Hackers and cybercrime prevention
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News
07 Jun 2024
Sophos uncovers Chinese state-sponsored campaign in Southeast Asia
Sophos found three distinct clusters of activity targeted at a high-level government organisation that appeared to be tied to Chinese interests in the South China Sea Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
How Okta is fending off identity-based attacks
Okta has been bolstering the security of its own infrastructure and building new tools to scan customer environments for vulnerable identities, among other efforts to fend off identity-based attacks Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2024
General election 2024: Liberal Democrats thread digital commitments throughout manifesto
The Lib Dems have promised a new industrial strategy and emphasised the importance of the digital sector, skills and regulating AI, as they lay out plans for the UK general election Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2024
NHS blood stocks running low after ransomware attack
The NHS is appealing for people with O Positive and O Negative blood types to come forward to donate as hospitals in London struggle to keep critical services running after ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2024
DDoS gang threatens to disrupt European elections
Russian hacktivists are threatening to disrupt the European Parliament elections, while the BBC reports on new deepfake threats to the UK’s electoral process Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2024
Bitdefender makes MDR services free to NHS bodies hit by Qilin
Bitdefender offers NHS bodies affected by a major cyber incident free access to its product suite, as the health service continues to deal with the impact of the Qilin ransomware attack on partner Synnovis Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2024
Sophos uncovers Chinese state-sponsored campaign in Southeast Asia
Sophos found three distinct clusters of activity targeted at a high-level government organisation that appeared to be tied to Chinese interests in the South China Sea Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2024
FBI finds 7,000 LockBit decryption keys in blow to criminal gang
The US authorities say they now have more than 7,000 LockBit decryption keys in their possession and are urging victims of the prolific ransomware gang to come forward Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2024
Qilin ransomware gang likely behind crippling NHS attack
Security experts investigating a major cyber attack on an NHS partner that has caused frontline services across South London to grind to a halt say the Qilin ransomware gang appears to be the culprit Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
OAIC files civil penalty action against Medibank
The OAIC alleges that Medibank failed to take reasonable steps to protect the personal information of 9.7 million Australians in the October 2022 data breach Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Jun 2024
Security Think Tank: The cloud just got more complicated
This month, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how CISOs and security practitioners should ensure that the business can make use of public cloud services safely and securely and avoid accidental or deliberate data leakage. Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Jun 2024
Building a more secure, and sustainable, open source ecosystem
In April 2024, the discovery of an intentionally-placed backdoor in the open source XZ Utils data compression caused concern. Sentry's Chad Whitacre says a more thoughtful approach is needed to balance the individual freedom and creativity of open source, with more rigorous security practice. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
NHS services at major London hospitals disrupted by cyber attack
A major cyber attack at NHS services provider Synnovis is disrupting frontline care at hospitals across London Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
Russia used fake AI Tom Cruise in Olympic disinformation campaign
Microsoft threat researchers report a surge in Russian disinformation campaigns targeting the 2024 Summer Olympics, including AI-enhanced propaganda Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2024
97 FTSE 100 firms exposed to supply chain breaches
Between March 2023 and March 2024, 97 out of 100 companies on the UK’s FTSE 100 list were put at risk of compromise following supply chain breaches at third-party suppliers Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2024
Major breaches allegedly caused by unsecured Snowflake accounts
Significant data breaches at Ticketmaster and Santander appear to have been orchestrated through careful targeting of the victims’ Snowflake cloud data management accounts Continue Reading
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News
02 Jun 2024
Ticketek Australia hit by data breach
Customer names, dates of birth and email addresses of Ticketek Australia account holders reportedly impacted in latest data breach affecting event ticketing firm Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2024
Europol sting operation smokes multiple botnets
Malware droppers including Bumblebee and Smokeloader were among those targeted in one of the largest ever joint operations against cyber criminal botnets Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2024
Proofpoint exposes AFF scammers’ piano gambit
Ransomware and nation state actors dominate the headlines, but fraud and scams still net career cyber criminals thousands from unsuspecting members of the public. Proofpoint reports on a campaign targeting victims of a musical inclination Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2024
Parliamentarians warn of UK election threat from Russia, China and North Korea
Joint parliamentary security committee chair Margaret Beckett writes to prime minister urging government to prepare for foreign states interfering with 4 July election Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2024
Rockwell urges users to disconnect ICS equipment
ICS systems maker Rockwell Automation calls on users to take steps to secure their equipment, and reminds them there is no reason to ever have its hardware connected to the public internet, as it tracks an increase in global threat activity Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2024
ORBs: Hacking groups’ new favourite way of keeping their attacks hidden
Beware the ORB: why attacks on your network could come from a home router down the street Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
The Security Interviews: What is the real cyber threat from China?
