Privacy and data protection

DCMS to oversee coronavirus disinformation unit

A cross-departmental counter-disinformation unit will seek to protect and secure UK citizens from disinformation, scams and cyber security threats related to the Covid-19 outbreak Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MI5 slammed by watchdog for failing to delete intercepted phone and internet data

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO) has criticised MI5 for failing to report serious errors in the way it handles intercepted phone and internet data Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Virgin Media confirms 'misconfigured database' left personal data of 900,000 people exposed

Telco provider Virgin Media confirms 'data incident' that left personal details of 900,000 people exposed, but denies its systems were hacked or that it suffered a data breach Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CIO interview: Sarah Wilkinson, NHS Digital

NHS Digital has been racing to ensure the systems and protocols are in place to prepare the health service for the coronavirus. We speak to its CEO about the preparations Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Biometrics ethics group takes evidence on public-private use of facial recognition

Collaboration between police forces and private entities on facial recognition technology comes under scrutiny by the Home Office’s Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cathay Pacific hit with £500,000 data protection fine from ICO over 2018 breach

Airline receives maximum financial penalty under Data Protection Act for data breach that led to nine million customers having their personal data accessed by hackers Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Don’t forget to consider GDPR when using artificial intelligence in the workplace

While references to artificial intelligence in the workplace may conjure up images of future-gazing movies, the use of AI and people analytics by employers is already present at all stages of the employment lifecycle Continue Reading

By

• Charlotte Allery, Coffin Mew

NCSC issues smart camera security guidance to protect consumers from unauthorised snoops

Government’s latest push to safeguard users of in-home connected devices sees National Cyber Security Centre issue guidance to help consumers tighten up security of smart cameras and baby monitors Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Singapore among world’s top sources of online threats

Singapore remained a hotspot for originating cyber attacks in 2019, with 11 million attacks launched from servers in the city-state Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Why ‘no breach’ is bad news for your compliance

You might think it’s a good thing if your organisation has a clean record when it comes to data breaches, but this is not necessarily the case Continue Reading

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• Byron Shirley

The Security Interviews: Inside the world of bug bounties

You may not make a million as a bug bounty hunter, but you might help remove some of the stigma that persists around cyber security, says HackerOne’s Shlomie Liberow Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data breaches in Australia showing no signs of abating

Compromised login credentials and human error were the most common causes of data breaches reported under Australia’s notifiable data breach regime from July to December 2019 Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NCSC makes ransomware attack guidance more accessible

Following a swathe of high-profile ransomware attacks, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has made changes to its guidance, emphasising the importance of offline backups Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WikiLeaks founder Assange is well enough to participate in extradition proceedings, says judge

A judge dismissed claims that Julian Assange’s vulnerable psychological state would prevent him from taking part in his extradition hearing to face espionage and computer misuse charges in the US Continue Reading

By

• Greg Wilford

Gove warns EU that UK sovereignty is non-negotiable on eve of trade deal talks

The UK and the EU have published their divergent mandates for trade talks due to start on Monday 2 March 2020, and digital may emerge as a long-term terrain of dispute Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Clearview hack fuels debate over facial recognition

Customers of Clearview AI, a controversial startup that scrapes and sells billions of photos of people from social media to police forces, have found themselves at the centre of a major data breach Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Redcar & Cleveland Council confirms ransomware attack

Local authority’s systems are still offline nearly three weeks after being attacked Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Nordics: Swedes lose faith in social media as data security fears increase

Swedish citizens are becoming more concerned about the activities of social media companies and are reducing their online interaction with them as a result. Also read about new mobility-as-a-service projects gaining traction across Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and why the Finnish government has committed resources to a cyber security project aimed at local authorities. Continue Reading

Fake CDNs obscuring credit card fraudsters

Fake content delivery networks and ngrok servers are being pressed into service to obscure credit card skimming activities Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be legally extradited for ‘political offences’, say lawyers

Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange argue that he has been charged with political offences and cannot be legally extradited to the US under the US-UK extradition treaty Continue Reading

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• Greg Wilford

FCA data breach could happen to anybody, but easy to avoid

Minor data breach at the Financial Conduct Authority was the result of simple human error, and highlights the need for organisations to consider a wide range of potential threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Met Police chief backs legislative framework for police tech

Met Police commissioner has called for legislative framework to govern police use of new technologies, while defending the decision to use live facial recognition technology operationally without it Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Julian Assange phoned White House to warn of risk to lives

Julian Assange phoned the White House to warn officials that unredacted cables published on the web posed a risk to lives, a court heard yesterday Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Is the EU better equipped than the US to supervise the use of facial recognition?

