Network security management

RagnarLocker cyber gang that pioneered double extortion busted

Europol and the FBI have taken down the RagnarLocker ransomware crew, a long-standing gang that helped pioneer some now common tactics, taking its dark web negotiation and data leak sites offline Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fears grow over extent of Cisco IOS XE zero-day

Researchers have identified spiking numbers of victims of a recently disclosed Cisco zero-day, as users of the networking supplier’s IOS XE software are urged to take defensive measures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Loughborough Uni to create five cyber AI research posts

Supported by Darktrace, Loughborough University is to recruit five doctoral researchers focusing on cross-disciplinary research in AI and cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What are the cyber risks from the latest Middle Eastern conflict?

The outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel in October 2023 has seen a wide variety of accompanying cyber attacks from hacktivists and other groups. We look at the risks to organisations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Networking and security teams converging

Study finds more than 80% of IT leaders are consolidating security and networking teams or have a management directive to improve collaboration, with 75% believing using one platform for both purposes would provide benefits across the board Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Five Eyes issues five tips on thwarting nation state threats

Intelligence chiefs from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US have published guidance on building resilience against nation state cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Alert sounded over dangerous Cisco IOS XE zero-day

Cisco warns customers using its IOS XE software of a newly discovered vulnerability that could enable a threat actor to take over their systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MGM faces £100m loss from cyber attack on its casinos

MGM Resorts has provided further details on the fallout of the hack targeting its casinos in early September, confirming that a range of personal information has been stolen and that it will likely cost the firm around $100m Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Can steel fences halt the march of cyber?

Cyber: for some, it’s a prefix that conjures up images of Dr Who’s silvery cyborg opponents. For others, it’s the equally science-fiction but very different image of Neuromancer-style cyberpunk ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Ransomware dwell times now measured in hours, says Secureworks

Ransomware payloads are now being deployed and executed within 24 hours in more than 50% of cases, according to Secureworks’ annual report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware: All the ways you can protect storage and backup

We survey the key methods of ransomware protection, including immutable snapshots, anomaly detection, air-gapping, anomaly detection, and supplier monetary guarantees Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

RSA and other crypto systems vulnerable to side-channel attack

A researcher has found that a flaw in RSA is still vulnerable – a quarter of a century after it was first discovered Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIISec scores DSIT funding to expand successful CyberEPQ scheme

DSIT has committed to enhanced funding to expand CIISec’s CyberEPQ education programme after recording excellent results to date Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Akamai is driving growth in APAC

Akamai's managing director for the region outlines the company’s growth journey, how it sets itself apart from competitors, and its strategies to drive the next phase of growth Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security and risk management spending to grow 14% next year

Growth in public cloud services will stand out over the next 12 months, as Gartner projects an overall 14% increase in cyber spending in 2024 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

City of Las Vegas masters cyber incident response with Darktrace

The high-rolling city of Las Vegas experiences unique cyber security challenges rarely seen elsewhere. CIO Mike Sherwood reveals how he turned to Darktrace to help address incidents quicker and with confidence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New revelations from the Snowden archive surface

A decade after Snowden exposed NSA’s mass surveillance in cooperation with the British GCHQ, only about 1% of the documents have been published – but three major facts can finally be revealed thanks to a doctoral thesis in applied cryptography by Jacob Appelbaum Continue Reading

By

• Stefania Maurizi

Nominet and European counterparts link up on intelligence sharing

The new European TLD ISAC, a collaborative project between top-level domain providers across Europe, aims to enhance their collective security posture to better protect internet users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Dutch startup Once.net secured this year’s Eurovision vote with Cloudflare

When the Eurovision Song Contest introduced paid-for public voting from outside Europe in 2023, it faced new cyber challenges. We look at how two firms teamed up to secure and support the big night. Continue Reading

Las Vegas mainstay Caesars Palace likely paid off ransomware crew

Caesars Entertainment, owner of the lavish Roman Empire-themed Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas, has revealed it also suffered a ransomware attack, and appears to have paid off its hackers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data on over 3,000 Airbus suppliers leaked after breach