Former NCSC boss Ciaran Martin talks about nation-state attacks, why the UK has become so exercised about cyber espionage, and how our leaders are in danger of misunderstanding their adversaries Continue Reading
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Definition
20 May 2024
ATM jackpotting
ATM jackpotting is the exploitation of physical and software vulnerabilities in automated banking machines that result in the machines dispensing cash. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange granted appeal
Two high court judges granted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave to appeal against extradition to the US after defence lawyers argued that the US had failed to give adequate assurances Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2024
Why the UK needs to fix its broken IT security market
Ollie Whitehouse, CTO of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, says the market for secure software is broken. Are new laws required to make software companies liable for poor security? Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
US authorities crack BreachForums for a second time
The BreachForums data leak website has been seized by the FBI and international partners again Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
GCHQ to protect politicians and election candidates from cyber attacks
The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, to protect election candidates from hostile state cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2024
WikiLeaks founder’s extradition case labelled ‘institutional corruption’
Call for Julian Assange to be prosecuted in the US has been condemned as ‘institutional corruption on a judicial level’ with the WikiLeaks founder a ‘political prisoner’ Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2024
China poses genuine and increasing cyber security risk to UK, says GCHQ director
GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler uses her first major public speech to warn that China poses a significant cyber security threat to the UK Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2024
CyberUK 24: UK insurance industry gets tough on ransomware
Three of the UK’s largest insurance associations have signed on to a new initiative spearheaded by the NCSC to try to bring down the number of ransomware payments being made Continue Reading
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Definition
14 May 2024
bug bounty program
A bug bounty program, also called a vulnerability rewards program (VRP), is a crowdsourcing initiative that rewards individuals like ethical hackers and security researchers for discovering and reporting vulnerabilities and bugs in software. Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 May 2024
The UK may not have a choice on a ransomware payment ban
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2024
Major breach of customer information developing at Dell
Almost 50 million data records relating to Dell customers appear to have been compromised in a major cyber breach Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Cyber attack victims need to speak up, says ICO
The Information Commissioner’s Office is urging organisations to be transparent and learn from each other’s mistakes as it reveals most of the cyber attacks it responds to stem from the same core errors Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
Wales gets UK’s first national SOC
The first national security operations centre of its kind in the UK has opened in the south of Wales to safeguard public sector bodies across the country Continue Reading
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Definition
09 May 2024
threat actor
A threat actor, also called a malicious actor or bad actor, is an entity that is partially or wholly responsible for an incident that affects -- or has the potential to affect -- an organization's security. Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 May 2024
Enhance identity controls before banning ransomware payments
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Police accessed phone records of ‘trouble-making journalists’
The Police Service of Northern Ireland ran a rolling programme to monitor phone records of journalists to identify the source of police leaks, it was claimed today Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Germany: European Court of Justice ruling on EncroChat could lead to new legal challenges
A ruling by the European Court of Justice could prompt legal challenges in EncroChat prosecutions in Germany and other EU states Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2024
Chinese APT suspected of Ministry of Defence hack
A cyber attack on the Ministry of Defence is suspected to be the work of threat actors working on behalf of Chinese intelligence Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2024
NCA unmasks LockBitSupp cyber gangster who toyed with pursuers
The NCA and its partners have named the administrator of the LockBit ransomware gang, LockBitSupp, as Dmitry Khoroshev, who now faces sanctions and criminal charges Continue Reading
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E-Zine
07 May 2024
Casting a critical eye on HMRC’s IR35 checker tool
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate what has been going on with HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool. We also speak to the CIO of Danfoss about making datacentres greener and explore the issue of restoring data and system backups after a ransomware or cyber attack. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Definition
06 May 2024
social engineering penetration testing
Social engineering penetration testing is the practice of deliberately conducting typical social engineering scams on employees to ascertain the organization's level of vulnerability to this type of exploit. Continue Reading
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News
06 May 2024
Microsoft beefs up cyber initiative after hard-hitting US report
Microsoft is expanding its recently launched Secure Future Initiative in the wake of a hard-hitting US government report on recent nation state intrusions into its systems Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
Adobe expands bug bounty programme to account for GenAI
Adobe has expanded the scope of its HackerOne-driven bug bounty scheme to incorporate flaws and risks arising from the development of generative artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
Patch GitLab vuln without delay, users warned
The addition of a serious vulnerability in the GitLab open source platform to CISA’s KEV catalogue prompts a flurry of concern Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2024
EU calls out Fancy Bear over attacks on Czech, German governments
The European Union, alongside member states Czechia and Germany, have accused Russian government APT Fancy Bear of being behind a series of attacks on political parties and government bodies Continue Reading
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Definition
02 May 2024
What is the dark web (darknet)?
The dark web is an encrypted portion of the internet not visible to the general public via a traditional search engine such as Google. Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
NCSC updates warning over hacktivist threat to CNI
The NCSC and CISA have warned about the evolving threat from Russia-backed hacktivist threat actors targeting critical national infrastructure, after a number of American utilities were attacked Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
Dropbox Sign user information accessed in data breach
Account data belonging to Dropbox Sign users was accessed by an unknown threat actor after they hacked into the organisation’s backend infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
Ukrainian national sentenced over REvil ransomware spree
A 24-year-old Ukrainian man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison after being convicted of his role in the REvil ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
How Okta is fending off identity-based attacks
Okta has been bolstering the security of its own infrastructure and building new tools to scan customer environments for vulnerable identities, among other efforts to fend off identity-based attacks Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2024
EMEA CISOs must address human factors behind cyber incidents
The 17th annual Verizon report on data breaches makes for sobering reading for security pros, urging them to do more to address the human factors involved in cyber incidents, and highlighting ongoing issues with zero-day patching Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 May 2024
Better hygiene may mitigate the need to ban ransomware payments
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Keeper to help Williams F1 keep up with cyber challenges
Keeper Security signs up to support F1 team Williams Racing with credential management ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Bad bot traffic in Australia grew 23% in 2023
Traffic from bad bots that perform malicious tasks accounted for 30.2% of Australia’s internet traffic in 2023 Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Apr 2024
Ransomware payment bans need universal buy-in
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Maybe let's negotiate with terrorists
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
25 Apr 2024
Zero trust is a strategy, not a technology
Zero-trust security should be seen as a strategy to protect high-value assets and is not tied to a specific technology or product, says the model’s creator John Kindervag Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Cyber sector, you have failed this community
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2024
GooseEgg proves golden for Fancy Bear, says Microsoft
Microsoft’s threat researchers have uncovered GooseEgg, a never-before-seen tool being used by Forest Blizzard, or Fancy Bear, in conjunction with vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Apr 2024
Questions for IT and cyber leaders from the CSRB Microsoft report
The US government's CSRB report on last year's state sponsored cyber attacks on Microsoft raises significant concerns for Redmond and its customers. Expert Owen Sayers outlines five key questions IT and cyber security leaders should now consider Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
Fujifilm plans to ‘make tape easy’ with Kangaroo SME appliance
Fujifilm to add 100TB SME-focused Kangaroo tape infrastructure in a box to existing 1PB offer, as energy efficiency and security of tape make it alluring to customers Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
International police operation infiltrates LabHost phishing website used by thousands of criminals
The Metropolitan Police working with international police forces have shut down LabHost, a phishing-as-a-service website that has claimed 70,000 victims in the UK Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
CSA warns of emerging security risks with cloud and AI
Few users appreciate the security risks of cloud and have the expertise to implement the complex security controls, says CSA chief executive David Koh Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Approaches to ransomware need a course correction
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2024
Mandiant formally pins Sandworm cyber attacks on APT44 group
Mandiant has formally attributed a long-running campaign of cyber attacks by a Russian state actor known as Sandworm to a newly designated advanced persistent threat group to be called APT44 Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
US provides assurances over extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Extradition of the WikiLeaks founder moves a step closer after the US government gives diplomatic assurances over his treatment in the US. Assange supporters accuse the US of ‘weasel words’ Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
CISOs not yet convinced to invest in AI
CISOs say their eyes are fixed firmly on threats like ransomware and supply chain attacks, and while AI is becoming a threat that needs to be dealt with, it’s not yet an immediate spending priority Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
CW Innovation Awards: Balancing security and user experience
The National University of Singapore’s Safe initiative has strengthened the security of IT systems and end-user devices while prioritising user experience through passwordless access Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Apr 2024
2024 election security: Confronting disinformation and deepfakes
Although disinformation and deepfakes are a threat to electoral integrity, we already have ways to counter emerging threats and there is an opportunity is to adapt and scale these approaches to counter the challenge to democracy, writes Saj Huq. Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
Recognising APAC’s trailblazers in digital transformation
DBS Bank and NUS were among the top industry innovators that were lauded for various transformational initiatives at the Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC 2024 Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2024
More social engineering attacks on open source projects observed
In the wake of the recent XZ Utils scare, maintainers of another open source project have come forward to say they may have experienced similar social engineering attacks Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Apr 2024
Threat actors look to stolen credentials
In 2023, threat actors wrought havoc on corporate networks by logging in through valid accounts, and as bad actors begin investing in AI to help them identify priority targets, this problem is only expected to worsen in the future Continue Reading
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News
12 Apr 2024
Apple iPhone security alert renews spyware concerns
An Apple security alert received by users in 92 countries raises fresh fears over ongoing campaigns by users of mercenary spyware products Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2024
Cyber crooks poison GitHub search to fool developers
Researchers share data on new technique whereby malicious actors are manipulating GitHub’s search function and using cleverly crafted repositories to distribute malware Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2024
Biden considering whether to end prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
US president Joe Biden says he is considering requests by Australia to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under espionage and computer fraud charges Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2024
UK plc failing on multiple cyber measures
Government report shows 50% of businesses and 32% of charities reported a cyber attack or breach in the past 12 months and organisations across the UK are failing on multiple cyber measures Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2024
Is a cyber arms control treaty out of reach?
The world needs cyber arms control more than ever, but the challenges facing a multilateral agreement will be hard to surmount, according to researchers at Germany’s Digital Society Institute Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2024
UK vet network CVS hit by cyber attack
Operations at UK-based veterinary network CVS have been disrupted by a cyber incident of an as-yet undisclosed nature Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
China ramps up use of AI misinformation
Microsoft researchers have identified a growing pattern of AI-laced misinformation and political interference coming from Chinese threat actors Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
Europol offers law enforcement agencies data on Europe’s most threatening crime networks
Europol has collected and analysed data from over 40 countries to identify 800 most threatening criminal networks operating in Europe in what it describes as a unique dataset for law enforcemnt Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
UKtech50 2024 – help us find the most influential people in UK IT
Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year's list Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
How Oracle Red Bull Racing guards against cyber threats
The F1 team is tapping managed security services, conducting penetration tests and improving security awareness among employees to fend off cyber threats such as phishing and ransomware Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2024
Changes needed for SOCs and CSIRTs, claims Dutch research institute
Cyber security specialists need a game-changer to keep up with their adversaries, who increasingly use automation and AI for their attacks Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2024
Obituary: Professor Ross Anderson, pioneer in security engineering and campaigner
Ross Anderson, a titan in the field of security engineering and campaigner for privacy and security, has passed away Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Banning ransomware payments is not so straightforward
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2024
RDP abused in over 90% of cyber attacks, Sophos finds
Threat actors continue to see great success using simple, tried and tested methods, and many defenders are failing to do the basics Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2024
Ransomware kill switch may save 99% of files from encryption
MDR specialist Adlumin says its new features will help customers stop in-progress ransomware attacks before they can cause significant damage Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: How to tackle the scourge of ransomware?
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2024
Open source alert over intentionally placed backdoor
A backdoor in the open source XZ Utils data compression library could have led to widespread compromise across the Linux ecosystem - and the community is on the trail of a developer who seems to be behind it Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Ransomware lessons from the armed forces
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2024
Organisations getting better at spotting identity fraud
As the barriers to committing identity fraud continue to drop, organisations should consider more sophisticated technical measures to successfully up their game, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2024
Sellafield to be prosecuted over alleged cyber compliance failure
Sellafield Ltd, the organisation responsible for cleaning up and decommissioning the UK's largest nuclear waste site, is to be prosecuted over alleged cyber security failings dating back to 2019 Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2024
Ransomware gang leaks data stolen from Scottish NHS board
Data stolen from an earlier attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been leaked by a ransomware gang that claims to be in possession of much more content Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2024
Cyber spies, not cyber criminals, behind most zero-day exploitation
Analysis from Google has found that zero-day vulnerabilities are much more heavily exploited for espionage purposes than for financially motivated cyber crime Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Qilin ransomware gang claims cyber attack on the Big Issue
A ransomware attack on the systems of publisher and social enterprise Big Issue Group has been claimed by the Qilin gang Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange given temporary reprieve over extradition
Court seeks assurances from the US that Assange will be given First Amendment Rights, will not prejudiced at trial because of his nationality, and will not be subject to the death penalty Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
NCSC reaffirms guidance for those at risk of Chinese state hacking
As the UK and US governments announce sanctions and indictments of a Chinese state threat actor, the NCSC has reiterated its security advice for individuals at risk of being targeted for espionage purposes Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
US authorities charge seven over Chinese hacking
The US Department of Justice has charged seven Chinese nationals linked to the APT31 threat actor that targeted politicians in the UK and US Continue Reading
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News
25 Mar 2024
Which? calls for government action on fake banking sites
Amid high volumes of spoofed, fraudulent banking websites, Which? is calling for the government to implement new legal obligations for domain registrars Continue Reading