Privacy and data protection

BlackHat 2015: Industrial hacking - the untold story

Hackers have been penetrating industrial control systems for at least a decade for extortion, yet little is known about how they gain access Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Carphone Warehouse data breach hits 2.4 million UK customers

Carphone Warehouse confirms the authorities have been notified about the breach, and urges customers to take steps to protect themselves Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Why the time is ripe for security behaviour analytics

Recent months have seen an uptick in announcements by security suppliers around behavioural analytics, but what is driving this trend? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Commercial software more secure than open source, finds report

A study has found that commercial code is more compliant than open source code with security compliance standards, such as the Owasp top 10 and the CWE top 25 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A third of employees will sell company data if the price is right, study reveals

For £5,000, a quarter of employees polled said they would sell confidential company data, and risk both their job and criminal convictions Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Contactless card fraud highlights need for 2FA

A Which? report on contactless card fraud highlights the need for multi-factor authentication for payments, say security experts Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Jeep hack raises questions about responsibility for security

The hack of a Jeep raises the question whether users or car manufacturers should be responsible for protecting against cyber attackers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Information security governance maturing, says Gartner

Increasing awareness of the impact of digital business risks, coupled with high levels of publicity regarding cyber security incidents, is making IT risk a board-level issue, says Gartner Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK considers 10-year jail sentences for online piracy

The UK government is considering new measures to increase the sanctions for criminals who infringe the rights of copyright holders for large-scale financial gain Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hackers threaten to expose ALM’s dating and cheating site users

A hacking group, calling itself The Impact Team, claims to have compromised Avid Life Media’s user databases, source code repositories, financial records and email system Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

United Airlines begins bug bounty payouts

United Airlines has paid out the maximum award to two hackers, which means the flaws are likely to be remote code execution vulnerabilities Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK man arrested for hacking into US government computers

Briton Lauri Love is accused of hacking into various US agencies, including the US army, Nasa, the federal reserve and the environmental protection agency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Vodafone scheme to help SMEs get online

Vodafone is to trial a series of digital workshops for SMEs aimed at equipping them with a stronger online presence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Land Rover praised for recall over software security bug

BT Security head Mark Hughes says Land Rover's recall of vehicles to fix a software security flaw is a sensible step to address evolving criminal threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Symantec bets on simplicity, cloud and mobile

Symantec is not trying to be all things to all people, but is instead focusing on threats and protecting information in the mobile and cloud environments Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK sales teams are the most exposed to cyber attacks, study reveals

UK sales staff, callcentre agents and customer services teams are among the most highly targeted by cyber attacks, yet few firms give these groups IT security training, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Symantec uncovers Morpho cyber espionage operation

A cyber espionage group has targeted high-profile technology, internet, commodities and pharmaceutical companies in the US, Europe and Canada, reports Symantec Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dashlane bullish about the future despite LastPass hack

Password management firm Dashlane is confident its business model will evolve and continue to be relevant even if passwords eventually disappear Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Europe – July 2015 Edition

The economy in central and eastern Europe (CEE) is starting to recover, which means investment in IT across the region is also starting to return. This issue of CW Europe investigates how the boost in IT is changing the role of the CIO, from supporting the business to driving its growth. Continue Reading

Italy’s Hacking Team gets hacked

Unknown hackers have posted a torrent file-sharing link to more than 400GB of Hacking Team data, including source code, internal documents and emails that could reveal the identity of customers Continue Reading

Wi-Fi enhances guest experience and profitability for Belgian theme park

Bobbejaanland, one of the largest theme parks in Belgium, is using a Fortinet Wi-Fi network to offer visitors access on the go, and improve its management capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Xavier Mertens

How Deutsche Telekom plans to challenge AWS and Google in the cloud

German telco Deutsche Telekom wants to evolve into the public cloud and plans to beat sector giants such as Amazon and Google at their own game Continue Reading

By

• Anne Morris

Facebook wins first round in European privacy battle

Facebook has welcomed a Vienna court’s rejection of a 25,000-strong class action lawsuit against the social networking firm for allegedly breaching European privacy laws Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK universities revise computer course guidelines to boost ranks of cyber warriors

UK universities revise course guidelines to transform computing degree courses and ensure that undergraduates learn cyber security skills Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco launches IoT System for enterprise and smart cities

Cisco unveils 15 products to address the growing complexity of internet of things deployments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch court orders Facebook to identify revenge porn poster

Facebook has a legal obligation to provide information about a user who posted a revenge porn video on the site, a Dutch court has ruled Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FBI investigates US baseball team over rival's hacking allegations

FBI investigations, into claims a US baseball team stole data from a rival, highlights cyber crime perpetrated by competitors – not just anonymous criminals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Kaspersky Lab praised for handling of Duqu 2.0 cyber attack

Kaspersky Lab determined the best approach to cyber attack was to not only admit that it had been hacked, but also to provide extensive information on the malware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to cull old, potentially risky data

Unused data is a potential security risk, with old spreadsheets, reports and email containing industry secrets and laced with company gossip. If it's no longer useful, it's time to delete it Continue Reading

By

• Christian Cawley

The drivers and inhibitors of cyber security evolution

A study shows a shift in IT security spending to detection and response – but why are most organisations falling way behind the more enlightened front runners? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most of more than 733,000 police communications data requests approved

Big Brother Watch is calling for a curb on the scale of police access to communications data and greater transparency in the use of this data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Data classification key to IP protection, says Titus

Data classification can help organisations get more value out of encryption and data loss prevention systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google announces security features for Android

Google announces better app permission controls and other Android security changes at its Google I/O developer conference Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Social engineering attacks more complex than ever, says expert

Expert warns attackers are starting to use increasingly sophisticated ways to get people in organisations to help them circumvent security controls Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks

Implement simple checks to reduce the risk of the main types of social engineering attacks Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

Researchers raise privacy concerns about Bluetooth Low Energy devices

Researchers have raised privacy concerns about a growing number of devices using Bluetooth Low Energy technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Austerity drives joined-up council IT with Force.com

Peterborough has become a big user of software-as-a-service for council services. We speak to its IT head Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

St Louis Federal Reserve Bank not target of DNS hack, say experts

The hacking of a domain name server (DNS) for the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis is more likely to be aimed at customers than the bank itself, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Wi-Fi Global Congress: Hotspot 2.0 standard addresses wireless security holes

At Wi-Fi Global Congress, Ruckus Wireless announces it will be first to market with the second release of Hotspot 2.0 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital age a turning point for policing, says commissioner Leppard

Policing in the digital age will face a turning point in the next two years, according to City of London Police commissioner Adrian Leppard Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Former nurse’s career blighted after blowing whistle on IT problems

Southwark's continuing care database included names of patients who had been dead for several years, a tribunal is told Continue Reading

By

• Julia Gregory and Bill Goodwin

PSNGB rebrands to drive information sharing across PSN

PSNGB, the trade association set up to promote the Public Services Network, rebrands itself as Innopsis and says its work is far from over Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The IoT industry needs to do more to secure data, says Beecham Research

There are key areas where the industry supporting the internet of things (IoT) needs to provide better security, according to Beecham Research Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Europe – May 2015 Edition

In this issue, CW Europe's security editor investigates whether the legislation could strangle Europe's productivity and whether businesses see the regulations as a burden. Continue Reading

Businesses should prepare for black swans, says resiliency consultant

While black swan events are random and unexpected, businesses can still prepare for them, according to a resiliency consultant Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Future IAM will need to be broader, says Martin Kuppinger

Identity and access management systems need to look at all forms of identity, not just employees or users, says KuppingerCole analyst Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IoT benefits and privacy not mutually exclusive, says industry expert

It is possible to mitigate the privacy and security risks of the internet of things (IoT) without losing its benefits, according to an industry expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ryanair remains tight-lipped over £3.3m hacker theft

Ryanair provided no details of how hackers took £3.3m from one of its bank accounts, as industry pundits call for greater collaboration Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Time to embrace a new level of IAM, says Martin Kuppinger

A new level of identity and access management is at hand, yet many businesses still rely on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top tips for remote and mobile workers to improve their cyber security

Steps remote and mobile workers can take to improve cyber security on mobile devices, using public Wi-Fi and computers, and handling USB devices Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

EU data protection regulation will drive privacy by design, says KuppingerCole

The EU data protection regulation will drive privacy by design in companies with European clients, says KuppingerCole analyst Karsten Kinast Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Bill Binney, the ‘original’ NSA whistleblower, on Snowden, 9/11 and illegal surveillance

Always a patriot: Computer Weekly talks to Bill Binney, the senior NSA official who blew the whistle before Edward Snowden Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O'Cleirigh

Mobile malware overhyped, says security company Damballa

Mobile internet users are 1.3 times more likely to get struck by lightning than infected by mobile malware, research by security firm Damballa finds Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Destructive cyber attacks making security a business concern, says Microsoft

Destructive cyber attacks are driving a fundamental shift in the information security market, according to Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Collaboration key to cyber security, says US homeland security chief

Collaboration between governments and with the private sector key to improving global cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Liberal Democrats promise to double innovation spend and 99.9% broadband roll-out

The Liberal Democrats’ general election manifesto promises to double innovation spending and roll out high-speed broadband to 99.9% of homes Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Security risk potential linked to young, mobile users

A study conducted by wireless supplier Aruba Networks has identified a distinct cohort of high-risk, security-agnostic workers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Can legislation stop cyber crime?

Rising cyber crime suggests criminal law does not deter criminals and that a better legal solution is required to prevent further rises Continue Reading

By

• Stewart James

Taking stock of e-commerce systems

In this week's Computer Weekly, the first of our three-part buyer's guide to next generation e-commerce looks at managing inventory in multi-channel retailers. We highlight the six technology companies that are threats to the dominance of high-street banks. And we examine the top five issues in virtual machine backup. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NHS data security: Lessons to be learned

The NHS does not always provide a trusted repository for patient data, but some trusts are examples of good practice in action Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

French TV5Monde network cyber attack the latest in destructive trend in system intrusions

The cyber attack on French television network TV5Monde is the latest in a growing list of incursions intended to destroy data and IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Alleged White House hack highlights typical security failings, say experts

The alleged penetration of sensitive White House computer networks highlights typical security failings, say information security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

AWS gets EU approval for data replication outside of Europe

The European Union Data Protection Authorities has approved Amazon Web Services’ Data Processing Agreement Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DDoS losses potentially £100k an hour, survey shows

DDoS attacks could expose 40% of businesses to losses of £100,000 or more an hour at peak times, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

British Airways rewards scheme hack highlights password problem

The hacking of British Airways’ executive club frequent flyer accounts shows the importance of using strong, unique passwords for all online accounts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK attacks on crypto keys and digital certificates endemic

All UK security professionals polled in a global survey have responded to attacks on keys and certificates in past two years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government adds five authentication providers to Gov.uk Verify identity management system

The Government Digital Service (GDS) adds five authentication providers to the Gov.uk Verify identity and access management scheme Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Identity fraud still top UK fraud threat

Identity fraud continues to be the single biggest fraud threat, according to the latest report by UK fraud prevention service Cifas Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google warns of fake digital certificates

Google has warned of unauthorised digital certificates issued for several of its domains that could be used to intercept data traffic Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home devices threaten enterprise data security, warn researchers

Poor or lacking security on ADSL routers and other devices used by teleworkers a threat to global enterprise information security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Target agrees to $10m breach compensation

US retailer Target has agreed to a $10m compensation package for victims of its 2013 data breach Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ford drives connected car journey with Microsoft Azure

The Microsoft Azure cloud will be used to power Ford's new software delivery and vehicle monitoring service Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Premera hack exposes 11 million financial and medical records

US health insurance firm Premera Blue Cross reveals an IT systems breach, exposing financial and medical records of 11 million customers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft warns of fake SSL certificate for Windows Live

Microsoft has warned that a fake security certificate has been issued for the Windows Live domain that could be abused by attackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lookout bets on big data analytics to secure enterprise mobiles

Mobile security SaaS provider Lookout is betting on its cloud-based big data analytics capability to attract enterprise customers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Japan recruits hackers for cyber security force

The Japanese government plans to recruit hackers to identify and protect against cyber security threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why IAM is topping security investments in 2015

It is not surprising identity and access management (IAM) is set to move to the fore in 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US cyber crime indictment prompts calls for zero tolerance

A newly-revealed US indictment of three suspected cyber criminals has prompted a call for zero tolerance for cyber intrusions Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Group claiming links to Isis hacks small business websites

The FBI is investigating the hacking of a number of SME websites in the US and Europe by people claiming affiliation with Islamic State Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to ensure your hot-desking colleagues keep their data secure

Once hot-desking is implemented, data security suddenly demands greater attention Continue Reading

By

• Christian Cawley

China and US cross swords over software backdoors

Barack Obama criticises Chinese plans to force tech firms trading in China to share encryption keys and put backdoors in software Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber crime: What every business needs to know

Computer Weekly gets the low-down on cyber crime from law enforcement officers and investigators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Norwegian insurer invests in Darktrace machine-learning cyber defence

Shipping insurance company DNK hopes to inspire the rest of the shipping industry to adopt Darktrace’s cyber defence system Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Stadigs

Cloud security still needs a lot more work, say European experts

Security and privacy remain a stumbling block for cloud computing, according to information experts at the Trust in the Digital World conference Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RASP helps apps protect themselves, but is it ready for the enterprise?

A new technology called runtime application self-protection is being touted as a next big thing in application security. But not everyone is singing its praises. Continue Reading

By

• Nicole Laskowski, Senior News Director

UK consumers lack confidence in data protection, study finds

UK consumers do not believe businesses or governments do enough to protect their data, according to to Symantec’s State of Privacy report Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PrivDog SSL compromise potentially worse than Superfish

Some versions of PrivDog software designed to block online ads compromise internet security in a similar way to Superfish Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Intel Security warns of six social engineering techniques targeting businesses

An Intel Security report encourages businesses to address and educate employees on “six levers of influence” used by hackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Five ways to prepare a company board for a cyber breach

Five key things that boards need to do to stop their businesses leaking like sieves and potentially going to the wall Continue Reading

By

• Neil Hare-Brown

International spyware operation linked to NSA

The US National Security Agency has reportedly hidden surveillance software in the hard drives of several top computer makers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

$1bn cyber heist underlines need for detection, say security experts

The theft of up to $1bn from financial institutions in a daring cyber crime operation underlines the need for monitoring, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

National Police ICT Company finally set to start operations

A national Police ICT Company is set to begin operations after finally being approved by the UK’s police and crime commissioners Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Sony data breach claims first scalp as co-chair steps down

Amy Pascal, co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, steps down in wake of data breach that exposed "inappropriate" comments in emails Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FCC’s Tom Wheeler offers up net neutrality plan

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may rule in favour of a strong regulatory environment to preserve the open internet Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IoT could be key to farming, says Beecham Research

The internet of things could be key to the farming industry meeting the challenge of increasing food production by 70% by 2050, says report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sony says cyber attack will cost $15m

Sony expects the investigation and remediation costs of the November 2014 cyber attack on its movie subsidiary will amount to $15m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EC3 announces industry partnership in fight against cyber crime

Europol's European Cybercrime Centre has partnered with security firm AnubisNetworks to help fight the global threat of cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to implement risk-based security

Implement a simple process to identify, analyse and prioritise risk without significant investment in time or money Continue Reading

By

• Peter Wood, First Base Technologies LLP

Five questions every board should ask after Sony Pictures breach

What can the board do to avoid having to answer embarrassing questions at the next shareholder meeting? Continue Reading

By

• Sarb Sembhi

Cyber crime is a threat to global economy, says researcher

Halting cyber crime could have a positive impact on the global economy, says Intel Security Europe security researcher and CTO Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst