Security

Meta has announced the start of a roll-out of default end-to-end encryption for all personal chats and calls via Messenger and Facebook, with a view to making them more private and secure.  Extra Layer Of Security and Privacy  Meta says that despite it being an optional feature since 2016, making it the default has “taken years…

Plans have been submitted for a new £1 billion development in Cheltenham that will include one of Europe’s largest tech campuses and will house the National Cyber Innovation Centre.  Cheltenham’s Golden Valley Development  Planning has been submitted for what will be called ‘Cheltenham’s Golden Valley Development,’ which is reported to be at the heart of…

In an apparent admission of defeat, the UK government has conceded that requiring scanning of platforms like WhatsApp for messages with harmful content, as required in the Online Safety Bill, is not (currently) feasible.  The ‘Spy Clause’  Under what’s been dubbed the ‘spy clause’ (Clause 122) in the UK’s Online Safety Bill, the government had stated…

If you’d like to know what a ‘Pen Test’ is and the sorts of things you can expect from one, this article will give you a helpful overview. Pen Tests  Put simply, pen testing is short for “penetration testing” and in a virtual situation (we’ll concentrate mostly on virtual in this article) acts like a…

An Observer investigation has reported uncovering evidence that 20 NHS Trusts have been collecting data about patients’ medical conditions and sharing it with Facebook.  Using A Covert Tracking Tool  The newspaper’s investigation found that over several years, the trusts have been using the Meta Pixel analytics tool to collect patient browsing data on their websites.…

With phishing attacks being favoured for their effectiveness by attackers and most ransomware attacks now targeting backup storage, we look at what businesses can do to protect themselves.   Spear Phishing Accounted For Two-Thirds Of All Attacks Last Year  A recent report from security provider Barracuda has revealed that although spear phishing attacks make up just…

A Mimecast spokesman has warned that in a labour market already stretched by shortages, Dutch digital resilience could be threatened if more attention isn’t paid to the mental well-being of cyber security professionals.  Wanting To Change Jobs  Recent research commissioned by Mimecast in the Netherlands showed that a quarter of Dutch IT professionals are considering…

Following news that hackers have stolen encrypted backups from the parent company of popular password manager LastPass, we look at what password managers are, plus the implications of the attack for businesses.  Password Challenges  We are all used to using passwords but without extra measures (e.g. 2FA) they are now recognised as having security limitations…