise Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Public sector organisations ill-prepared for GDPR

Public sector organisations in the UK need to do much more to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation rule on providing information to citizens about details held about them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Slingshot router malware: a warning for businesses

A stealthy malware that has been used to carry out cyber espionage undetected for six years should raise a red flag to businesses, say security commentators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Human, procedural and technical response to fileless malware

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Eight new cyber threats a second in Q4 2017, McAfee report reveals

There was an increase in cyber attacks on healthcare organisations, the use of fileless malware and cryptocurrency mining in the last three months of 2017, with eight new threats a second Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fileless attacks surge as hackers exploit PowerShell scripts

Malicious scripting through Microsoft’s PowerShell IT admin tool is being used to take control of Windows machines and Apple Macs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Regulator takes tougher line than expected on surveillance warrants

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office has signalled to government that it will take a tough line when scrutinising surveillance warrants under the controversial Investigatory Powers Act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK leads global upward trend in SOC maturity

The UK is leading the way towards more efficient security operations centres, but many still continue to operate with serious gaps in security, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government criticised over lack of GDPR explanation

Most IT decision makers in the UK are critical of the government for failing to educate organisations about the GDPR and its implications, and few have a clear understanding of it, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Universal Credit project warned over Gov.uk Verify performance in 2015

Government project management experts warned as long ago as 2015 that a problem with GDS's Verify online identity system could undermine the Universal Credit business plan Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Cooperation and exercises key to cyber defence, says Nato centre

International cooperation and regular tabletop exercises are essential to ensure effective cyber defence, according to the Nato cyber defence centre Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security researchers demonstrate ransomware attack on robots

Researchers have carried out a ransomware attack on robots to show that such attacks are possible and should be guarded against Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Use layered security and patch management to defeat fileless malware

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Cryptojacking cyber criminals up their game

Cyber criminals hijacking computing resources to mine for cryptocurrencies are raising their efforts to bypass enterprise security controls, researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ten ways to protect intellectual property and trade secrets

Industrial espionage is on the rise, and more data means more risk. Find out how to control the growth of data stores and secure your organization's most valuable assets. Continue Reading

By

• Randolph Kahn, Kahn Consulting Inc.

Can Too Much Of Something Be Bad?

Of course, the retail and consumer markets in general have been analysis bonkers for decades, but what about IT security, cyber or otherwise? It's not a case of collecting info from a single ... Continue Reading

By

• Steve Broadhead, Broadband Testing

The EU's GDPR will make us better storage managers

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation has organizations worldwide rethinking storage management to their and their customers' benefit. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

Security Think Tank: Multi-layered security key to fileless malware defence

What should organisations do, at the very least, to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Mac malware more than doubled in 2017

Malware targeting Apple Mac computers more than doubled from 2016 to 2017, according to security firm Malwarebytes Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

European security industry has failed users, says expert

 Continue Reading

CW Europe: Germany’s Lemoncat takes catering to the cloud

Business catering startup Lemoncat has taken advantage of the affordable cost of living in Berlin and is shaking up the catering sector by harnessing the Amazon and Salesforce clouds. Also in this issue, read how Moscow’s government is taking advantage of high penetration of broadband and mobile internet to expand innovative services under the Russian capital’s smart city programme, and how organisations in the Netherlands still have much to do to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. Continue Reading

Now that’s what I call compliance

Cloud-based customer relationship management software supplier Donorfy has taken the initiative in putting data protection officers nationwide out of their misery and compiling what can only be ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

UK cyber security certification pilot launched

UK businesses now have the opportunity to improve their cyber security and prove they have taken steps to protect data they hold, thanks to a police-backed certification scheme Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses warned not to ignore cryptojacking threat

Businesses should not ignore the threat of malware designed to carry out illicit cryptocurrency mining, warns NTT Security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Only half of ransomware payments honoured

Only half of ransomware victims who pay ransoms to cyber criminals recover their data, a report reveals, pointing to a need for more effective strategies to deal with these attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses under pressure to allow easier access to cloud

Businesses are under pressure from employees to use consumer-focused authentication methods for cloud applications, but that could have both positive and negative security implications, warns Gemalto Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Aim to detect and contain fileless malware attacks quickly

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Cyber attacks up nearly 20% in 2017

Research by SonicWall shows there were 9.32 billion malware attacks globally last year, but ransomware attacks fell by 71% Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Cyber security is a team sport, says NCSC

The UK’s national cyber security agency aims to help organisations understand the need to act collaboratively and collectively against the cyber threat, urging them to raise the bar Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

World Economic Forum creates fintech focus group for cyber security

WEF consortium of companies will focus on protecting financial technology firms from cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Developed APAC countries well-poised for the cloud

With strong policies in data protection and cyber security, Japan, Australia and Singapore are among countries that are most prepared to reap the benefits of the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government sets out tighter security measures for IoT devices

The government has announced plans to develop a new code of practice to improve the security of connected internet of things devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Local councils call for government funding for GDPR compliance

National Association of Local Councils is concerned complying with GDPR puts financial strain on local authorities and calls on government to help with funding Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security Think Tank: Social engineering at the heart of fileless malware attacks

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

EC to boost cyber security support and collaboration

The European Commission is focused on boosting cyber security support and collaboration throughout the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most Britons concerned about personal data sharing

Most UK consumers are concerned about personal data they have shared online, but few know the extent of that data or their rights, a survey shows, indicating a need for education and transparency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security remains an afterthought in DevOps

Enterprises in Asia are lapping up DevOps but less than one-third have baked security processes into their developments Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Getting up to speed with 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at what needs to be done to make next-generation 5G mobile networks a reality. Fewer EU workers are moving to the UK due to Brexit fears – we examine what that means for the IT skills gap. And we analyse the state of the hyper-converged infrastructure market and the main suppliers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: How to tackle fileless malware attacks

What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

CIO interview: Helena Theakstone, head of digital, Oasis Fashion

Oasis Fashion’s head of digital talks about GDPR preparation, collaboration between digital and IT, and the importance of listening to customers Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Most healthcare organisations have been breached, report shows

 Less than a third of global healthcare organisations remain untouched, as data breaches rise across the industry, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Spring Break flaw shows cross-industry collaboration

A flaw that was discovered in Pivotal’s Spring Framework in September 2017 has only come to light now that users have had a chance to update Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK will need data protection agreement with EU as part of Brexit deal, says PM

Prime minister Theresa May's Brexit speech highlights need for data protection deal with EU, “advanced” border IT systems, and re-confirms UK won’t be part of the EU digital single market Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cyber crime is a top threat to UK charities, says NCSC

Cyber crime poses the most serious threats to UK charities, the National Cyber Security Centre has warned Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threat to industrial control systems highest yet

The cyber threat to industrial control systems has never been greater, according to a report analysing malicious activity aimed at such systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Equifax ups breach figure by a further 2.5 million

Credit rating agency Equifax has increased the number of US records believed to have been compromised in 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Memcached servers irresistible to DDoS attackers, expert warns

In the light of the biggest distributed denial of service attack to date against GitHub, organisations should ditch memcached servers or risk a blizzard of blistering attacks, says security researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New privacy fears as IT challenges delay surveillance oversight body by a year

IT challenges have delayed government plans for an independent body to authorise requests to access the public’s internet and phone records by nearly a year, raising new legal and privacy concerns Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Imaging systems biggest security risk in healthcare

Imaging systems have been identified as the biggest cyber security risk in the healthcare sector, a report on internet of things security has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Trust underpins innovation, says UK information commissioner

Underlining the relevance of data protection legislation to business, the UK information commissioner says consumer trust is key to innovation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS to pilot ID verification platform this spring

NHS roadmap for digital services sets out plans for launching a joined-up NHS app, piloting its citizen ID platform and moving across to the new NHS.uk website Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

ICO head tops DataIQ data leader list

The UK’s information commissioner has been named at the top data leader for 2018 in the DataIQ 100 list of most influential data leaders Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR compliance is about risk management and governance, not technology

From 25 May this year, organisations across the ASEAN region will have to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will apply to any company that collects the personal data ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security fears delay roll-out of national e-voting system in Finland

Project enters problem-solving phase to identify advanced, effective and best practice solutions to develop a secure internet-based voting system Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

ANZ organisations grappling with cloud outages

A majority of organisations from Australia and New Zealand admitted in a survey that they had not fully evaluated the impact of cloud outages which were longer than they had expected Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Affiliate marketing industry failing on privacy compliance

The affiliate marketing industry needs to clean up its act in terms of privacy law compliance, a review of more than 900 websites has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Salary is not top way to attract cybersec pros, report reveals

Salary is not the highest priority for cyber security professionals, a report on hiring and retaining top cyber security talent shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms failing to learn from cyber attacks

Organisations are failing to learn from cyber attacks, and lax security practices are leaving organisations worldwide open to damaging cyber attacks, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government must rewrite illegal sections of Snoopers’ Charter, court told

A court has been asked to give ministers until July 2018 to rewrite powers to require phone and internet companies to retain data on the population. The government acknowledges parts of surveillance regime are unlawful Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Businesses urged to patch Oracle WebLogic flaw

Security researchers are again urging businesses to patch an Oracle WebLogic flaw that continues to be exploited by cyber criminals to mine cryptocurrencies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Understanding the cyber threat key to UK defence, says NCSC

Understanding cyber threats is key to defending the UK and ensuring it is a safe place to do business, says the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK local councils under huge cyber attack pressure

Investigation underlines importance of security automation and employee awareness training Continue Reading

How IT is taking UPS to new heights

In this week's Computer Weekly, we talk to UPS CIO Juan Perez to find out how making his IT department “business intimate” is driving innovation at the parcel shipping giant. We look at how cloud management platforms can help ease the adoption of multiple public cloud services. And we examine how UK local councils are struggling to deal with cyber attacks and data breaches. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

GDPR will have positive ripple effect, says US consumer group

New EU data protection laws will have a positive ripple effect around the world, according to a US consumer group Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore firms unprepared for GDPR

An EY study reveals that only 10% of organisations in Singapore are ready to comply with Europe’s new data protection regime Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

London councils set aside more than £1.2m for GDPR

London councils have spent over £1.2m in preparation for new EU data protection laws, a think tank report has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR gotchas and how to handle them

We look at common problems organisations encounter when dealing with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force on 25 May 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Corey Nachreiner, Watchguard Technologies

Cryptomining is top attack type, says Malwarebytes

Malicious cryptomining has been the top cyber criminal activity detected since September 2017, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Surveillance watchdog investigates security risks of GCHQ IT contractors

The investigatory powers commissioner is reviewing the security arrangements for IT contractors that have access to live computer systems at GCHQ holding highly sensitive records on the UK population Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cyber criminals catching up with nation state attacks

The trickle-down effect of advanced “military-grade” tools is seeing the gap between cyber criminal and nation state attack capabilities closing, outpacing many organisations’ defence capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

2018 could be year of mobile malware, says McAfee 

Security firm announces several mobile industry partnerships as its latest mobile threat report shows mobile malware is becoming increasingly popular with cyber attackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most UK small firms still not prepared for GDPR, FSB survey shows

Most small businesses are not prepared for new data regulations, according to research by the Federation of Small Businesses Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR is having positive impact on privacy profession, says IAPP

The EU’s new data protection rules are driving greater interest in the privacy profession, and provide an opportunity to develop new business plans, says privacy association Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Public education important in new data protection era, says ICO

UK information commissioner Elizabeth Denham tells Data Protection 2018 event of the tough requirements ahead in a new age of data regulation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Is cyber security becoming a cost of doing business - to the detriment of our data?