Clearview AI can be an indispensable tool to reinforce national security, but there are many risks associated with the use of facial recognition technology that the EU might be better equipped to deal with than the US Continue Reading

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• Mathilde Gérot, Signature Litigation

Google warns users not to mess with Huawei devices

Google tells users of Huawei devices to try to avoid bypassing controls preventing them from loading its apps Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sports retailer Decathlon left employee data exposed

More than 123 million records were accidentally exposed on an unsecured ElasticSearch server Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Gil Shwed’s 10-year vision for security

Check Point founder Gil Shwed discusses his new Infinity Next concept and how he plans to remodel the world of cyber security in the next 10 years Continue Reading

Cyber criminals targeting UK motorists, warns DVLA

Cyber criminals are offering various services and tax refunds that purport to be from the DVLA Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

McAfee buys Light Point to enhance web browser protection

Acquisition of Light Point Security will extend the capabilities of multiple McAfee products Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Thai university to roll out data protection certification

Thailand’s National Institute of Development Administration is offering a certification programme to get organisations ready for the country’s data protection regime Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Assange extradition is a politically motivated ‘abuse of power’, court hears

US government’s attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges in the US is politically motivated and an abuse of process, court told Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

WikiLeaks founder Assange ‘put lives at risk’ by disclosing names in leaked documents, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘put lives of US informants at risk’ by publishing unredacted documents, lawyers for the US argued at the first day of a week-long extradition hearing Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Open security group unveils common OpenDXL language

Open Cybersecurity Alliance announces the availability of OpenDXL Ontology, the first open source language for connecting disparate security tools through a common messaging framework Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Labour condemns Google data plans

Shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah challenges the government to stop Google’s plans to move UK user data out of the EU Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Malicious apps still getting past Google controls

Check Point researchers have found multiple malware-infected apps in the Google Play store, including a clicker called Haken, which has been downloaded more than 50,000 times Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

F-Secure’s AI reads mean tweets to fight abuse and trolls

Researchers working on F-Secure’s Project Blackfin have developed a model for clustering tweets to help pinpoint abuse and harassment Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The greatest contest ever – privacy versus security

Examining the technical, legal and ethical challenges around the privacy versus security debate Continue Reading

By

• Elliot Rose, PA Consulting

Addressing the IoT security challenge

We consider how best to address some of the critical security challenges around the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Charaka Goonatilake, Panaseer

UK and US accuse Russian spooks of Georgia cyber attacks

Foreign secretary describes 2019 campaign of cyber attacks as reckless, brazen and unacceptable Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google plans to send Brits’ data to US after Brexit

Move puts British user data beyond the reach of the EU’s GDPR, makes it more accessible to UK and US law enforcement agencies, and has prompted anger Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Facilities firm ISS World crippled by ransomware attack

An apparent ransomware attack has compromised some IT and email systems at Danish facilities firm ISS World Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cost of cloud misconfigurations set at $5tn

Cloud security outfit DivvyCloud says more than 33 billion records have been exposed in cloud misconfiguration incidents in the past 24 months Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Blasé directors put business data at risk

The higher up within a business you go, the more likely you are to find people intentionally leaking confidential data, says Egress Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US ‘breached due process’ in spying operation against Julian Assange’s lawyers

Surveillance footage of Julian Assange’s meetings with lawyers and doctors in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was an “abuse of process” Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Sander Priston

Girlguiding hosts interactive cyber security workshop

100 Guides from South West England took part in an NCSC event to learn more about security fundamentals Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is this Netflix-style thriller the future of security training?

Cyber awareness specialists at KnowBe4 reckon that bringing Netflix-style production values to corporate videos heralds a new approach to security training Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Veeam Availability Suite v10 adds NAS backup and cloud tiering

Availability Suite is mostly about consolidating the company’s data management platform idea, but it has added incremental forever NAS backup, cloud tiering and recovery to vSphere Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Australians more savvy about cyber security

More Australians look out for signs of security features such as SSL encryption even as they remain sceptical of the data protection capabilities of small businesses Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Mastercard opens European security resilience unit

Mastercard’s European Cyber Resilience Centre will bring together its partners and other industry bodies to support enterprise resilience Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ex-soldiers to become ethical hackers

A new programme will give armed forces veterans in Scotland a grounding in cyber security skills, including penetration testing and ethical hacking Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals spread coronavirus conspiracy theories

The latest email campaigns identified by Proofpoint are spreading conspiracy theories about the coronavirus outbreak Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch government must facilitate and coordinate a broad eID system

 Continue Reading

Emotet evolving to exploit coronavirus fear

With coronavirus cases now reported across the world, Emotet campaigns are exploiting legitimate fears to compromise their targets Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Internet Explorer zero day among 99 Patch Tuesday problems

After an eventful January Patch Tuesday that marked the end of support for Windows 7, the February 2020 update is another whopper, fixing close to 100 vulnerabilities Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MI5 failed to disclose failings in handling intercepted data, court hears

MI5 failed to disclose serious failures in the way it handled intelligence data to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the surveillance regulator and ministers. Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Mac-based security threats outpacing Windows

Security threats targeting Apple endpoints are growing more quickly than those targeting Windows machines, according to Malwarebytes Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – episode 46

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna are joined by special guest Hannah Foulds, head of marketing and membership at the Open Data Institute, who flags stories about humans tricking AI. The group then discusses the Women in Software Powerlist, the loan charge and online targeting Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Chinese military personnel accused of Equifax hack

A US federal grand jury has indicted four Chinese army personnel over the 2017 Equifax breach Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tencent Cloud gains multi-tier cloud security certification

China's Tencent Cloud joins major cloud suppliers in securing tier three of Singapore’s Multi-Tier Cloud Security standard in a bid to grow its presence in Asia Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Police use of facial recognition ‘unjustifiable’, says Scottish Justice Committee

Members of the Scottish Parliament have said police use of live facial recognition technology is “not fit for purpose” Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What should be in Australia’s next cyber security strategy

The Australian government is reviewing the nation’s cyber security strategy, but is it looking at the right issues? Continue Reading

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• Stephen Withers

Security Think Tank: Zero trust is complex, but has rich rewards

In theory, the elimination of trust on the network simplifies IT security, but zero trust also brings new complications and new challenges. How should CISOs go about moving their organisations from traditional network security to a zero-trust architecture? Continue Reading

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• Bhanu Jagasia

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is ‘most dangerous’ movie

Ahead of the 2020 Oscars, Kaspersky researchers say they found more than 300 files masquerading as the Joker movie Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: No trust in zero trust need not be a problem

In theory, the elimination of trust on the network simplifies IT security, but zero trust also brings new complications and new challenges. How should CISOs go about moving their organisations from traditional network security to a zero-trust architecture? Continue Reading

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• Silvano Sogus

Darktrace signs to McLaren for 2020 F1 season

McLaren Racing has enlisted Darktrace to become its official artificial intelligence cyber security partner Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Web app ubiquity gives cyber criminals new opportunities

The popularity and ubiquity of web-based apps such as Office 365 and Salesforce is a temptation too good to miss for cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Check Point pledges end to security updates

Check Point’s Gil Shwed expands on a vision for the next 10 years of cyber security, which he calls Infinity Next Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IoT network flaw left Philips Hue bulbs open to attack

Vulnerabilities in the ZigBee internet of things networking protocol have left market-leading smart devices, including Philips Hue lightbulbs, open to exploitation Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Zero trust is not the answer to all your problems

In theory, the elimination of trust on the network simplifies IT security, but zero trust also brings new complications and new challenges. How should CISOs go about moving their organisations from traditional network security to a zero-trust architecture? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Acronis CEO bullish as specialist goes beyond backup

Acronis is set to launch Cyber Protect as it rides a wave of confidence based on increasing revenues and investor funding. Will the backup-plus-cyber protection calculation pay off? Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

The fight against cyber crime: Why cooperation matters

With the WEF’s Global Risk Report 2019 ranking cyber attack in the top five global risks, we now see rising consensus at institutional level that no individual stakeholder can address the breadth of security challenges we face today Continue Reading

By

• Elisabetta Zaccaria

Social media targeting algorithms need regulation, says CDEI

The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation is recommending regulation of social media algorithms as part of a drive to make user targeting safe and ethical Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

MI5 faces court ruling over unlawful surveillance warrants

Privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International ask the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to order MI5 to disclose full details of ‘unlawful’ conduct, after classified documents reveal the spy agency failed to comply with surveillance laws Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: Facing the challenge of zero trust

In theory, the elimination of trust on the network simplifies IT security, but zero trust also brings new complications and new challenges. How should CISOs go about moving their organisations from traditional network security to a zero-trust architecture? Continue Reading

By

• Eoin Keary

Digital strategy for 2020-2030 sets out police technology plans

National policing strategy sets a number of technological ambitions for the next decade, placing a particular emphasis on collaborative working and building common standards or frameworks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NHS adds supplier security audits to procurement platform

A new feature in the NHS’s Edge4Health procurement platform will help NHS suppliers improve their cyber security posture and NHS organisations make better buying decisions Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Davos: The clock is ticking on climate change but cyber crime and emerging technologies add to risks

Climate change, natural disasters, extreme weather and loss of biodiversity are the greatest risks we face. With cyber conflicts, state-sponsored hacking and internet fragmentation, doing nothing is not an option, says the World Economic Forum Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK police arrest three over Maltese cyber bank robbery

The NCA has made three arrests in Belfast and London following an investigation into money laundering linked to a cyber heist on a bank in Malta Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC launches study on cyber security diversity

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre wants to improve the diversity of the cyber security sector Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

First coronavirus cyber threats seen in the wild

Kaspersky has reported the first incidences of cyber security threats playing on fears of the emerging coronavirus Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Avast cans data harvesting subsidiary after outcry

Avast will close its Jumpshot big data unit following repeated allegations of inappropriate handling of customer data Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK cyber security sector worth more than £8bn

The UK’s cyber security industry employs 43,000 full-time workers, and contributed nearly £4bn to the UK economy in 2019, according to DCMS Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS suffers fewer ransomware attacks, but threat persists

Ransomware attacks against the NHS have tapered off dramatically, according to statistics obtained under FoI legislation, but this does not mean the threat has diminished Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Podcast: How to boost staff awareness of compliance

Employee awareness of compliance, of the laws and regulations that affect your business, is vital, in some cases even mandatory. We look at the key ways to achieve it Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Fintechs fear deepfake fraud

New research reveals the majority of CISOs working in the financial services sector are increasingly concerned about the potential use of deepfakes Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Met Police could deploy facial recognition against protesters

Live facial recognition will be rolled out operationally by the Met Police, but police monitoring group Netpol believes it will hamper people’s ability to exercise their rights to protest Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Dream Team: why data security, compliance and privacy come hand in hand

This is a guest blogpost by Anthony Di Bello, VP Strategic Development, OpenText Today’s business landscape is littered with valuable data. The rapid adoption of digital technologies, means that ... Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Top four compliance considerations for SMEs

We look at the key data compliance regulations that affect smaller companies – such as GDPR, the Data Protection Act, PCI-DSS and PECR – and some key industry-specific frameworks Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Organisations losing control of cloud data

Data is more widely dispersed in enterprise clouds than most organisations think, and as a result they are at risk of losing control of it, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data privacy benefits outweigh spend, says Cisco

Cisco’s 2020 data privacy study shows organisations can generate substantial returns on their data privacy and protection spending Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interpol uncovers cyber crime operation in Indonesia

An Interpol-coordinated cyber operation leads to the arrest of three people in Indonesia who allegedly used a JavaScript-sniffer malware to steal payment card details of online shoppers Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK in catch-22 decision over Huawei security

The UK’s final decision on whether to permit mobile operators to use Huawei equipment is expected imminently, and its decision will have ramifications far beyond the technology sphere Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government tightens law around IoT cyber security

New legislation developed by DCMS and the NCSC may help guarantee the security and privacy of users of consumer IoT devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Bug bounties are changing the image of hackers

The traditional picture of a hacker is of a script kiddie in a hoodie hunched over a computer keyboard, but this stereotype is stale and outdated. Is it time to move away from a fear-based approach to security? Continue Reading

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• Paul Holland, Information Security Forum

Met Police to launch facial recognition operationally

Despite the continuing controversy around its use, the Metropolitan Police will be deploying live facial recognition across the capital Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber gangsters publish staff passwords following ‘Sodinokibi’ attack on car parts group Gedia

Sodinokibi hacking group steps up pressure on German automotive manufacturer by publishing information, including the CEO’s computer password and sensitive details of its IT systems, on the internet Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS alerted to severe vulnerabilities in GE health equipment

A series of vulnerabilities in patient monitoring equipment manufactured by General Electric could have left patient data exposed in hospitals around the world, including the UK Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Milan hosts Cisco’s first European security innovation unit

Cisco has cut the ribbon on its first Cyber Security Co-Innovation Centre in Europe, at Milan’s Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Travelex hackers shut down German car parts company Gedia in massive ‘cyber attack’

Car parts manufacturer says cyber attack will have far-reaching consequences for its business, and it has put emergency plans in place to continue deliveries Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CISOs fear becoming the next Travelex

Poll of security professionals by the organisers of the Infosecurity Europe trade fair highlights huge gaps in incident response capabilities Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor