Five Eyes nations fear wave of Russian attacks against critical infrastructure

The Five Eyes nations’ cybersecurity agencies this week urged critical infrastructure to be ready for attacks by crews backed by or sympathetic to the Kremlin amid strong Western opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The joint alert, issued by cybersecurity Read More …

UK Prime Minister, Catalan groups ‘targeted by NSO Pegasus spyware’

Citizen Lab has reported finding suspected surveillance software on devices associated with both the UK Prime Minister’s Office and what was formerly called the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Canadian research outfit also said it had identified at least Read More …

UK: Police anti-terror IT system was ‘not fit for purpose’ – former officer

A key intelligence database used by police to investigate extremists was “not fit for purpose” when introduced in 2014, a former counter-terrorism officer has told the BBC. The officer, who retired in 2018, says the National Common Intelligence Application (NCIA) Read More …

Mystery of alleged Chinese hack on eve of Ukraine invasion

Allegations of Chinese cyber activity as the recent conflict broke out in Ukraine have been emerging. The details appear unusually murky but one Western intelligence official believes the aim was espionage – and the cyber-attack may have been broader than Read More …

UK spy agencies sharing bulk personal data with foreign allies was legal, says court

A privacy rights org this week lost an appeal in a case about the sharing of Bulk Personal Datasets (BPDs) by MI5, MI6, and GCHQ with foreign intelligence agencies. The British agencies have never stated, in public, whether any of Read More …

IT outage at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University enters second week

Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University has entered a second week of woe following a vist by an infosec nasty. The 200-year-old institution’s IT team first referred to the crisis as a “security incident” but a spokesperson confirmed to The Register that it Read More …

How hackers are trying to undermine Putin

The Anonymous hacktivist collective has been bombarding Russia with cyber-attacks since declaring “cyber war” on President Vladimir Putin in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. Several people operating under its banner spoke to the BBC about their motives, tactics and Read More …

An imposter posing as Ukraine’s prime minister tricked his way into a video call with the UK’s defence secretary

An imposter posing as Ukraine’s prime minister tricked his way into a video call with the UK’s defence secretary in a suspected Russian ploy. Ben Wallace ordered an immediate inquiry into the security breach on Thursday. During the hoax call Read More …