Computer Weekly writes a lot about cyber security – it’s the easily most popular topic among our readers, and always rates as one of the top priorities in our annual survey of IT professionals. ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Avast discovers Tempting Cedar Android spyware campaign

Security researchers have uncovered a three-year-old Android spyware campaign spread through social media and targeting people in the Middle East Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Unprotected Kubernetes consoles expose firms to cryptojacking

A number of big companies have been targeted by crytojacking attacks, where cyber criminals hijack computing power to mine cryptocurrencies, but some have unprotected Kubernetes consoles in common Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Where are security and data governance in IoT?

IoT Back to Basics, chapter 3: It’s no surprise that security and governance are important considerations when it comes to the IoT, but quite how incredibly important they are may not be ... Continue Reading

By

• Jason Stamper, Freeform Dynamics

Hitachi Vantara ups ante on industrial IoT

Potential internet of things powerhouse believes its deep expertise in operational technology will give it a leg up over traditional IT rivals Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Developers urged to submit apps to NHS Apps Library

NHS Digital and NHS England have further opened up the newly updated NHS Apps Library, and are asking developers to submit their apps for assessment Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK plans laws to protect company directors from ID theft

Legislation will make it easier for directors to remove their personal addresses from the company register Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google calls out Microsoft for failing to fix reported flaw

Google’s Project Zero has gone public with a Windows 10 flaw that Microsoft claimed to have fixed in its February security update Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: Nordics CIOs’ priorities in 2018

A select group of CIOs and analysts in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden give their views on the top IT priorities in 2018. As in 2017, digital transformation will continue to be a buzzword. Also read how Sweden is tightening up its cyber security defences as part of a wider national security strategy, and how Nordic banks cannot afford to slow their digital transformations as PSD2 comes into force. Continue Reading

Email attacks and incident detection top security challenges

Email inboxes are the weakest link in security perimeters, and companies struggle with detecting security incidents quickly and accurately, a report finds Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hawaii missile alert: Why the wrong guy was fired

In January 2018, an employee at Hawaii’s emergency management agency sent out a false alarm of an imminent missile attack, and was subsequently fired – but perhaps poor system design is really to blame Continue Reading

By

• Jonny Corbett, Norman & Sons

UK organisations failing to take action against fraud

UK organisations are facing increasingly complex and costly incidents of fraud partly due to increasing cyber fraud, yet few are making use of the anti-fraud technologies available, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

People worried about data security in public sector, survey finds

Majority of people are concerned with the security of the data they share with public sector organisations, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Economic impact of cyber crime is significant and rising

Cyber attacks are becoming easier to carry out while defences remain inadequate, study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security leaders investing in automation and AI, study shows

Automation and artificial Intelligence are being used to defend against cyber threats, says report, but experts warn that these tools and technologies can be exploited by attackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AI a threat to cyber security, warns report

Artificial intelligence is being incorporated into a range of cyber security products, but the technology may also introduce new threats, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Demand for cyber security skills outstrips internal supply, research finds

Businesses are increasingly looking for cyber security skills, but the gap between demand and supply is still prominent Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Businesses face unprecedented volume of cyber attacks

Organisations are facing the highest levels of cyber attacks in both number and sophistication as automated swarm attacks increase, a cyber threat report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Strategic cyber criminals likely to capitalise on GDPR

As cyber criminals concentrate on targeted, strategic, money-making attacks, they are likely to use GDPR fines as leverage to extort money from organisations, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK local councils under huge cyber attack pressure

Investigation underlines importance of security automation and employee awareness training Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

University of Cambridge to host ethical hacking challenge

Cambridge is hosting its 2018 hacking challenge, aiming to captivate students and address the cyber security skills shortage Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

The road to hybrid cloud

Many organisations are already some way along their journey to cloud computing. No matter where you are on this journey - whether still thinking about it or well on the way - finding a source of ... Continue Reading

By

• Clive Longbottom

Botnets shift focus to credential abuse

Cyber criminals are increasingly using automated attacks that make use of stolen credentials, a security threat report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Prepare for Y2K style Meltdown strategy

The days of fixing the date bug in legacy systems may be long gone, but IT now has as much of an effort mitigating the Spectre/Meltdown processor flaw Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Getting a handle on mobile security in your enterprise

Everyone now has a mobile device at work, so how can enterprises ensure they are secure? Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman