Network security management

Government overhauls security classification to fit digital age

In its first overhaul since World War II the government is consolidating six security bands to three with a system deemed more appropriate in the digital age. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The challenges of using mobile devices in the public sector

The government is allowing the public sector to implement BYOD schemes, but the guidelines are limiting and challenges still remain Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Neustar to host first DDoS awareness day

Communications firm Neustar is to host the first international awareness day on distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McAfee Focus 2013: McAfee leadership upbeat about Stonesoft acquisition

Intel-owned security firm McAfee is upbeat about its acquisition of Stonesoft and its future capability to tackle security differently Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MoD announces specialist programme to fend off cyber attacks

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a strategy to defend UK national security from the threat of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2013

Cyber crime featured heavily in security news coverage in 2013, with cyber criminals and cyber law enforcers upping their games with each passing month Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NSA and GCHQ unlock online privacy encryption

UK and US intelligence agencies have unlocked the technology used to encrypt online services, including email, online banking and medical records. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Windows 2012 Server Network Security

This book chapter offers an introduction to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 network security and IPv6. It includes a 30% discount code for Computer Weekly readers. Continue Reading

Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond

This extract from the book Windows Server 2012 Security from End to Edge and Beyond shows you how to plan your platform security requirements and gives you the critical questions to ask. Continue Reading

Printing: a false sense of security?

Louella Fernandes and Bob Tarzey show how secure printing technology can provide authentication, authorisation and accounting capabilities, helping businesses improve document security and meet compliance regulations. Continue Reading

Charlie McMurdie joins PwC’s cyber practice

Charlie McMurdie, former head of the Metro Police central e-crime unit, is joining business consultancy firm PwC as its senior crime adviser Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Targeted attacks and how to defend against them

Analysts Bob Tarzey and Louella Fernandes assess the scale and real impact of targeted attacks the measures being taken to defend against them. Continue Reading

Websites hacked to show child abuse images

More than 25 business websites worldwide have been hacked to show illegal images of child sex abuse Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Big data journalism exposes offshore tax dodgers

How journalists harnessed big data to challenge offshore financial secrecy Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell and Craig Shaw

Continual vigilance key to security, says Damballa

UK businesses must update their approach to cyber security to look for signs of compromise continually Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Securing your Wi-Fi data network

Has the 2007 assault on the Wi-Fi network of the US based TJX retail group shocked corporations enough to take note and ensure their networks are actually secure?CW Europe investigates the dip in high-profile security breaches, across the region. Continue Reading

IT security case studies

Four critical IT security case-studies selected from the winners of Computer Weekly's European User Awards for security Continue Reading

Needle in a Datastack: The rise of big security data

This research from McAfee investigates how well organisations are positioned to address the challenges of managing security in a world of ever increasing amounts and types of data. Continue Reading

IT Security Case Studies

Warwick Ashford presents 4 essential IT security case-studies selected from the winners of Computer Weekly's European User Awards. Continue Reading

UK takes cyber threats to infrastructure seriously

The UK is taking seriously potential cyber threats to critical national infrastructure, according to GCHQ head Iain Lobban Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Prism unlikely to change much

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

UK businesses failing to secure virtual environments, study finds

Most UK businesses are failing to secure data in virtual environments, a survey of IT decision makers has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Telefonica Digital forms security group Eleven Paths

The business division of mobile operator Telefonica launches Eleven Paths, an independent company working on security issues in the workplace Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Privileged accounts key to most APT attacks, says Cyber-Ark

The theft, misuse and exploitation of privileged accounts is becoming an increasingly key tactic in advanced persistent threat attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What’s to be done about data breach discovery?

The time from first contact by cyber attackers to the victim learning of it is still measured in months and years, not hours and days Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW buyer's guide: context-aware security

This 11-page Computer Weekly buyer's guide looks at how organisations should approach context-aware security technologies and what business benefits they can deliver. Continue Reading

CW Special Report on CSC

This 16-page report from Computer Weekly analyses the challenges facing CSC, its financial performance, the services it offers, its place in the IT market and its future strategy. Continue Reading

Another online firm hit by data breach

Online deals service LivingSocial is the latest company to report a breach of its computer systems that may mean attackers accessed customer details Continue Reading

Spam SMS messages drop following ICO penalty

The number of spam SMS messages has significantly reduced since government regulator ICO issued £440,000 fines last year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Infosec 2013: University research challenges reliability of IPS

Research shows intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are not as effective at detecting malicious activity as some might think Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The internet of things is set to change security priorities

IT leaders must protect against the security risks introduced by the growing interaction between technology and the physical world. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Rose

Conficker makes way for web-based attacks, says Microsoft

Web attacks emerge as top threat as businesses finally begin to win the battle against Conficker and other worms, says Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Bots and web apps among top threats to data security, says Check Point

Bots, viruses, breaches and attacks are a constant and real threat to the information security of organisations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Porn websites pose malware risk, says researcher

Browsing popular pornography internet sites pose a growing risk of malware infection, according to a security researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Anonymous threatens to declare cyber war on North Korea

Anonymous hacktivist collective has threatened North Korea with cyber war if leader Kim Jong-un does not resign and install free democracy Continue Reading

UK government sets up cyber security fusion cell

A cyber security “fusion cell” for cross-sector threat data sharing aims to put government, industry and information security analysts side-by-side Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Employees ignore security rules, say infosec pros

Most information security professionals believe corporate employees wilfully ignore security rules, survey at RSA Conference 2013 reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Hamilton Fraser embraces BYOD with MobileIron

How insurance firm Hamilton Fraser is using MobileIron to enable employees to bring their own devices while following company policy Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

What is RSA's build, buy, partner strategy?

Computer Weekly takes a closer look at RSA's build, buy, partner strategy Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security the future: Keeping up with the business

Gareth Lindahl-Wise, group information security manager at British American Tobacco, explains the company's approach to enterprise security architecture. Continue Reading

How to tackle big data from a security point of view

Before leaping into big data, companies must be clear what they are trying to achieve, otherwise their investment will be wasted Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

How to find the most vulnerable systems on your internal network

Most corporate networks share common vulnerabilities, but many could be mitigated with education in “hacker thinking” for technical staff Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

Why has NAC, like DLP, failed to take off?

Why are organisations not investing in systems that are designed to keep malicious actors out of their networks? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO hits Sony with £250,000 data breach penalty

The Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has fined Sony Computer Entertainment Europe £250,000 for breaching the Data Protection Act Continue Reading

Why has DLP never taken off?

Why is data loss prevention (DLP) technology not being adopted if it provides the very protection most businesses need? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business priorities: what to protect, monitor and test

How information security professionals can prioritise what to protect, monitor and test in the light of current budget and resource constraints Continue Reading

2012 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: UK

The 2012 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: United Kingdom is independently conducted by Ponemon Institute. The benchmark study, sponsored by HP Enterprise Security is based on a representative sample of 38 organisations in various industry sectors. Continue Reading

IT Security Purchasing Intentions 2013

This in-depth research from Computer Weekly and TechTarget reveals the IT security spending priorities of businesses in the UK and Europe. Continue Reading

Many UK firms underestimate cost of data breaches, study finds

Many UK organisations are still failing to understand the implications and costs of data breaches, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Global State of Information Security Survey 2013: Key Findings

This global study examines the state of cyber-security and the impact of cyber crime and offers advice to businesses on reducing the risks. Continue Reading

Hacking attempts to top one billion in Q4, predicts NCC Group

One billion hacking attempts will be made globally in the final quarter of 2012, according to information assurance firm NCC Group Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police arrest man for DDoS attacks on Theresa May sites

Police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a cyber attack on websites connected to home secretary Theresa May Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

‘VM-aware’ viruses on the rise

Viruses targeting virtual machines (VM) are growing in numbers and will soon be the dominant force in the world of cyber crime, says Kaspersky Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

IT security budgets mismatched to hacker targets, study shows

IT security budgets are not being used to provide defence technologies in some areas most likely to be targeted by hackers, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO hits Stoke-on-Trent City Council with £120,000 fine

Stoke City Council has breached the Data Protection Act, for the second time in two years, after details of a child protection legal case were emailed to the wrong person. Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

ZTE targets local government for UK growth

Despite security controversy, Chinese firm ZTE’s UK head of sales tells Computer Weekly one of its first targets will be local government Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Organisations need alternative data protection as security models fail

Organisations' security models are failing - so could it be time to adopt an intelligence-led approach to data protection and fighting cyber crime? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Europe: Thousands of unprotected virtual servers exposed to the web

Organisations are failing to protect data in virtual environments, says Jason Hart, vice-president cloud solutions, SafeNet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA Europe: Security concerns whole supply chain, says Misha Glenny

Targeted attacks affect the whole supply chain, not just big corporations, author Misha Glenny tells RSA Conference Europe 2012 attendees Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security firm warns against Samsung Galaxy Tab for enterprise use

Security specialist Context Information Security says vulnerabilities in the Samsung Galaxy Tab make it unsuitable for use in the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Hackers target White House military network

Hackers using computers in China have infiltrated an “unclassified” network in the US White House, believed to be used for issuing nuclear commands. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam hackers launch cyber attack on US bank Wells Fargo

A hacker group connected to Hamas says it attacked US bank Wells Fargo in reaction to the video 'Innocence of Muslims' posted on YouTube Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MDM, security vendors scramble to address BYOD security issues

Organisations are looking beyond NAC and MDM to resolve BYOD security issues; MDM, security and hybrid vendors are responding with new products. Continue Reading

By

• Tracey Caldwell, Contributor

SIEM deployment case study shows patience is required

Williams Lea’s SIEM is already helping reduce manual log reviews. But there’s still a lot of work to be done before the SIEM can be fully deployed. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

New batch of IDS, IPS evasion techniques are hitting their targets

Stonesoft has discovered 163 new advanced evasion techniques (AET), claiming these AETs can pass below the radar of some IDS, IPS products. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

OpenVAS how-to: Creating a vulnerability assessment report

In this OpenVAS how-to, learn how to use the free scanner to create a vulnerability assessment report and assess threat levels. Continue Reading

By

• Mike McLaughlin, Contributor

Best practices for audit, log review for IT security investigations

Device logs can be one of the most helpful tools infosec pros have, or they can be a huge waste of space. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Cobb

Best practices for (small) botnets

Your enterprise might have a strategy to deal with a large-scale botnet attack, but how would you deal with a micro-botnet that knows how to bypass antivirus and firewalls? Get botnet help with this expert advice. Continue Reading

By

• Marcos Christodonte II

How to use a netstat command in Windows to watch open ports

Mike Cobb shows how a simple command line tool can provide invaluable information about what's happening on your system Continue Reading

By

• Michael Cobb

Using Wireshark to monitor and secure your network

Learn how to use packet analyser, Wireshark, in this illustrated tutorial. Continue Reading

By

• Mike Chapple, University of Notre Dame

Getting the best bargain on network vulnerability scanning

When it comes to enterprise network analysis, is it best to use a commercial vulnerability scanner or an open source product? Mike Chapple explains. Continue Reading

By

• Mike Chapple, University of Notre Dame

Losing the war to lock down networks might help enterprises innovate

While security concerns cannot be set aside, users unwilling to leave their own applications at home might bring some innovation to the office. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Morisy, TechTarget

Wireless network security made easy - from "The Book of PF"

How to get wireless networks running and some options for making your wireless network more secure, including encryption for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Continue Reading

By

• No Starch Press

Holidays are over; now beware the gadgets

The post-holiday influx of consumer devices poses increased risk of data leakage and other threats to network security. Continue Reading

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• Michael Morisy, TechTarget

Cisco Trusted Security to boost network security, management

Cisco's Trusted Security (TrustSec) hardens network security while easing some management. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Morisy, TechTarget

Cisco upgrades Catalyst 4500 and 6500 switches

Cisco today released updates to its modular Catalyst 4500 and 6500 switch series to add more capacity, scalability and redundancy. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

USB storage devices: Two ways to stop the threat to network security

USB storage devices pose a significant threat to network security. This tip discusses some basic strategies for blocking unauthorized USB device use. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

Juniper updates network access control

Juniper has updated its Unified Access Control NAC products to include better pre- and post-admission, identity and role awareness and other new features. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Researchers warn of new attack methods against Cisco IOS

Several new attack methods against Cisco IOS were uncovered during an analysis conducted by researchers at Information Risk Management. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Bringing the network perimeter back from the 'dead'

Many have expressed the importance of endpoint security, going so far as to say the perimeter is dead. Not so fast, says network security expert Mike Chapple. Continue Reading

By

• Mike Chapple, University of Notre Dame

NAC switches, appliances help track users, malware

Some vendors are offering switches and appliances to monitor traffic for malware and unauthorized access, as the NAC market sorts itself out. Continue Reading

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• Neil Roiter, TechTarget

Network access control vendors: Attraction vs. retention

Network access control (NAC) vendors were evaluated based on attractiveness and customer retention in a recent survey by Current Analysis. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Network analysis -- Enhancing security assessments

Network security assessment doesn't have to rely on expensive automated tools. In this tip, learn how to use data from freely available tools to produce a comprehensive view of network security. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Piscitello

VoIP vulnerability threatens data

VoIP vulnerabilities have now reached a level of sophistication that allows hackers to steal, view or delete data. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Cisco warns of critical IOS flaws

Attackers could exploit multiple flaws in Cisco's IOS to cause a denial of service or remotely execute arbitrary code. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity ANZ Staff

Black Hat 2007: Researchers highlight new database attack method

At this week's hacker confab, expert penetration testers will demonstrate how cyberthieves can reach into corporate databases -- without exploiting a specific software flaw -- to steal credit card and Social Security numbers. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Stop simultaneous connections to corporate LANs and external Wi-Fi networks

How can you stop simultaneous connections to corporate LANs and external Wi-Fi networks? Find out from expert Lisa Phifer. Continue Reading

By

• Lisa Phifer, Core Competence

NAC growth sluggish as companies consider network security options

Companies are taking a wait-and-see approach, hoping the technology's maturity will make it more cost effective. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Wireless security -- Defending Wi-Fi clients

In this tip, Lisa Phifer examines how host-resident wireless IPS agents can help you safeguard Wi-Fi client devices to ensure strong wireless security. Continue Reading

By

• Lisa Phifer, Core Competence

Network security: Overlay versus perimeter security model debated at Catalyst

Traditional network perimeter security -- firewalls, and even network access control -- may soon be pushed out in favour of using VPNs for network security, which could ease the security burden for networking staff, according to Dave Passmore. The Research Director at Burton Group pointed out that there is a growing disagreement about where security controls should reside and how those controls should be implemented. Continue Reading

By

• Amy Kucharik, TechTarget

Securing the enterprise VoIP perimeter

How to make VoIP work without sacrificing firewalls or network perimeter security. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Audin, Delphi Inc.

Network access controlled via biometrics

Fingerprint readers, a form of biometrics, have been used to protect data and endpoints, but now IT is using the security technology to control network access Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Microsoft unveils unified communications devices

Microsoft unveils unified communications devices. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Unified communications translates to intelligent communications

Unified communications and its business benefits were the underlying themes of the keynote presentations yesterday at VoiceCon Spring 2007. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

OSI: Securing the stack, Layer 2 -- Understanding the role of ARP

Part two of our series on securing the OSI stack looks at the perils of Address Resolution Protocol. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Gregg, Superior Solutions, Inc.

Network security threats and answers, by industry

Michael Gregg offers network pros in various industries security advice and step-by-step solutions to help lock down the network. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Gregg, Superior Solutions, Inc.

Network security -- Taking the layered approach

Network security is tricky business. In his new book Hack the Stack, author and security expert Michael Gregg outlines how to secure the network using the OSI model. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

NAC implementation slows as networking budgets grow

Network Access Control (NAC) implementations will decrease, despite growth in networking budgets. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart

Intrusion detection systems -- introduction to IDS and IPCop

This article, excerpted from the book ""Configuring IPCop Firewalls: Closing Borders with Open Source,"" explores how intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) including Snort and IPCop protect the network from malicious attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Barrie Dempster & James Eaton-Lee

Windows Vista security settings

Microsoft's Windows Vista is here. Here, Current Analysis senior analyst Andrew Braunberg discusses what network admins need to know about tightening up Vista security. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Braunberg