Category: Cyber-Attack
Almost Half of UK firms hit by Cyber Breach or Attacks in the Past Year
Attacks Hit Many UK Firms
- Government report says seven in ten large companies identified a breach or attack with firms holding personal data more likely to be attacked primarily by fraudulent emails, followed by viruses and
- Businesses large and small are being urged to protect themselves against cyber-crime after new government statistics found more than half of all UK businesses suffered a cyber-breach or attack in the past 12
- The Cyber-Security Breaches Survey 2017 reveals nearly seven in ten large businesses identified a breach or attack, with the average cost to large businesses of all breaches over the period being £20,000 and in some cases reaching
- The survey also shows businesses holding electronic personal data on customers were much more likely to suffer cyber-breaches than those that do not (51% compared to 37%)
- The Cyber-Breaches Survey is part of the UK government’s five-year national cyber-security strategy to transform this country’s cyber-security and to protect the UK online. As part of the strategy, the government recently opened the new National Cyber-Security Centre (NCSC), a part of
List of data breaches and cyber attacks in February 2017
It’s the shortest month of the year, but it has not been short of breaches or cyber attacks.
The list is the usual mix of ransomware attacks and careless employees causing data breaches.
Our US readers, however, will be well aware that tax day is fast approaching, so W-2 phishing is rife. Earlier this month, the IRS sent out an urgent alert warning employers that this W-2 phishing scam had spread beyond the corporate world to other sectors, including school districts, tribal organisations and non-profits.
Continue reading “List of data breaches and cyber attacks in February 2017”
North Korea could be linked to cyber-attacks on banks
Is North Korea Responsible For Cyber-Attacks On Banks?
A top cyber-security firm is investigating whether North Korea could be linked to attacks on banks in recent months.
Symantec said it had evidence that the same group attempted to steal money from a bank in the Philippines, one in Vietnam and Bangladesh’s central bank.
It also said the rare malware deployed was similar to that used in the hacking of Sony Pictures in 2014.
The US government said North Korea was behind the Sony hack.
If North Korea is found to be behind the bank attacks, it would be the first time a country has been detected stealing money in a cyber-attack, Symantec’s technical director Eric Chien told Reuters.
In February this year, hackers stole $81m (£55m) from the central bank of Bangladesh.
According to Symantec, it was the same group that attempted to steal $1m from the Tien Phong Bank in Vietnam and attacked a bank in the Philippines.
In addition, the code shares similarities with malware used by the group known as Lazarus which has been accused of various attacks on the US and South Korea, including the attacks against Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In a report form the BBC May 2015 it was reported that North Korean hackers are capable of attacks that could destroy critical infrastructure and even kill people, a high-profile defector warned.
Speaking exclusively to BBC Click, Prof Kim Heung-Kwang said the country had around 6,000 trained military hackers.
The warning follows last year’s Sony Pictures hack – an attack attributed to North Korea.
Korean technology expert Martyn Williams stressed the threat was only “theoretical”.
Prof Kim has called for international organisations to step in to prevent North Korea launching more severe attacks.