Electoral Commission hacked: Watchdog sorry for cyber breach amid concern over accessed data August 8, 2023 The elections watchdog has been targeted by a cyber attack which allowed “hostile actors” to access electoral registers. The Electoral Commission revealed it had been hacked but was “not able to know conclusively” what information was accessed. But it said the largely paper-based process of elections meant it would be “very hard” for hackers to [...]
Estee Lauder hit by cyberattack affecting some business operations July 19, 2023 Cosmetics maker Estee Lauder said a hacker had obtained some data from its systems, with the cyber incident causing, and expected to further cause, disruption to parts of the company’s business operations. The MAC Cosmetics owner was working to restore the affected systems and had implemented measures to secure its operations, including taking down some [...]
New Online Safety Bill sparks privacy and national security concerns among public July 4, 2023 The draft Online Safety Bill (OSB) has sparked security and online privacy concerns according to a new survey – although Ofcom has brushed off the scrutiny. Under the new OSB, which is in its final stages of passing through parliament, authorities could force communication providers like WhatsApp to scan online messages sent in the UK [...]
Bank of America at odds with Lloyd’s over state-backed cyberattack exemption April 20, 2023 Bank of America has reportedly raised concerns with Lloyd’s of London about a move to exempt “state-backed” cyberattacks from standard insurance policies. Bank of America highlighted its concerns with the policy in a series of meetings between Lloyd’s and its biggest clients, the Financial Times reported. Marsh, the world’s biggest broker, is also understood to [...]
Capita: Local authority contractor says ‘limited’ data accessed by hackers in recent cyber attack April 20, 2023 Outsourcing firm and government contractor Capita said customer, supplier or colleague data may have been accessed by hackers in a recent cyber attack on the firm. The group – a major contractor for local authorities – said investigations since the hack was discovered on March 31 have shown evidence of a “limited” data breach. It [...]
Cyber attacks hit a third of firms and quarter of charities last year, including Royal Mail, WH Smiths and JD Sports April 19, 2023 Nearly a third of businesses and a quarter of charities have said they were the subject of cyber attacks or breaches last year, new data has shown. Figures collected for the Government by polling company Ipsos show a similar proportion of larger and medium-sized companies and high-income charities faced attacks or breaches last year as [...]
Treasury hunts for a new cybersecurity boss – guess how little they are paying? March 30, 2023 Protecting the UK Treasury from a whole host of cyber threats sounds like quite an important role, and one that you might think warrants a decent salary in order to secure someone with the technical skill and professional track record who is able to take on the task. Well, not quite. Despite claiming the UK [...]
Malware attacks on UK government devices up by 75 per cent, report reveals March 7, 2023 Malware attacks on UK government ‘internet of things’ devices have risen by 75 per cent, a new report has revealed. Attempted attacks on the so-called internet of things (IoT) devices used by UK government facilities and departments jumped from 38,334 in 2021 to 67,324 in 2022, according to a report by US cybersecurity company Sonicwall. [...]
UK imposes ‘first of their kind’ sanctions on Russian hackers who attacked British firms, schools and hospitals February 9, 2023 The UK government has imposed “first of their kind” sanctions on seven Russian hackers accused of using ransomware attacks to take millions from British firms. The Russian hackers are alleged to have used “cynical cyberattacks” to extort at least £27m from 149 British victims, including schools, hospitals, and private businesses. The cybercriminals will now be [...]
Insurers falling short in modelling cyber and natural catastrophe risks, Bank of England warns January 23, 2023 The UK’s insurance regulator has called on insurers to bolster their cyber and natural catastrophe risk modelling capabilities in preparation for a period of “high volatility and uncertainty”. In a letter sent to UK insurance companies today, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which sits within the Bank of England, warned insurers models are continuing to [...]
