Security News
The UK government is launching proposals to boost the legal status of digital identities, something it claims will ensure they are trusted as much as physical documents such as passports. The government today argued digital identities could help reduce cases of online fraud because they are much harder for criminals to access and replicate than other types of online personal data such as dates of birth.
The Microsoft Exchange Server attacks earlier this year were "Systemic cyber sabotage" carried out by Chinese state hacking crews including private contractors working for a spy agency, the British government has said. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said this morning in a statement: "The cyber attack on Microsoft Exchange Server by Chinese state-backed groups was a reckless but familiar pattern of behaviour. The Chinese Government must end this systematic cyber sabotage and can expect to be held to account if it does not."
MI5's UK Annual Threat Update 2021 from director general Ken McCallum almost mirrors the threat warnings delivered by U.S. government agencies: ransomware and IP theft in cyber, and extreme right-wing terrorism amplified by online echo chambers. McCallum's view is, "For as long as it's cheap and easy for hostile actors to try to access UK data; or to cultivate initially-unwitting individuals here; or to spread false, divisive information - they are bound to keep doing so." The UK house also needs to be got in order - and in both cases the call is for new and stronger legislation.
Much to the derision of expert commentators on social media, the COVID-Status Certification Review details the government's approach to so-called vaccine passports and its response to concerns over their usage. "Any decision to require COVID-status certification will be a discretionary choice for individual organisations to make. However, it is possible that certification could provide a means of keeping events going and businesses open if the country is facing a difficult situation in autumn or winter," it said.
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has opened an official inquiry into the misuse of private email accounts at the Department of Health and Social Care. The investigation comes amid mounting allegations that senior officials within the department - including former health secretary Matt Hancock who resigned recently over his inability to follow lockdown rules - used private emails to discuss sensitive government business.
A British script kiddie who DDoS'd a Labour Party parliamentary candidate's website in the runup to the last general election has been banned from using the Tor browser. Bradley Niblock, formerly the operator of the UGLegion Twitter account, pleaded guilty to two Computer Misuse Act crimes after being tracked down by Cumbria Police.
Criminals infected the Salvation Army in the UK with ransomware and siphoned the organisation's data, The Register has learned. The Salvation Army refused to give any further information, such as the identity of the criminal attackers, or the volume and type of data accessed by the them.
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union published its 2020 Global Cyber Security Index on Tuesday, and listed the US first in overall ranking, followed by a tie for second place tie between the UK and Saudi Arabia. The index ranks nations using 82 questions developed by a panel of experts.
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union published its 2020 Global Cyber Security Index on Tuesday, and listed the US first in overall ranking, followed by a tie for second place tie between the UK and Saudi Arabia. The index ranks nations using 82 questions developed by a panel of experts.
The new UK Cyber Security Council has instigated its first two initiatives, under its mandate from the Government to develop the cyber security profession. The Council has invited the 16 members of the Cyber Security Alliance - the group of organisations commissioned by DCMS to set up the Council - to apply for a role in determining the terms of reference for two significant, new committees: a Professional Standards & Ethics Committee and a Qualifications & Careers Committee.