Regulatory compliance and standard requirements

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

Lib Dems will block Snoopers’ Charter, says Nick Clegg

The draft Communications Data Bill will not go ahead while the Lib Dems are in government, says deputy prime minister Nick Clegg Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Protecting against modern password cracking

This article in our Royal Holloway Security Thesis series explains just how insecure passwords are and offers advice on alternative methods of security. Continue Reading

How to create a good information security policy

Information security policies provide vital support to security professionals, yet few organisations take the time to create decent policies Continue Reading

By

• Andi Scott

Google reaches deal with EU competition authorities

Google has reportedly reached a deal with European Union (EU) competition authorities over concerns about its business practices Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google has another go at allaying EU competition concerns

Google has submitted a fresh set of proposals to address European concerns about its business practices and avoid punitive action Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case Study: 192business switches to tokenisation to speed up business processes

Online payment card verification firm 192business uses tokenisation to speed up its processes and protect credit card details from fraud Continue Reading

Google closer to action from European privacy regulators

Google is another step closer to action by privacy regulators across Europe for failing to change the way it manages user data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Securing the hypervisor: expert tips

There are many potential security issues with the various components of a virtualised infrastructure, and nowhere is this more of a concern than with the hypervisor platforms that host virtual systems and application instances Continue Reading

By

• Dave Shackleford, Voodoo Security

Six security issues to tackle before encrypting cloud data

Concern about security and privacy is likely to drive adoption of cloud encryption, but there are six security issues businesses should tackle Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RSA 2013: Suppliers need to prepare for new security vulnerability handling standards

Software makers and online service providers need to prepare for two ISO standards on vulnerability handling processes due by the end of 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Demise in Effectiveness of Signature and Heuristic Based Antivirus

Anti-virus technology is failing to protect organisations from malicious attacks. Security professionals should look at alternative strategies, the NNC group argues in this report. Continue Reading

IT expert in Microsoft monopoly case faces £2.5m legal fight

A computer expert who advised the European Commission in its investigation into anti-competitive behaviour by Microsoft faces £2.5bn legal battle Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Social media: A security challenge and opportunity

Generation Y workers are posing increasing security challenges to their employers as they share data unreservedly Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EU cyber strategy aimed at boosting preparedness and cooperation

The European cyber security strategy addresses insufficient national preparedness and boosting co-operation in the region, says the EC Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Business avoids cloud over fear of government snooping

Almost half of IT professionals are deterred from keeping sensitive data in the cloud because of fear of government intervention and possible legal action, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Technology in the dock

In this issue of CW Europe we take a look at tablet security, through a range of case studies, highlighting the benefits and downfalls of mobile computing. You will also find information about the European Parliament’s decision to provide a new single patent law regulation and one court to cover intentions across the continent. Continue Reading

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

Software piracy international in scope, says Fast

The scale of software piracy is both international in scope and military in its execution, says the Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Parliamentary commission calls for electrified banking ring fence

A parliamentary report on plans to separate retail and investment banking calls for legislation to prevent breaches of the ring fence Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK CIOs see EU regulation as key

A third of UK CIOs are more concerned with EU regulation, such as the data protection directive, than their own local laws, a study has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

Theresa May: Hacker Gary McKinnon to stay in UK

Hacker Gary McKinnon will stay in UK, home secretary Theresa May has told MPs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

EC sets out strategy for EU cloud data and standards

The European Commission (EC) has unveiled a strategy for standards and a legal framework for cloud computing in European Union (EU) states Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK faces BlackBerry outage again

People in the UK, Middle East and Europe are again facing disruption to the BlackBerry email messaging service Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

POS terminal security: Best practices for point of sale environments

Securing point of sale (POS) environments can be tricky. Shobitha Hariharan and Nitin Bhatnagar share comprehensive POS terminal security best practices. Continue Reading

By

• Shobitha Hariharan & Nitin Bhatnagar

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

Emerging 2012 security trends demand information security policy changes

2012 security trends involving cookies, fines, devices and threats will demand more skills -- and a little finesse -- from security professionals. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

ICO stands by unpopular UK cookie legislation with advice, warnings

Website owners have resisted compliance with cookie legislation so the ICO has issued more guidance and warnings to nudge them along. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Demystifying IT Rules 2011: What it means for you

The first of a two-part series on the IT Rules 2011 notification under IT Act 2000, looking into its stipulations and their implications for businesses. Continue Reading

By

• Varun Haran, Reporter

New ICO guidance issued on EU cookie law

The Information Commissioner's Office has released practical guidance for companies to comply with the new EU cookie law. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Open Group launches guide to boost ISO 27005 efforts

A new guide from the Open Group is designed to help organisations meet ISO 27005 standards, but some risk management professionals feel it may not be so effective. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

PCI DSS compliance checklist for virtualized environments

A comprehensive Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance checklist for protection of cardholder data in virtual environments. Continue Reading

By

• Swati Sharma, contributor

Employee information awareness training: PCI policy templates

To comply with PCI DSS -- and keep cardholder data secure -- organisations must train their employees on data handling best practices. This tip explains how. Continue Reading

By

• Mathieu Gorge, VigiTrust

ITIL v3 Service Operation: FAQs on Book 4

ITIL expert David Pultorak answers common questions about the new ITIL Service Strategy Core Practice Book 1. Continue Reading

By

• David Pultorak

ITIL framework finds new stakeholders with v3

Too many companies today don't have an accurate count of their assets, and therefore are underutilizing systems and being unproductive. A CMDB framework, used in support with an ITIL project, can provide databases and analysis tools to help IT organizations avoid redundancies and effectively manage their resources. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer