Security News
In its 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape report, Bitdefender reckoned that most malware and ransomware infections occurred in the first half of the year - with cybercrims being noticeably less active in the runup to Christmas. The company reckoned that during 2020, two-thirds of all ransomware attacks it detected in the UK happened in Q1 and Q2 - with 11 per cent of the year's total taking place in Q4. Similarly, the company reckoned 74 per cent of cryptocurrency miner malware attacks took place in H1, whereas H1 2019 saw 54 per cent of the year's detected total taking place.
In its 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape report, Bitdefender reckoned that most malware and ransomware infections occurred in the first half of the year - with cybercrims being noticeably less active in the runup to Christmas. The company reckoned that during 2020, two-thirds of all ransomware attacks it detected in the UK happened in Q1 and Q2 - with 11 per cent of the year's total taking place in Q4. Similarly, the company reckoned 74 per cent of cryptocurrency miner malware attacks took place in H1, whereas H1 2019 saw 54 per cent of the year's detected total taking place.
The UK Cyber Security Council announced itself to the public realm last week by touting a domain it doesn't own. A brainchild of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the UK Cyber Security Council is billed by government as "The regulatory body, and voice, for UK cyber security education, training and skills." As part of that it "Drives progress towards meeting the key challenges the profession faces."
Britain's 2021 Defence Review states that the nation will not use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 1968. Around the same time, the UK Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, said, "The UK considers it is clear that cyber operations that result in, or present an imminent threat of, death and destruction on an equivalent scale to an armed attack will give rise to an inherent right to take action in self-defense, as recognized in Article 51 of the UN Charter."
called for more and continued industry collaboration amongst membership and training bodies linked with cybersecurity skills and professional development. Doing so will bolster the cross-industry work that has built the new UK Cyber Security Council, as well as further collective efforts to advocate for members and greater industry awareness of cybersecurity trends and threats.
The Harris Federation, a not-for-profit charity responsible for running 50 primary and secondary academies in London and Essex, has become the latest UK education body to fall victim to ransomware. In a message to pupils and parents, the group, which is led and run by teachers, admitted that criminals had meddled with its servers.
The UK's Home Office is on the hunt for a supplier to help support applications running on its counter-terrorism data network to fulfil a contract that could be worth up to £32m. The National Communications Data Service gives security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies legal access to communications data. In a tender document released last week, the Home Office said it was looking to engage suppliers early before it puts together a contract to "Facilitate the delivery of its communications data applications."
The UK's Government Reviewer of Terrorism Laws is again advising the removal of legal safeguards around a controversial law that allows people to be jailed if they refuse police demands for forced decryption of their devices. In what appears to be a recurring theme, Jonathan Hall QC said police should be able to threaten people arrested under terror laws with five years in prison if they don't hand over passwords on demand.
The UK's Government Reviewer of Terrorism Laws is again advising the removal of legal safeguards around a controversial law that allows people to be jailed if they refuse police demands for forced decryption of their devices. In what appears to be a recurring theme, Jonathan Hall QC said police should be able to threaten people arrested under terror laws with five years in prison if they don't hand over passwords on demand.
In a change from its recent bombastic blather, the British government has published a new Defence Industrial Strategy that looks like it wants to put the infosec industry on a gold-plated pedestal. "Government also needs to provide complementary support to industry and ensure that the public sector can access the right skills to remain an intelligent customer," said the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy whitepaper published this week.