What would happen if your business lost all its data tomorrow? Would you be able to recover, or would it grind your operations to a halt? Every small business runs on data, which includes customer information, financial records, communications,…

The landscape of remote work has transformed dramatically over the past several years. What began as a reactive shift to keep operations going during major global disruption has now solidified into a permanent mode of working for many organisations,…

The digital age has made our lives easier than ever, but it has also made it easier for hackers to take advantage of our online weaknesses. Hackers are getting smarter and using more creative ways to get into people's personal and business…

Do you know where deleted files go? It may seem like the file is gone for good when you delete it from your computer. However, the truth is more complicated than that. A deleted file doesn’t really disappear from your hard drive; it stays…

Malware and ransomware are two types of bad software. They can damage your computer or steal your data. Downloading this harmful software comes with serious consequences. In 2024, there were more than 60 million new strains of malware found…

File storage and transferring are important in most people’s lives. However, the safety of files is really tough to maintain. In this guide, we are going to help you protect your files. We will explore ways to store and send files securely. What…

The UK’s Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) has now started categorising cyber events using a scale designed to assess the impact and severity of attacks (similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes). What is the Cyber Monitoring Centre? The…

In this second part article, where we review the issues around employees engaging in personal activities on company-issued devices, we look deeper into the legal and compliance implications and provide real-world case studies of security breaches.…

In this insight, we look at how a recently developed ‘World Cybercrime Index’ appears to show the globe’s key cybercrime hotspots by ranking the most significant sources of cybercrime at a national level.  Three Years To Develop  The…

It’s been reported that an employee at London-based design and engineering multinational, Arup, was duped by a deepfake video call into paying a staggering $25.6 million to fraudsters.  What Happened?  According to reports…

At its Annual Partner Conference 2024, HP announced the world’s first business PCs to protect firmware against quantum computer attacks.  This Issue  As highlighted by Global Risk Institute research, 27 per cent of experts…

A new survey from CyberArk has revealed that increased workloads caused by a surge in cyber threats and attacks has led to 59 per cent of UK senior cyber security professionals facing burnout.  Cyber Crime Levels High  The results…

Following several months of testing, Firefox users can now take advantage of the Firefox Relay email masking tool from within the browser to help preserve their online anonymity and boost security.  What Is Firefox Relay?  Firefox…

Amendments to the UK Online Safety Bill mean a report must be written before powers can be used by the regulator to force tech firms to scan encrypted messages for child abuse images.  What Is The Online Safety Bill?  The Online…

New Sky Broadband research has revealed that the level of abuse suffered by female online gamers from male gamers has been so strong that over one-in-ten (11 per cent) have been left feeling suicidal.  Shocking Levels…

Google has announced the rollout of ‘Passkeys,’ which it describes as “the easiest and most secure way to sign-in to apps and websites” and a major step toward a “passwordless future.” Working Toward A Passwordless…

With the UK government’s new ‘Emergency Alerts’ system now live, we take a look at what it is and how it will work.  What Are ‘Emergency Alerts’?  The UK government’s Emergency Alerts service, managed by the…

Meta has announced it’s launching its own version of Twitter’s Blue Tick called ‘Meta Verified’ for Facebook and Instagram where users pay a monthly subscription to be verified on the platforms.  Announcement  On February…

In this insight, we look at the popular email authentication protocols SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, how they work, why they’re important, and what happens if they’re not set up properly.  What Is SPF?  SPF, or Sender Policy Framework,…

Blockchain data platform Chainanalysis has reported that cybercriminals have seen a 40 per cent fall in their earnings as more people have refused to pay the ransom following ransomware attacks.  More Strains With Shorter Lifespans  However,…

In this article, we look at the many different ways we are being tracked online, plus which measures users can take to avoid being tracked.  Why Are We Being Tracked?  Internet tracking is used for a number of reasons, including:  Improving…

Arguably no phrase has dominated the tech world the last 24 months more than the term “data breach.” From breaches that have impacted critical infrastructure like the Colonial Pipeline to hackers compromising healthcare records at UC San…

If you’re working with lots of tabs open but want to be able to quickly locate essential web pages in your Google Chrome browser, try pinning important tabs to the left-hand side. Here’s how: Right-click on the tab and select ‘Pin’.The…

In this article, we look at how the risks to businesses posed by pirated software can far outweigh the benefits of using it, and how you can protect your business from the true costs of pirated software.  Benefits  On the surface,…

Here’s a simple tip using Notepad to check if your antivirus is working as it should: Open Notepad.Type X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H* into notepad.Save the file as either e.g., test.exe or test.bat…

Following recent security concerns about Amazon’s plans to enable Alexa to mimic voices, we look at how easy it is to do, what the benefits are, and what risks it poses.  Alexa The Mimic  Recently, Amazon announced that it was…

The growing number of cyber-attacks since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine have led The Russian Foreign Ministry to warn that more western cyber-attacks on its infrastructure could lead to a direct military confrontation.  Housing…

With many governments (including the UK Government) being targeted with Pegasus phone-spying software, there’s now news that Spain’s PM’s has also been hit.  What Is Pegasus?  Pegasus spyware is sold by Israeli-based NSO Group…

In this article, we look at the cyber-crime gang Lapsus$, how they operate and the details of some of their recent high-profile attacks.  Lapsus$ ?  Lapsus$ is reported to be a mostly teenage cyber-crime gang (hackers), mainly…

A report by Security Company ‘Elevate’ has revealed that 3 per cent of users are responsible for 92 per cent of malware events for businesses, indicating that a small number of users create the most risk.    2016 to 2021    ‘The…

A study by security firm ‘Proofpoint’ has revealed that 82 per cent of UK organisations whose systems were infected by ransomware in 2021 opted to pay the ransom.  Much Higher Than The Global Average  Despite cybersecurity and…

A sacked school IT Technician who took revenge by deleting data and sabotaging his old school’s network (and by wiping the computers of everyone who was logged in) has been jailed.  Revenge Hack  As reported on Leicestershire…

In a worrying trend, oil facilities in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have all recently been targeted by cyber-attacks. Germany The attack on German oil, vehicle fuel and petroleum products company Oiltanking Deutschland GmbH &…

In this article, we look at what doxxing is, some examples of doxxing, and what can be done to protect ourselves and our businesses from being ‘Doxxed’. What Is Doxxing? Doxing is a 90s hacker term meaning for dropping (personal)…

In this article, we look at what BYOD is, why a BYOD policy is important, and what elements form the essential blueprint of a BYOD policy. What Is BYOD? The term Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has been around since 2004 when it was first…

In this tech insight, we take a look at the many threats to email security that businesses face and what businesses can do to mitigate them, together with what help is available to help tackle those threats effectively. Email Accounts For…

In this tech insight, we take a brief look at the WEP and WAP security protocols, and what happened to them. What Is WAP? Developed by Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and Unwired Planet, and introduced back in 1999, Wireless Application Protocol…

The latest “ThreatLabz: The State of Encrypted Attacks,” 2021 report has shown a 300 per cent increase in online attackers using HTTPS to cloak their activities and blend in with other traffic. HTTPS HTTPS, the encrypted version of…

Many cybers attacks now take the form of using fake/spoof communication to trick victims into parting with personal (or company) data, or money. We take a look at some of the most popular and widely reported methods and how to avoid falling…

In this tech-insight, we take a look at what QR codes are used for, review some well-known security risks, and outline what action you can take to protect yourself from malicious QR codes. Quick Response (QR) Codes A QR code is a machine-readable…

Apple has issued a security update following the discovery of a zero-day, zero-click “spyware” that could infect iPhones and iPads. Discovered By Researchers The threat was discovered by independent researchers from the University…

Human Rights groups fear that the Taliban could soon be able to use collected biometric data to identify contractors and locals working with the US military. What Biometric Data? It has been reported that, over time, while on operations…

On 12 August, the Poly Network DeFi platform announced that, following the theft of $610 Million in digital coins, the hacker thieves had returned $342 million. However, it’s been reported that more recently, almost all of the stolen crypto…

Recognising that Microsoft 365 does not comprehensively back up your data means that making sure that you have a third-party, “point-in-time” backup solution is an important consideration for your business. Only For 30 Days Microsoft…

After a recent high profile media story highlighted how poor router security led to a police raid of the home of an innocent family, we take a look at how Wi-Fi piggybacking attacks against home and domestic targets, and VoIP hacking of businesses…

With Barclays Bank recently publishing the figures of refunds it made to customers who fell victim to authorised push payment (APP) fraud, there have been calls for greater transparency and reform to the current (voluntary) reimbursement code. Authorised…

In a recent blog post, Google has announced that the automatic enrolment of Google account users in Two Step Verification ‘2SV’ is coming soon. Passwords – Single Biggest Threat To Online Security In the blog post on ‘On World…

MI5 is using a ‘Think before You Link’ campaign to warn its workers about the growing threat of being targeted for information by actors for hostile states using fake profiles on platforms such as LinkedIn. Think before You Link It…

Apple Macs have long had a reputation for being more secure than PCs but where does this idea come from and is it really the case? How Did It Start? Apple itself supported the idea that Macs didn’t get computer viruses until (in 2012)…

The Post Office has announced that its new, free app will include the latest biometric-face matching and liveness biometric authentication. Partnership With Yoti As a result of a partnership with London-based digital identity company,…

In this article, we look at not just the story of how a staggering 400,000 police records were accidentally deleted but also at the wider picture of what information is held about us UK citizens by the authorities, and what powers we have over…

With Christmas just around the corner here are some suggestions for how you and your loved ones can stay safe online over this festive period and beyond. The Shift Online The pandemic has prompted a huge shift online this year for work…

This article looks at the difference between cloud backup and cloud storage and how each contributes to daily business life; business continuity and disaster recovery. The Need For Storage Businesses not only have limited hard drive space,…

In this article, we look at why bring your own device (BYOD) is still popular and we look at some of the risks businesses face by allowing BYOD. BYOD BYOD has been around since 2004 and essentially allows employees to bring in their personally…

With domestic abuse on the rise, particularly since the pandemic lockdowns, we look at some of the chilling ways that smart devices and other technology are being used as a tool by abusers. Rise In Reports A BBC Panorama and Women’s…

Facial Recognition and facial authentication sound similar but there are distinct differences and this article takes a broad a look at how both are playing more of a role in our lives going forward. So firstly, what's the difference? Facial…

Employees being given too much access to privileged, sensitive company data can put an organisation in danger.  In this article, we explore the issues around this subject and how businesses can minimise the risk. Survey In a recent…

Details emerged this week of a scam whereby a man claiming to be on a top-secret military mission contacted a lady on a dating site and encouraged her to switch to an encrypted message service in order to steal money and personal details. Hooked In…

An Apple iPhone user in the U.S. has sued LinkedIn over allegations that its app was reading the contents of an Apple device user’s clipboard without their knowledge. Spying Complaint The complainant, Adam Bauer, alleges that LinkedIn’s…

In partnership with Visa, NatWest has added an invisible layer of behavioural biometrics as part of an authentication process that will enable compliance with a new EU regulation. Which Regulation? The Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) regulation,…

Reports that eBay has been running port scans against the computers of visitors to the platform have caused alarm over potential security issues. Port Scans Port scanning is something that many people associate with cyberattacks…

More scam warnings for Zoom, Teams and Meet users as reports show hackers still use domains related to popular collaborative platforms to target remote workers with phishing scams during lockdown. Domains Almost as soon as the lockdown…

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has given UK businesses an extra 6 months to reach compliance with the new Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) rules for secure payment processing. What Are the SCA Secure Payment Processing Rules? The…

London-based security company Redscan has reported that recent Google searches reveal how businesses are focused on how they can adapt to the security and technology challenges posed by remote working. Not Prepared This does appear to…

It has been reported that the surge in the use of streaming music and video services has been accompanied by a surge in the number of user accounts being taken over by cybercriminals. Entertainment During Isolation Self-isolation and…

A security threat to devices, Wi-Fi access points (APs), and routers that comes from the Kr00k Wi-Fi chip vulnerability could affect billions according to security researchers. Kr00k The existence of Kr00k, also known by the catchy name…

Security fears about Huawei products being used in the new 5G networks are still being expressed by the Trump administration, while Google has clarified its position on the matter. What’s So Bad About Huawei? Back in July 2018, …

Avast, the Anti-virus company, has announced that it will not be providing any more data to, and will be commencing “a wind down” of its subsidiary Jumpshot Inc after a report that it was selling supposedly anonymised data to advertiser…

Microsoft is launching a new "campaign views" tool in Office 365 that is designed to offer greater protection from phishing attacks by enabling businesses to be able to spot the pattern of a phishing campaign over individual messages. Context…