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Masterclass
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Inside View
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Everyone is at risk
From spear phishing to ransomware and the ever-present threat of bots, companies of all sizes have reason to lose sleep at night. Elizabeth Sheldon, Chairman, Evidence Talks, considers what that means for organisations everywhere |
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Features
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Deadly game of Hide ‘n’ Seek
Bitdefender researchers have uncovered an emerging botnet that uses advanced communication techniques to exploit victims and build its infrastructure |
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The Dark Destroyers
More than a million leaked and hacked credentials from the UK's top law firms have been tracked down to the Dark Web, leaving the firms vulnerable to phishing scams and the possibility of significant data theft |
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AI versus a human hacker
We’ve all completed a 'captcha' to prove we are human when online. So, when a robot successfully completed the test, the inevitable question, says Jonathan Wilkins of EU Automation, was: "Are our computers secure?"
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Driving into the unknown
Connected cars are a reality; most modern vehicles on the road nowadays have some form of connectivity to the open world. This raises important challenges on multiple software integration and cybersecurity |
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Risk and reward in the big city
Back in the 1960s, Disneyland had a ride called 'Utopia'. It was a glimpse into the future of human cities and gave us a taste of what smart cities could be. Alastair Hartrup, Global CEO, Network Critical, takes up the story |
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Reviews
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Titania Paws Studio 3.2.2
SMEs daunted by data protection regulations and the looming GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) can rest easy with Titania’s Paws Studio. Very keenly priced, it’s capable of auditing all Windows, macOS and Linux systems – and much more
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Case Study
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Welcome to the May 2018 issue of the Computing Security Newsletter.
The overwhelming majority of businesses and charities are reliant on online services, which, of course, exposes them to cyber security risks. But the scale of these attacks might take many by surprise, even with our increasingly low expectations of organisations’ ability and determination to keep themselves safe.y.
The latest disturbing statistics emanate from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in its recently released report, ‘Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018’.
“Organisations of all sizes, and a substantive majority of large businesses and charities, in particular, have been breached or attacked,” DCMS reveals. “Those with more potential risk factors are also among the most likely to experience cyber security breaches or attacks.”
According to the annual report, more than four in ten businesses (43%) and two in ten charities (19%) have experienced cyber security breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. This rises to seven in ten (72%) among large businesses and a similar proportion (73%) among the largest charities with incomes of £5 million or more.
“Virtually all UK businesses (98%) and charities (93%) represented in the survey rely on some form of digital communication or services, such as staff email addresses, websites, online banking and the ability for customers to shop online,” states DCMS. “More businesses had websites or social media pages in the 2017 survey than in 2016. The 2018 figures are similar to 2017, and therefore also higher than in 2016.”.
Charities are exposed to further online risks. Around three in ten enable people to donate online (31%) and just under three in ten allow beneficiaries to access their services online (27%). “This is especially true of larger charities (53% of charities with an income of £500,000 or more let people donate online, and 49% enable beneficiaries to access services online),” adds DCMS.
Whilst among businesses there are indications that senior managers are more regularly engaged with the cybersecurity than in the 2017 survey, there is still a lot that organisations can do better. Just five in ten businesses (51%) and three in ten charities (29%) have implemented all of the five basic technical controls under Cyber Essentials, comprising: boundary firewalls and internet gateways; secure configurations; user access controls; malware protection; and patch management (applying software updates).
That represents a huge chunk of such organisations that are playing with fire when it comes to being breached. No doubt, by the time the 2019 survey is released, many of these will also have suffered an attack – and perhaps wondered in hindsight why they didn’t do more to shore up their defences.
To make sure you get your copy of the Newsletter emailed to you personally, every time, click here to register.
Brian Wall, Editor
Computing Security
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