L&g Cyber Discussion Threads

[thamestrader] 19/4/2022 12:14

I feel this should be skyrocketing in the current environment, but it ain't.

[suetballs] 05/3/2022 15:27

Cyber security is a very good place to be especially atm.
Suet

[suetballs] 01/9/2021 20:11

£20 rapidly approaching.
Suet

[suetballs] 19/12/2020 19:09

£17 gone - stunning performance.
And given the current climate I can't see it stopping.
Suet

[la forge] 24/6/2020 10:53

Swiss investigate company that spied on the world
crypto machine
The CIA and West German intelligence services used the Swiss company's encryption products. Keystone

Switzerland’s attorney general has initiated criminal proceedings against Crypto, a Zug-based company that was allegedly used for decades by United States and German intelligence services to spy on over 100 countries.
June 24, 2020 - 12:09
swissinfo.ch/ds

The proceedings, however, are not related to espionage charges but the suspicion of malpractice obtaining export permits for the company’s cryptographic machines.

Swiss public radio SRF announced the development on Wednesday.

Last Friday, the government gave the green light for the attorney general to open criminal proceedings, according to the report.

The suspicion that false or incomplete information had been provided in the export applications originated at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), which filed a criminal complaint against unknown persons at the end of February.
How did Switzerland become Switzerland? The most important chapters in Swiss history up to 1848

1848 saw the creation of the Swiss federal state and a unique democratic island in the sea of monarchist Europe.

For decades, Crypto supplied foreign governments and armed forces with machinery that was flawed, making it possible to decrypt allegedly secure messages.

SECO says that it would never have issued the permits if it had been aware of the flaw.

Swiss law stipulates that "anyone who intentionally provides incorrect or incomplete information in an application that is decisive for the granting of a permit is liable to imprisonment or a fine of up to CHF 1 million [$1.06 million]".

In serious cases, however, imprisonment can be up to ten years and a fine of up to five million.

The Crypto affair made headlines in February following investigations by SRF, German television TV ZDF, and US newspaper Washington Post.

The Swiss parliament’s watchdog tasked with overseeing the activities of security and espionage services is conducting its own investigation to clarify who in Switzerland new what and when.

[suetballs] 19/6/2020 08:17

£15 gone. Where can this go?
Suet

[suetballs] 22/5/2020 12:32

This is going like a train!
Suet

[suetballs] 12/5/2020 10:20

£14 now very close.
Suet

[suetballs] 11/5/2020 10:49

Back to ath's.
With wfh this has further to go.
Suet

[the grumpy old men] 02/5/2020 11:12

FORBES

Editors' Pick|15 468 views|May 2, 2020,04:24am EDT
Trump Declares National Emergency As Foreign Hackers Threaten U.S. Power Grid
Davey Winder
Davey WinderSenior Contributor
Cybersecurity
I report and analyse breaking cybersecurity and privacy stories



President Trump has signed an executive order that declares foreign cybersecurity threats to the U.S. electricity system a national emergency.



The executive order also confirmed that a task force had been established, with members including the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, to work to protect against national security threats to energy infrastructure. What this order did not do is go as far as naming any specific foreign adversaries, nor the companies they may control.
Today In: Cybersecurity



However, President Trump did state that the acquisition or use of bulk-power system electricity equipment "designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied," subject to the jurisdiction of these unnamed foreign adversaries adds to their ability to "create and exploit vulnerabilities," with "potentially catastrophic effects." Acknowledging that an open investment climate needs to be maintained for the growth of the economy, President Trump wrote that this openness has to be balanced with the requirement to protect against a "critical national security threat."
MORE FROM FORBESFBI Says Foreign States Hacked Into U.S. COVID-19 Research Centers: Report
By Davey Winder


The then Director of National Intelligence, Daniel R. Coats, published a worldwide threat assessment in January 2019 that warned of the cyber-attack capabilities of both China and Russia when it came to the U.S. electricity grid. That report stated that "Russia has the ability to execute cyber-attacks in the United States that generate localized, temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructure." The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released an alert in 2018 warning of "Russian government actions," targeting, among others, the energy infrastructure sector in the U.S.


U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette, who will lead the newly established task force, said "It is imperative the bulk-power system be secured against exploitation and attacks by foreign threats. This Executive Order will greatly diminish the ability of foreign adversaries to target our critical electric infrastructure." The Department of Energy established the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) in February 2018, to improve energy infrastructure security, including preparedness and response against cyber-attacks.

[suetballs] 20/4/2020 14:00

Nice rise from £10.
Suet

[the grumpy old men] 11/4/2020 07:48

Niall Tuohy, security product manager, Vodafone Ireland.
By Joe Dermody

Friday, April 10, 2020 - 07:49 AM

Greater numbers of people working from home and greater awareness of cyber threats are just some of the likely positives on the horizon for business.

Phishing attempts, scams or ‘scareware’ through email, text and social media have risen markedly since Covid-19. According to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau in the UK, victims lost over £800,000 to coronavirus scams in February.

“Scammers are offering information or statistics on coronavirus, deals on surgical masks or free VPN offers for businesses, but when you click on the link a malware is installed giving them control of your computer, log your keystrokes and access company and/or customer data,” said Niall Tuohy, security product manager, Vodafone Ireland.

“These phishing emails may look like they come from an internal address, but if it looks any way unusual, it is vital you contact the sender before opening the link. Beware of free or limited offers from unknown parties and untrusted websites — if it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t!”

Niall says the risks for a security breach have multiplied as more employees have been working from home. He says that ensuring devices are secure is the key for remote working to be a success.

He is talking to business owners who want advice. He sees this advice as a service rather than as commercial opportunism.

“We don’t charge for advice. It is a bit confusing for small business owners at the moment. Everyone is out there trying to sell their wares, and there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. There are small businesses that are struggling to find out what they need, and they’re being swamped with advice.

“The living rooms of their staff members are now the new office, and they need to take steps to ensure that these homes are as secure as their offices.

“At Vodafone, we are ahead of the curve on this as we have many people remote working for a long time, but some companies didn’t have time to react quickly enough; they just have to do all they can to ensure their security is robust. Ideally, make sure all connectivity is over VPN.

“It is also a good idea to adopt a zero trust policy. Restrict access. For instance, HR doesn’t have to have home access to the personal information of staff members. If you’re going for a cup of tea, close down your laptop.

“A lot of people use webcams. The default setting should be ‘Off’; only turn it on when you need. When Boris Johnson was interviewed remotely recently, a lot of people remarked that they could see his Zoom number.”

Niall said Vodafone staff are working “flat out” taking calls from businesses who were not prepared for these new remote threats.

For businesses who already have security built into devices, they should make sure their solutions are up-to-date and operating on the latest versions.

Businesses may want to add a feature so employees can clearly see when an email is from an external source. Company devices should have a VPN or virtual private network so employees can access company email and applications, without risk, preferably with a two-step authentication.

Businesses may also want to blacklist certain websites and install more robust device management software for an added layer of security in these uncertain times.

“For people working from home, malicious attempts to gain entry to your wifi are possible,” Niall said. “To mitigate this, and as a best practice, you should always change your home wifi password from the generic admin password provided to a personalised one. Another option is to ‘hot spot’, using the mobile data from your device, if it is secured through robust management software.”

People may be working with a combination of personal and company devices as an interim step to ensuring business continuity. Without the security of a firewall or the ability of updating or enforcing the latest anti-virus, at a minimum, devices need to be using up-to-date anti-virus software.

“Solutions such as Palo Alto Traps can be easily sent to an employee’s device and can provide an enhanced feature set,” Niall said. “Traps replaces legacy antivirus and secures endpoints with a multi-method prevention approach that blocks malware and exploits, both known and unknown, before they compromise laptops and other devices.”

People are advised to change their passwords more regularly, hesitate before clicking on things (from anything ‘Free’ through to memes on social media).

Encourage employees to use your cloud solution remotely and deter them from using personal cloud storage solutions that are not secured by your company’s data protection protocols.

If you are not using a cloud-based file sharing solution, the good news is that Microsoft is currently offering its Teams solution for free. And it seems that, for many, working from home could be here to stay.

“The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate,” Niall said. “Organisations who were slow to promote remote working now see value in it. One clear positive is the potential cost saving from having smaller offices.

“A lot of the fear has gone out of wondering if people at home are actually working. Companies have ways of measuring productivity. Workers check in regularly with their employers. At Vodafone, we are very rigid in reporting the working hours to our line managers.

“And workers have learned the value of having structure to their day. It is important for people to close the laptop at the end of their day to feel that they have left work.

“Of course, those childminding by day in recent weeks may have had to flip their day around and work by night instead. They need that flexibility. Once you get the security right, the positives far outweigh any negatives.”

[grupo] 08/5/2019 08:37

Orange (ORA.FR) said late Tuesday that it acquired a 100% stake in the cybersecurity-service provider SecureLink for 515 million euros ($576.5 million) on an enterprise value basis as part its strategy to strengthen its position in the cybersecurity industry.

The transaction establishes Orange as a leader in the European cybersecurity industry with an on-the-ground presence in 8 European countries and roughly 1,800 employees, the French telecommunications company said.

Orange is already a leading player in the French cybersecurity market via its Orange Cyberdefense unit, it said. The company acquired the U.K.-based provider SecureData for around $156 million in January to boost its reach in the industry.

The Netherlands-based SecureLink generated EUR248 million in revenue in 2018 and is one of the largest independent cybersecurity-services providers in Europe, Orange said.

The transaction is expected to be completed late in the second quarter or in the third quarter of 2019, the company said.



Write to Patrick Costello at [e-mail].



(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 08, 2019 02:09 ET (06:09 GMT)

[waldron] 02/5/2019 06:07

Credit Suisse says global trends will boost these sectors
Published an hour ago
Weizhen Tan
@weizent
Key Points

Geopolitical and terrorism risks are set to drive more spending in sectors such as defense and cyber security, according to Credit Suisse.
One key investment focus of millennials — a group that is “increasingly influencing” businesses — is clean energy, and the bank recommends electricity companies that have already started changing their business models to become renewable energy operators.

The bank is also bullish on transport infrastructure and 5G operators.

[florenceorbis] 22/4/2019 12:28

FORBES

Apr 22, 2019, 12:37am
Huawei Q1 Revenues Up 40% As It Ignores CIA Allegations And Targets Samsung
Zak Doffman
Zak Doffman
Contributor
Cybersecurity
I write about security and surveillance.

uncaptioned
Getty

Huawei was outed this week by CIA intelligence for allegedly receiving "funding from branches of Beijing’s state security apparatus... American intelligence shown to Britain says that Huawei has taken money from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s National Security Commission and a third branch of the Chinese state intelligence network."

But that hasn't disrupted the company's unstoppable growth. On Monday, the company announced business results for the first quarter of 2019 that showed revenues up almost 40% year-on-year to CNY179.7 billion (US$ 27 billion), with net profits up as well, albeit more marginally. This follows results for 2018 that saw revenues up 19.5% and profits up 25%.

With Samsung's entirely different flavor of results released earlier in April, showing the "steepest Q1 profit slide in 4 years" and broadly flat smartphone sales, Huawei's aggressive claims that they have Samsung in their sights should be taken seriously. If Samsung smartphone sales remain under pressure and Huawei maintains this level of growth, the contest for top spot will be very interesting by year-end. Huawei execs have in the past set 2020 as the target for overtaking Samsung.

5G and smartphones both strong

Huawei shipped 59 million smartphones in Q1. "Although we have seen fast growth for Huawei phones in all major markets, the first-quarter growth is still beyond our expectations," said Zaker Li from IHS Markit. "Huawei will overstep Apple in phone shipments this year and get close to market leader Samsung by the end of the year."


But it will be 5G that steals the headlines, given the CIA news with its many implications. "2019 will be a year of large-scale deployment of 5G around the world," the company said. "By the end of March 2019, Huawei had signed 40 commercial contracts for 5G with leading global carriers and had shipped more than 70,000 5G base stations to markets around the world."

In other words, so much for the U.S. campaign against them.

'Digital China'

The company has continued to generate around 50% of its business in China, despite a decade of exceptional growth across international markets that took annual revenues for 2018 past $100 billion.

"Huawei," the company said, "is committed to building the foundations of a digital China and the core of a digital world by delivering the Digital Platform along with ubiquitous connectivity and pervasive intelligence."

Digital and China are not always words that conjure up happy thoughts when one thinks of the surveillance state the country is deploying. A report last month from Reporters Without Borders specifically questioned Huawei's role in Xinjiang and the company's development of surveillance-heavy smart city solutions that have been developed in China but are being sold around the world.

For next-gen technologies, Huawei also heralded positive results. "Huawei's Enterprise Business Group deployed the world's first 5G-enabled Wi-Fi 6 access point, [as] Huawei had shipped more Wi-Fi 6 products than any other company worldwide... [and] more than one million enterprise users and developers have chosen to work with Huawei Cloud."

What next?

Following the news that the U.S. claims to have a smoking gun, after all, these results will likely confirm that most of the world either don't care enough to act or simply can't afford to do so. In response to the news, a Huawei spokesperson told me by email that the company "does not comment on unsubstantiated allegations backed up by zero evidence from anonymous sources."

What is clearly more relevant to their ongoing success is that there is so much economic investment riding on next-gen 5G networks, and so much of that investment is already earmarked, that the consequences for countries and operators from changing horses midstream would be immensely damaging.

On the smartphone front, Huawei is taking the same approach as it does with its equipment. Innovate fast and provide more for less. And, at least at the start, price well below market to capture market share. Whether or not that approach is enabled by state subsidies or soft loans or the benefits of a huge closed market is the crux of the ongoing debate.

The implications for international intelligence-sharing arrangements will be interesting to see. U.K. lawmakers are due to agree on a Huawei strategy in the coming days. They could well take onboard the CIA intelligence and prohibit the Chinese manufacturer's equipment from the U.K. 5G networks. The company, though, looks set to ride that out as the rest of the world follows its 'keep calm and carry on' approach.

I said of last year's results that "the impact of the U.S. embargo on Huawei and the campaign being fought for international hearts and minds will be felt much more acutely in 2019 than it was in 2018."

The answer that is emerging looks good for Huawei so far.

Find me on Twitter or Linkedin or email [e-mail].
Zak Doffman
Zak Doffman
Contributor

I am the Founder/CEO of Digital Barriers, a provider of AI and IoT surveillance technologies to defense, security and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

[grupo] 01/2/2019 07:41

Press release
Paris, 1st February 2019

Orange acquires SecureData in order to increase its international presence and expertise in the field of cybersecurity

Orange announces the acquisition of 100% of the capital of Groupe SecureData and its subsidiary SensePost
SecureData is the largest independent provider of cybersecurity services in the UK, Europe's largest market
This acquisition marks an important step in the process of making Orange one of the leaders in the European cyber security market

Orange today announced the acquisition of SecureData Group and its subsidiary SensePost. The amount of the transaction is not disclosed.

UK-based SecureData is the largest independent provider of cybersecurity services in the UK, Europe's largest market. For 25 years it has provided integrated solutions designed to assess risks, detect threats, protect customer IT and deal with security incidents. SensePost, a leading subsidiary of the company specializing in consulting, enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide thanks to its expertise in the field of cybercrime, security research and intrusion testing. The company has recorded an annual turnover of around 50 million euros in 2018 and a growth rate of more than 20% since 2016.

The company, which has 200 employees in the UK and South Africa and is led by a recognized team, is very well positioned in the UK strategic market. By facilitating access to this key market, SecureData offers Orange the opportunity to increase its capabilities in Europe.

[maywillow] 21/10/2018 07:45

MIDAS SHARE TIPS: If you want feelgood profits try Osirium - the firm that helps save hospitals from hack attacks

By Joanne Hart for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 22:59 BST, 20 October 2018 | Updated: 22:59 BST, 20 October 2018

e-mail

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Last week, the National Cyber Security Centre warned that the UK faces a major, life-threatening cyber-attack in the near future. A Government agency, the Centre advises companies on how to avoid security threats. It has handled more than 500 cases in the past 12 months alone and the numbers are growing by the week.

The stakes are high. When TalkTalk suffered a data breach, it cost more than £40million and customers were furious. British Airways has yet to reveal the cost of its cyber-attack last month but it could run into hundreds of millions of pounds, let alone the reputational damage that the company has suffered.

Osirium aims to prevent these types of attacks. The company is relatively small but it is a market leader in its field and growing fast. The shares, at 124p, should follow suit. Osirium specialises in so-called ‘privileged access management’ – in essence, preventing hackers from accessing the accounts of people who administer software systems.
Life support: Cyber criminals threaten the NHS
+1

Life support: Cyber criminals threaten the NHS

Most individuals – customers, employees, even board directors – only have access to their own online information. ‘Privileged account’ holders have access to hordes of information.

They invariably work in an organisation’s IT department and their computers include data on customers’ bank accounts, patients’ records, sensitive employee details or confidential information about defence and security.

For sophisticated cyber-criminals, these accounts are like the Holy Grail, allowing them to steal vast quantities of information in a single hit. As a result, over 80 per cent of cyber-attacks concern privileged accounts.