IT security

Antivirus tools: Are two programs better than one?

Antivirus software is crucial to your device's security. However, less is often more, especially when considering a secondary free antivirus program. Nick Lewis explains why. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

Google reveals Edge flaw after Microsoft fails to meet deadline

Google’s Project Zero has gone public with another Microsoft security vulnerability after the software giant failed to issue a fix within allotted time Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Chrome OS: Why it may be time to approach desktop IT in a different way

The managed desktop has been running for nearly 20 years. Surely there must be a better way? We investigate Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Tech industry signs cyber security charter

Nine technology organisations have signed a cyber security charter aimed at raising the level of cyber security internationally Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A third of Brits plan to exercise right to be forgotten

After the General Data Protection Regulation compliance deadline, a third of Britons polled say they plan to exercise their right to be forgotten, but few fully understand the GDPR and how it will affect them Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US sentences two Russians for huge data breaches

The US has sentenced two Russian cyber criminals who targeted major payment processors, retailers and financial institutions around the world, as the US joins the UK in condemning Russia for the 2017 NotPetya attacks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Few organisations managing cyber risk, survey shows

Cyber risk management practices are not keeping up with rising cyber security concerns among senior executives around the world, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Briton jailed for two years for product testing for hackers

A Briton has been jailed for two years for running a product-testing service for hackers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

F-Secure warns against ‘evil maid’ attacks

Business people are being urged not to underestimate the importance of physical security for their laptops, which can be used as entry points by attackers if not adequately protected Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Atos investigates breach linked to Winter Olympics cyber attack

IT services firm Atos is investigating a potential security breach in response to reports that employee credentials were found in malware used to target the Winter Olympics Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK Foreign Office minister condemns Russia for NotPetya attacks

The UK has attributed to Russia the NotPetya malware that caused significant disruption globally, based on an assessment by the NCSC Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How AI will underpin cyber security in the next few years

Cyber security risks are growing in complexity and volume, but artificial intelligence techniques can help businesses track and fight them in real time Continue Reading

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• Nicholas Fearn

100 days to GDPR compliance deadline

As the clock ticks down to the deadline to comply with the EU’s new data protection regulations, some surveys indicate there is still some confusion, but the focus has shifted from the sanctions to the benefits Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyberthreat 2018 aimed at UK cyber security techies

Cyberthreat 2018 is aimed at growing the UK’s network of cyber defenders, filling a key gap in the UK cyber security conference calendar and bridging the public-private sector divide Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Blockchain to give global LGBT community a louder economic voice

Blockchain will underpin a global platform that aims to give the LGBT community a more powerful economic voice Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Telegram zero-day exploit is a warning

The discovery of an exploit of a zero-day vulnerability in the Telegram messaging app demonstrates that not all “secure” apps are automatically safe, security experts have warned Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Baited breadth - the rise of phishing

Reviews of organisational security can be viewed in many positive ways, but all too often with trepidation or resignation. The rise of phishing, where spoof, but increasingly credible, messages try ... Continue Reading

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• Rob Bamforth, Timefort

Why police forces need to be honest about mass mobile phone surveillance

Police forces across the UK are covering up their use of sophisticated mass surveillance devices, known as IMSI-catchers - the Bristol Cable and Liberty are campaigning for proper transparency Continue Reading

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• Alon Aviram, The Bristol Cable

Home Office fights terrorist content online with detection tool

The Home Office has partnered ASI Data Science to create a tool which automatically detects terrorist content on online platforms Continue Reading

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• Lis Evenstad

Industrial cyber security improving, but needs work

Cyber attacks on industrial and critical infrastructure systems are increasing in number and sophistication, but more attention is being paid to security, says Honeywell at it opens new Dubai facility Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The National Museum of Computing launches crowd-funding effort for Turing Bombe gallery

The National Museum of Computing is looking for funding to support its efforts to develop a gallery for a working model of the Turing-Welchman Bombe Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What the EU’s new data protection regime means for ASEAN

A large proportion of businesses in the regional economic grouping will be affected by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, but awareness of the new rules remains low, even in countries with existing data protection laws Continue Reading

Personal data of 46.2 million Malaysia mobile subscribers leaked

The massive data breach is yet another example of a ‘low and slow’ attack that stays dormant inside networks for years, without anyone noticing Continue Reading

CW ASEAN: European data law – be aware and prepare

Organisations across the ASEAN region will soon have to comply with another piece of data protec-tion legislation - the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that will apply to any company that collects the personal data of Europeans. In this month's edition of CW ASEAN, we look at how ASEAN is gearing up for the GDPR, the current state of compliance and the law's impact on businesses. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Australian organisations unprepared for GDPR