An emergent threat actor has leaked details of multiple sensitive Airbus suppliers after claiming to have accessed the firm’s systems having hacked customer Turkish Airlines Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

As vehicle safety regulations loom, carmakers fret over cyber risks

Global, UN-backed car safety and security regulations come into force next year, and automotive bosses say they are not only unprepared, but “swamped” by a tide of compliance and security risks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Storm-0324 gathers over Microsoft Teams

An initial access broker associated with several different ransomware operations is now conducting Microsoft Teams phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ExtraHop open sources 16 million rows of threat domain data

NDR specialist ExtraHop says making its entire machine learning dataset available for anybody to view will help organisations better defend against cyber attacks originating from malicious domains generated by algorithms Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US casino giant MGM Resorts battles 36-hour outage after cyber attack

Multiple systems at US hotel and casino operator MGM went down in the wake of the incident on 10 September, crippling several of Las Vegas’ most prominent casinos Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI-powered cloud SIEM: Real-time threat intel boosts defences

Thanks to their advanced data analysis and predictive capabilities, AI and ML will be valuable protective tools going forward. Learn about the potential of AI-backed cloud SIEM technology Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

Apple patches Blastpass exploit abused by spyware makers

Apple has patched two vulnerabilities that formed an exploit chain which has been allegedly abused by spyware company NSO Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Netskope is driving growth in APAC

Netskope is growing at over 50% year on year in the Asia-Pacific region, but the single-vendor SASE supplier is not limiting its customers to its own offerings Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Honeywell goes quantum to protect utilities from future threats

Honeywell and quantum computing specialist Quantinuum will integrate quantum-hardened encryption keys into future smart meters Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft finds Storm-0558 exploited crash dump to steal signing key

Microsoft has published new information on how the Chinese state threat actor Storm-0558 was able to exploit a rare race condition following a crash dump in order to acquire a consumer signing key Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Plymouth Uni spearheads research into wind farm cyber resilience

Project hosted at the University of Plymouth in Devon aims to develop cyber security measures to protect the UK’s increasingly important offshore wind farm assets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LockBit ransomware gang allegedly leaks MoD data after hit on supplier

The UK government appears to have become entangled in a LockBit ransomware attack after data was leaked from a third-party supplier online Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How startup Once.net and Cloudflare secured the 2023 Eurovision vote

When the Eurovision Song Contest introduced paid-for public voting from outside Europe in 2023, it faced new cyber challenges. Learn how Dutch startup Once.net and Cloudflare teamed up to secure and support the big night Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Threat actors exploiting unpatched Juniper Networks devices

A series of vulnerabilities in Juniper Networks firewalls and switches appear to be being exploited in the wild to enable remote code execution, with thousands of devices thought to be exposed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The quantum threat: Implications for the Internet of Things

The Security Think Tank assesses the state of encryption technology, exploring topics such as cryptographic techniques, data-masking, the legal ramifications of end-to-end encryption, and the impact of quantum Continue Reading

By

• Jonathan Lane, PA Consulting

Sandworm attacks Ukraine with Infamous Chisel malware

The UK and its allies have attributed a novel malware campaign against Ukrainian state targets to the Russian intelligence-backed Sandworm APT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI and supply chain visibility key to mitigating OT security threats

Leveraging AI and maintain visibility into the security of your software supply chain are key to mitigating cyber attacks against operational technology systems Continue Reading

By

• Eric Byres

Google bets on AI-backed cyber controls for Workspace users

Zero-trust and digital sovereignty controls are the focus of a series of enhancements being made for Google Workspace users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber attacks in 2023 develop quicker as average dwell times plummet

The median attacker dwell time shrunk from 10 to eight days in the first seven months of 2023, and in the case of ransomware attacks it is down to just five days Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT flies into NATS network, cyber security project

Organisation tasked with managing air travel in the UK implements ‘transformational’ technology programme to keep skies safe and support customers worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Three UK expands business offering with device management proposition

Cloud-based offering to enable UK operator to offer businesses ability to manage over-the-air configuration of devices, simplifying complex IT admin while securely increasing employee productivity Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Microsoft addresses Office vulnerability attacked by Russian spooks in latest update

Microsoft has issued fixes for over 70 vulnerabilities in its August Patch Tuesday drop, including remedies for CVE-2023-36884, which was disclosed without a fix in July and has been the subject of Kremlin-backed cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs warn about growing prevalence of tech-enabled domestic abuse

The UK government must take action to prevent perpetrators from being able to use connected or smart technologies to conduct their domestic abuse, a select committee has warned Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Workplace monitoring needs worker consent, says select committee

Employers looking to monitor their employees through connected devices should only to so with the consent of those affected due to negative impacts such surveillance can have on work intensification and mental health Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Plexal takes on new cohort for cyber security leadership scheme

Six more cyber security startup founders have been selected to take part in Plexal’s latest Cyber Runway Ignite programme, which is designed to help them develop their leadership skills Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cozy Bear hijacks SME Microsoft 365 tenants in latest campaign

Microsoft shares intelligence on a newly observed Cozy Bear campaign that saw the APT take over genuine Microsoft 365 tenants and subvert them to try to phish its victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ivanti MDM users told to patch against two dangerous flaws

Users of Ivanti’s mobile device management platform have been warned to act now to patch two vulnerabilities that were chained by a threat actor in a series of cyber attacks on the Norwegian government Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Singtel adds Zscaler SSE to managed security services portfolio

Singtel teams up with Zscaler to offer a managed security service edge service as it looks to ramp up its enterprise business Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

AI has a place in cyber, but needs effective evaluation

Organisations that don’t leverage AI-based security solutions will find themselves more vulnerable than those that do., but cyber pros still need to ensure they can effectively evaluate AI-enhanced tech to ensure it meets their use case Continue Reading

By

• Jack Chapman

Lancaster Uni lends cyber support to nuclear decommissioning body

Lancaster University’s cyber team has joined with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to help support and protect its 300-year mission, while enhancing its own capabilities in the process Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Indian organisations are keeping pace with cyber security

Indian organisations are shoring up their defences to improve their cyber resilience amid intensifying cyber threats targeted at key sectors such as healthcare and logistics Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

AI-enhanced cyber has potential, but watch out for marketing hype

As AI is a hot topic right now, it is no surprise there are some cyber solutions coming to market that have been thrown together in haste, but that said, genuine AI-powered security products do exist and their abilities could yet prove transformative. Continue Reading

By

• Shailendra Parihar, Turnkey Consulting

NATO countries must coordinate their cyber forces to combat the Russian threat  

The top item on the agenda at the Vilnius NATO Summit this month was the revamping the alliance’s defences. Continue Reading

By

• CEO of SimSpace and former military officer at US Cyber Command

Cisco, BT and others launch network security coalition

Network Resilience Coalition focuses on bringing together global expertise to improve data and network security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tetra radio users’ comms may have been exposed for years

A number of flaws in the encryption algorithms used in the secure Tetra radio communications standard have potentially left users exposed to snooping Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Citrix NetScaler users told to patch new zero-day urgently

A vulnerability disclosed and patched last week by Citrix appears to be being exploited by China-backed threat actors as a zero-day, prompting warnings from government cyber bodies Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security AI and automation may reduce cost of data breaches

Organisations that go all in on security AI and automation tend to incur lower financial costs when they experience a data breach incident, according to an IBM report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy

The impact of data breaches and cyber threats on businesses, societies and the environment makes cyber security a key consideration in an environment, social and governance strategy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

The problem with ‘secure’ messaging

Secure instant messaging is becoming a norm for business communications but it raises three important security and compliance questions   Continue Reading

By

• Andersen Cheng, Executive Chairman, Post-Quantum  

What the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act means for UK industry

For years, many network-connected devices have lacked adequate security, putting their users and others at risk of cyber attacks. The UK’s PSTI Act aims to prevent this by mandating minimum security requirements, but what impact will this have on industry? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Attention-seeking KillNet hacktivists becoming more dangerous

The KillNet DDoS gang seems to be becoming more dangerous, but its primary goal remains to create a lot of noise and draw media attention, according to latest analysis Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Prepare for quantum to fundamentally change PKI effectiveness

Encryption has always been a fundamental aspect of Public Key Infrastructure but the rise of quantum computing poses a significant threat to this. Thales' John Cullen says post-quantum cryptography may hold the key to safeguarding the future. Continue Reading

By

• John Cullen

Police Scotland use cloud for biometric data despite clear risks

Police Scotland confirms it has stored significant volumes of biometric data on a cloud-based digital evidence sharing system despite major ongoing data protection concerns, bringing into question the effectiveness of the current regulatory approach and the overall legality of using hyperscale public cloud technologies in a policing context Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Shift towards ‘smarter’ digital life as broadband security, sustainability become key needs

Cisco survey finds consumer expectations will reshape the needs and economics of the internet Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Microsoft issues new warning over Chinese cyber espionage

A newly uncovered Chinese espionage campaign exploited forged authentication tokens to access its victims’ email accounts, says Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackers: We won’t let artificial intelligence get the better of us

AI is changing how ethical hackers go about their work, and will continue to do so, but the community is convinced the technology will never be able to replicate the creativity of a flesh-and-blood hacker Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Vodafone tests quantum-safe business network solutions

Telco announces initiative looking at transition to a quantum safe world, exploring and trialling new algorithms with upgraded smartphones to provide protection against possible quantum-empowered attackers in the future Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Biometrics watchdog calls for public space surveillance review

The biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner is calling for a review of public space surveillance to gain a clearer picture about the proliferation of Chinese surveillance technology across the public sector, but warns against applying double standards on companies just because they are from China Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How Maxeon is forging the path to SASE

Maxeon Solar Technologies is building out its security service edge capabilities with an eye on a SASE implementation that combines best of breed offerings from different suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

‘Shadow’ AI use becoming a driver of insider cyber risk

Off-the-books use of generative AI tools will inevitably lead to a costly, high-profile data breach for someone, but a little attention paid to appropriate data management policy can help mitigate the risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Stolt-Nielsen SASE looks to optimise global connectivity, security for hybrid workers

Bulk liquid logistics and sustainable land-based aquaculture expert advances secure digital transformation plans and operational efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Three years on, EncroChat cryptophone hack nets 6,500 arrests and seizures of €900m

French and Dutch prosecutors say three years after they infiltrated the EncroChat cryptophone network in a novel hacking operation, Europe’s courts are opening the way for more collaboration and data sharing between law enforcement agencies Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Orange Business leads team to deliver cloud-native managed SASE to enterprises

Enterprise division of the global telco taps in-house cyber security practice and leading cyber security technology provider to offer simpler operational model for customers with end-to-end accountability, improved agility, efficiency and performance Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Nessus

Nessus is a platform developed by Tenable that scans for security vulnerabilities in devices, applications, operating systems, cloud services and other network resources. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

How Fastly thinks differently about CDNs and the edge

Fastly is counting on its developer chops and different approaches towards security and other areas to compete with its rivals Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Early June Microsoft outages were result of large-scale DDoS hit

Investigations into recent outages on Microsoft Azure and Outlook services have turned up evidence of a massive distributed denial-of-service attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Clop begins naming alleged MOVEit victims

Clop uploaded details of 12 new victims to its dark web leak site late on 14 June, many of them likely linked to the ongoing MOVEit cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

No zero-days for June Patch Tuesday, but plenty to chew over

On the face of it, Microsoft’s monthly round of updates is a lighter-than-usual load for security teams, with no zero-days in evidence, but there are still plenty of issues needing attention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Extreme Networks emerges as victim of Clop MOVEit attack

Network equipment and services supplier Extreme Networks has revealed its instance of Progress Software’s MOVEit tool was compromised in the ongoing Clop cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Barracuda ESG users told to throw away their hardware

Owners of Barracuda Email Security Gateway appliances are being told that they will need to throw out and replace their kit after it emerged that a patch for a recently disclosed vulnerability had not done the job Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Bishop Fox’s Vinnie Liu talks offensive security skills

There is growing demand for offensive security testing, but it needs a multi-layered skillset that can be hard to quantify. Bishop Fox’s CEO and co-founder explains why and some potential mitigation strategies Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Google launches hacker-backed SME security training scheme

Citing research that shows almost half of SMEs are struggling to recruit cyber security specialists, Google is launching a programme designed to upskill more people to fill thousands of vacant roles Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Generative AI – the next biggest cyber security threat?

Following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, several reports have emerged that seek to determine the impact of generative AI in cyber security. Undeniably, generative AI in cyber security is a double-edged sword, but will the paradigm shift in favour of opportunity or risk? Continue Reading

By

• Luke Witts

eavesdropping

Eavesdropping is the act of listening to, recording or intercepting private communications. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon
• Gary Audin, Delphi Inc.

Can the UK cash in on chips?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has committed £1bn to the semiconductor sector – but can it ever compete with the US and China? The potential of 5G networking could transform manufacturing – we examine the implications. And we talk to the global CIO at cloud storage provider Box about plans to incorporate AI and machine learning. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cisco joins growing Manchester cyber security hub

Networking kingpin signs up to Greater Manchester Digital Security Hub to support centre’s work on security resilience and skills Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Alert over Chinese cyber campaign targeting critical networks

A Chinese threat actor known as Volt Typhoon has been observed infiltrating CNI networks in a cyber espionage campaign, according to intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spanish lawyers claim police hacking of EncroChat cryptophones breaches human rights law

Lawyers speaking at the Madrid Bar Association question the legality of a cryptophone hacking which has led to arrests of organised criminals in multiple countries Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Ter García

Pentera ups ante in penetration testing

The Israeli startup, which expanded to the APAC region last year, scans for vulnerabilities and emulates cyber attacks through its automated security validation platform Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Executive interview: DNS designer David Holtzman discusses net security

How is it possible for criminals to lure people onto fake websites? Holtzman says it’s because DNS is fundamentally insecure Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

BT unveils secure networking service for UK business customers

UK’s leading telco teams with US cyber security company to launch secure software-defined networking service for business customers available on a managed services basis Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

How Splunk is driving security automation

Splunk’s head of security in APAC talks up the company’s efforts to ease the workloads of security analysts amid lower adoption of security automation and analytics in the region Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How datacentre operators can fend off cyber attacks

Applying zero-trust principles in the form of strong authentication controls and network segmentation can help datacentre operators to mitigate cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Thinking beyond IAM in the cloud

Looking beyond IAM, there are other aspects of securing public cloud environments that admins can reasonably expect to control Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Cyber Action Plan for Wales launched

The devolved Welsh government has set out four priorities in an action plan designed to foster cyber resilience, talent and innovation across the country Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Want to get cloud IAM right? Master the fundamentals

By getting the basics right, you’re setting yourself up for success to then can build more advanced and complex functionalities on top Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

Google Cloud seals bug that could have led to data breaches

The Asset Key Thief vulnerability gave rise to multiple potential attack scenarios that could have impacted thousands of Google Cloud users, but has now been safely fixed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Almost three-quarters of cyber attacks involve ransomware

Data from Sophos’s annual Active Adversary Report reveals that almost three-quarters of the cyber security incidents it responded to in 2022 involved ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most IT staff uncomfortable deploying surveillance tech at work

The IT teams responsible for deploying and running digital surveillance in workplaces say they are uncomfortable with “extremely common” practice of spying on colleagues, research finds Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CyberUK 23: New advice on smart city security issued

The NCSC and key allies have drawn up new guidance to help communities balance the cyber security risks involved with creating smart cities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor