The global commercial spyware market will expand over the next five years as demand for advanced surveillance tools by governments surges, says a new report from the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center. The NCSC assesses that at least 80 countries have purchased advanced spyware apps.
Major internet chat platforms are urging the United Kingdom government to reconsider a bill intended to decrease exposure to online harms but which opponents say would open the door to massive government surveillance. Proponents say online platforms should have a duty of care to protect users.
Warning to criminals: Could that cybercrime service you're about to access really be a sting by law enforcement agents who are waiting to identify and arrest you? That's the message from British law enforcement agents, who say they're running multiple DDoS-for-hire sites as criminal honeypots.
The U.K. government recently embarked on a plan to create its own version of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, but attorney Jonathan Armstrong says he is "pretty skeptical" that this second attempt at privacy reform will successfully make it through the country's Parliament.
The U.K. government says a new national agency will work with the private sector to stymie national security threats including foreign hackers after British intellectual property. In an update to British foreign policy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to "push back" against China.
Britain's National Cyber Security Agency is examining TikTok to help the government finalize its decision to ban the Chinese video-sharing app from federal networks, the country’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, revealed. The agency is looking into the app's ownership and security features.
The British government is proposing modifications to the European privacy law adopted as British law before the U.K. left the EU. Civil society groups warn that changes to the U.K. GDPR could lead to more surveillance. Some tech firms say the government is poised to increase its regulatory burden.
High street retailer WH Smith reports that it suffered a hack attack that led to the exposure of current and former employees' personal data, but no exposure of customer data or website disruption. It's the latest big British business in recent months to suffer a data breach or ransomware attack.
The British government has proposed revisions to the country's main computer crime law - the 32-year-old Computer Misuse Act - to allow police to seize domains and compel data retention. While the government has promised to protect white hat hackers, it has yet to issue concrete proposals.
Negotiations between the LockBit ransomware-as-a-service gang and Royal Mail appear to have broken down shortly after a postal representative called the criminal group's $80 million extortion demand "absurd." A LockBit ransomware attack incapacitated Royal Mail's international shipping operation.
As ransomware continues to disrupt British organizations, the U.K. for the first time has sanctioned alleged cybercriminals, including accused Conti and TrickBot operators. Ransomware victims must conduct due diligence before paying any ransom, as violating sanctions carries severe penalties.
Russian intelligence likely gained access to a Scottish nationalist politician's private email inbox via a phishing attack. Stewart McDonald, a well-known supporter of Ukraine, said his messages may become part of a disinformation campaign. His official inbox was not breached.
As the massive ESXiArgs ransomware campaign continues to target unpatched VMware ESXi hypervisors, cybersecurity experts have released a script that can decrypt at least some affected virtual machines. Ransomware trackers count at least 2,803 victims, primarily in France, the U.S. and Germany.
The LockBit group has gone from denying it had any involvement in the ransomware attack on Britain's Royal Mail to trying to bargain for a ransom. The ransomware group's site now lists Royal Mail as a victim and demands it pay a ransom or see stolen data get dumped.
A Scottish school system decided not to use facial recognition in its secondary school cafeterias after international outcry. The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office said Tuesday that the North Ayrshire Council failed to obtain freely given consent for the system.
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