Faced with the double whammy of complying with Australia’s upcoming data breach notification requirement and Europe’s new data protection regime, Australian firms are behind where they need to be in their compliance efforts Continue Reading

Australian broadcaster hit by data breach

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the latest organisation to fall prey to misconfigured Amazon S3 storage buckets, exposing database backups and sensitive data such as login credentials Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Prepare for EU data law

Faced with the double whammy of complying with Australia’s upcoming data breach notification requirement and Europe’s new data protection regime, Australian firms are behind where they need to be in their compliance efforts. In this month’s edition of CW ANZ, find out how Australian organisations are getting ready for the GDPR, the challenges they are facing in meeting two new laws at the same time, as well as what they need to do to achieve their compliance goals. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

On the path to diversity in tech

In this week's Computer Weekly, after the UK celebrated 100 years of women's suffrage, we look at what more needs to be done to encourage greater diversity in IT to help tackle the on-going skills shortage, and we hear from female industry leaders. We examine how mobile app developers can improve security. And we look at the role of containers in storage architecture. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cyber security awareness top priority in financial sector

Information security chiefs in the financial sector say cyber security awareness needs to be a top priority Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FS-ISAC enables safer financial data sharing with API

The global financial industry's body for cyber and physical threat intelligence analysis and sharing has published an API to facilitate safer sharing of consumer financial information Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Moscow puts municipal vehicles online to save fuel

The city of Moscow has deployed a unified IoT platform to monitor and control all of its municipal vehicles Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Smart security: Go beyond the basics with biometrics

With smartphone makers offering new features such as biometrics, there are lots of options available to businesses when putting mobile security into practice Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Criminals hijack government sites to mine cryptocurrency used to hide wealth

Europol says criminals are hiding billions in cryptocurrencies, as thousands of government and other websites have reportedly been used to hijack computers to mine more Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PyeongChang Winter Games hit by cyber attack

Although critical operations were not affected by the incident, event organisers at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics had to shut down servers and the official games website to prevent further damage Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Belgian police share Cryakl ransomware keys

The Belgian police have released free decryption keys for the Cryakl ransomware through the No More Ransom project Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Video: Lauri Love – why we need volunteers to fight malware

Lauri Love talks to Computer Weekly about plans to collaborate with others to tackle malware and use cryptocurrencies to create new ways for businesses to work Continue Reading

By

• Julia Gregory

Can we trust Intel Inside to mean secure computing?

Intel has just released an updated patch after its previous update failed spectacularly. Now its CEO is promising security assurance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Europe in the firing line of evolving DDoS attacks

The Europe, Middle East and Africa region accounts for more than half the world’s distributed denial of service attacks, a report from F5 Labs reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Malaysian regulator and firm sued over data breach

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and a local company have been caught in a civil lawsuit over a massive data breach reported last year Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

DMA Group working to reduce fear around GDPR

The DMA Group is focused on the GDPR for customer communications and marketing, but says the key aim is to reduce fear in the market Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norway’s government backs cyber defence mobilisation

Norway has accelerated plans to scale up its national security infrastructure against threats emanating from the cyber domain Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

More POS malware detected in the wild

The first new point of sale malware in many months is stealing data from the magnetic strips on payment cards, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Swisscom downplays data breach

Telecommunication provider Swisscom has downplayed a data breach affecting around 800,000 customers, but security experts warn of potential long-term risks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data breaches set to affect future sales

The failure to protect customer data is set to create long-term business problems for organisations in Europe and the US, a survey reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Benelux: Dutch IT expert on a mission to expose vulnerabilities

Dutch ethical hacker Victor Gevers took full-time leave from his IT job last year and used the time to hunt for vulnerabilities. Read about his mission to find vulnerabilities, report them responsibly and then, hopefully, get them fixed by the vulnerable parties involved. Also in this issue, read how Proximus, Belgium’s largest telecommunications operator, is leaning on Cloudify to support its adoption of network functions virtualisation, and how journalists showed that the email addresses of Dutch politicians are easy to spoof. Continue Reading

Teenager suspected of crippling Dutch banks with DDoS attacks

A large distributed denial of service attack on banks and other organisations in the Netherlands, first thought to emanate from Russia, is now thought to have been launched by a local teenager Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Mobile biometrics set to be game-changer in APAC

Telcos, financial institutions and other industry players risk losing market share if they do not keep up with the demand for security, convenience and mobility Continue Reading

By

• Lareinna Roxanne Lee and Quah Mei Lee

Spoofing of Dutch politicians causes heated debate

 Continue Reading

Third party cyber breach risk set to rise

Third party cyber security risk should always have been a priority, but this has never been more important than it is now in light of new technology risks and data protection regulations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: How to evolve SecOps capacity

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Davis, (ISC)²

UK government orders review of online laws

The UK Law Commission is to review current legislation on offensive online communications to ensure they are up to date with technology Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Most NHS trusts have failed their cyber security assessments, NHS Digital admits

NHS Digital deputy CEO Rob Shaw told Public Accounts Committee all 200 trusts assessed for cyber security, both before and after the WannaCry attack, have failed their assessments Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How to manage application security risks and shortcomings

A lack of proper testing, communication and insight into best practices all contribute to application security shortcomings. Kevin Beaver explains how to manage the risks. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

UK leads international crackdown on Luminosity spyware

Law enforcement agencies shut down international support network for a hacking tool that allowed cyber criminals to gain remote control of victims’ computers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Take care of security basics before automating

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Greg Temm

Many UK firms ill-equipped to deal the cloud security risks

Many UK firms do not have the security tools, processes and skills required to ensure their cloud implementations are secure, a security researcher and advocate warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lauri Love plans to use ‘internet as a force for good’

Engineering student Lauri Love says he plans to help businesses fight cyber crime, after the court of appeal ruled that he can be tried in the UK for allegedly hacking US computer systems, rather than face extradition to the US Continue Reading

By

• Julia Gregory and Niels Ladefoged

Security Think Tank: How automation can reduce the load on the security operations team

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

3, 2, 1, GDPR: How to be prepared on 25 May

There are seven key areas organisations should review to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, and even though the deadline is less than four months away, it is still not too late to start Continue Reading

By

• Omer Tene, IAPP

NCSC shows how first year affected cyber attacks on the UK

Initiatives by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have detected and prevented millions of online commodity attacks, the agency’s first annual report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Appeals court rules Lauri Love will not be extradited over US hacking charges

The lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, says 33-year-old engineering student Lauri Love will not be extradited to the US to face hacking charges, in a landmark legal decision, and the Crown Prosecution Service should bring proceedings against Love in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Julia Gregory

NHS WannaCry review highlights need for accountability and skills

Lessons-learned report on ransomware attack calls for local NHS organisations to put cyber security bosses on their boards and consider suspending IT access to staff who have not completed cyber security training Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Safer Internet Day: Building online safety practices with young people

Many organisations around the UK are contributing to the important work on making the internet a safer place for everyone Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Researchers discover malicious Chrome extensions

Security researchers have discovered a new botnet delivered via malicious Chrome extensions designed to hijack computers to mine cryptocurrency and record victims’ every move Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Government backs national cyber policy and strategy competition

London is to host a national cyber policy and strategy competition, which has the backing of government, industry and academia Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Approaches to strengthening security operations

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Rory Alsop

GDPR: Don’t panic, but seize the chance to build trust, says ICO

With the compliance deadline for the EU’s GDPR just 112 days away, the UK’s information commissioner has urged organisations not to panic, but to seize the chance to build trust with customers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

As Gov.uk Verify concerns mount, is GDS about to lose control of digital identity policy?

There’s a growing body of opinion that the government’s flagship digital identity system, Gov.uk Verify, has now become a major hindrance to the development of the UK’s digital identity ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Appeal Court to give landmark verdict on Lauri Love extradition

The Appeal Court will decide whether Lauri Love, who has serious health issues, should be extradited to the US to face hacking charges, or face trial in the UK. The landmark case is the first test of legal protections introduced by Theresa May to protect vulnerable people Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Google Q4 results show businesses are buying into its public cloud

The Google Cloud Platform is earning the search engine giant $1bn per quarter. Expect more cloud investment this year Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Aaron Powell, CDO, NHS Blood and Transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant chief digital officer Aaron Powell explains why pushing a digital transformation agenda has a real impact on people’s lives Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Europe’s shameful role in spy-tech exports that led to torture and jail

Governments in Europe actively assisted in government oppression in Iran, Bahrain and Russia by providing states with sophisticated surveillance equipment. The European Parliament is pressing for changes in the law to restrict exports of spy-technology to countries with poor human rights records Continue Reading

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• Marietje Schaake, European Parliament

Faster data is a safer bet for risk exposure

Betting platform service supplier FSB Technology (UK) has used GridGain’s in-memory database to support its existing PostgreSQL transactional system Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dutch Filmworks disrupts piracy fight by imposing download fines

Netherlands’ privacy watchdog grants film production company permission to collect IP addresses as part of its fight against illegal downloading Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

ASEAN nations among worst hit by cryptocurrency-mining operation

Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia recorded high download numbers for the XMRig software that was surreptitiously slipped into user devices to mine Monero Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Industrial cyber security continues to be poor, warns report

The number of internet-accessible industrial control systems is increasing every year, researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses urged to patch against cryptocurrency-mining botnet

Researchers have uncovered further evidence that cyber criminals are cashing in on the popularity of cryptocurrencies, with the discovery of a global cryptocurrency-mining botnet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Automating basic security tasks

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Privacy lessons from the fitness fiasco

Most of us already recognise that technology has the potential to wipe out our privacy, if checks and balances are not in place – or at least I hope we do! What’s scary then in the recent hoo-hah ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Dutch companies not ready for GDPR despite approaching deadline

Organisations in the Netherlands are racing towards General Data Protection Regulation compliance, but there is still much to be done Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Facebook reports $15.9bn profit after ‘hard’ year

Facebook has reported a strong fourth quarter and a strong year with quarterly profit up 20% and annual profit up 56%, but chief Mark Zuckerberg admits it has been a challenging 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Thousands of Universal Credit claimants unable to use Gov.uk Verify to apply for benefits

Government research shows that barely one-third of benefits claimants can successfully apply for new Universal Credit digital service using flagship online identity system Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Many businesses still using outdated security, says Troy Hunt

Too many businesses are using out-of-date approaches to security, a world-renowned cyber security author and trainer warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

GDPR requests to take thousands of hours a month, says survey

A recent survey predicts organisations will potentially face thousands of customer requests about their personal information every month, with many unprepared for GDPR compliance Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t automatically automate security

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

UK finance sector cyber security pros admit shocking practices

UK financial sector IT security teams face immense challenges that are undermining business opportunities and continuity in financial services, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Navigating ASEAN’s patchy cyber security landscape

Cyber resilience remains low across Southeast Asia, a regional economic powerhouse that is increasingly susceptible to cyber threats as its digital economy grows Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

IT Priorities 2018: Why IT must change its approach to Windows 10

Windows 10 is set to be a top priority for IT departments this year, but it should be seen as more than just a desktop operating system upgrade Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Data breach disclosure law will lift Australia’s cyber security game

New rules underscore Australia’s recent efforts to tackle cyber security challenges on the local and international stage Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Kennedy

Security Think Tank: Establish best practice before automating security processes

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Cyber security salaries will rise 7% in 2018, says research

Salaries for increasingly popular technology roles such as cyber security are set to rise over the next year Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government surveillance regime unlawful, court rules in Tom Watson case

Appeal court ruled in favour of Labour MP Tom Watson in a legal battle with the government over the UK’s surveillance laws, leading to calls to rethink controversial Investigatory Powers Act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

IT Priorities 2018: Data protection a top priority ahead of GDPR

Data protection continues to be a key focus for IT security investment for European firms in 2018, as does the emphasis on cloud and mobile security as companies move to these technology platforms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Most online retail sites put customers at risk of phishing

Most top online retail sites fail to protect consumers from phishing attacks, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Davos: Cyber risks grow as countries turn towards protectionism

The cost of natural disasters is now at record levels, but the cost of cyber crime is far higher. The World Economic Forum hopes to persuade governments to work together on the problem, but with isolationist politics back in fashion, can it succeed? Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Davos: Disintegration of the internet could create economic turmoil

Politicians and business leaders will discuss the risks posed by fake news, cyber attacks, and artificial intelligence to jobs, political stability and global security, at the World Economic Forum in Davos Continue Reading

Davos debates global tech risks

In this week's Computer Weekly, world leaders at Davos discuss the growing reliance on technology and how to tackle the political and economic threats of the digital age. Our latest buyer's guide examines mobile app development. And we look at the biggest challenges facing CIOs in 2018 - including digital skills, automation, innovation and diversity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Humans and AI machines in harmony

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Piers Wilson, IISP

Millennials set to disrupt authentication, shows IBM study

Young adults are lax on passwords, but are more comfortable than older generations with biometric and multifactor authentication, an IBM study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

GDPR’s latest gift? Class action privacy cases

Europeans will in future be able to bring US-style class actions for (alleged) privacy violations, instead of having to sue individually and expensively. It’s thanks to a little-known clause of the ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics