Cybercrime

Social media has become a huge part of everyday life. As social media use becomes ever more prevalent for organisations seeking to engage with new and existing customers and for individuals as a private form of entertainment, the risk of revealing confidential or potentially harmful information increases.

Passwords have long been an archaic form of access security. A recent survey showed that one in 10 people would rather get a root canal or a filling than create a unique password for every online account they have. It’s not surprising to learn then that 50% of those surveyed reuse passwords and one in five have a core password that they adapt to meet brands’ password strength requirements.

https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/20366/why-covid-19-nfts-and-the-crypto-boom-have-accelerated-the-end-of-passwords

The personal data of over 100 million Android users may have been put at risk through a variety of cloud service misconfigurations

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252501200/Lack-of-developer-attention-to-cloud-security-prompts-alerts

A major regional crime unit has been called in to Doncaster’s One Call Insurance after it was reportedly targeted by Eastern European hackers demanding a £15 million ransom after seizing customer details.

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/leaked-one-call-staff-messages-confirm-cyber-security-incident-as-major-crime-unit-called-in-3243731

Statistics collated by Palo Alto Networks reveal malicious actors begin scanning the internet for systems at risk of new CVEs within minutes

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252501122/Malicious-scans-for-at-risk-systems-start-minutes-after-disclosure

More details continue to emerge of the significant ransomware attack on Ireland’s HSE

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252500905/Conti-ransomware-syndicate-behind-attack-on-Irish-health-service

Security researchers swap information on the newly famous DarkSide ransomware gang, the group that doesn’t appear to understand what ‘being a criminal’ actually means

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252500652/Inside-DarkSide-Researchers-share-intel-on-break-out-cyber-gang

UK spooks took down more online scams last year than in the previous three years combined as the Covid-19 pandemic fuelled an increase in cyber crime.

https://www.cityam.com/pandemic-drives-15-fold-rise-in-online-scams-say-uk-cyber-spooks/

The launch of the Early Warning incident notification service is among the enhancements being made by the NCSC to its service packages

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252500588/UK-Plc-invited-to-sign-up-for-Early-Warning-of-cyber-incidents

The NCSC’s refreshed cyber security guidance for larger organisations places particular emphasis on cloud, home working and ransomware

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252500582/NCSC-cyber-guidance-targets-cloud-and-home-working