This Week's Gurus

On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, takes effect in the European Union.  The regulation mandates strict protection requirements over personal data concerning EU citizens.  Governments and companies inside the EU have been preparing, but many companies outside of the EU may yet be unaware of how this regulation will affect their businesses.  GDPR applies to any organization that holds or processes data on EU citizens, regardless of where it is...

Stuart Facey, VP of EMEA at Bomgar From Target, eBay and TalkTalk, to this year’s Oracle data breach, it has become increasingly common for big retailers and brands to be victims of large security incidents. In fact, the retail sector has now overtaken the financial services industry generating the most incident responses following a cyber security breach. These retail responses account for 22 per cent of all those tracked across the 17 verticals that were...

Along with well wishes, this New Year we have been inundated with warnings from experts and journalists that 2017 will entail an upsurge of DDoS, IoT and Ransomware attacks that will exceed by far 2016’s record. So with warnings must come action – which is where we propose that prevention is the best form of defence. 2016 saw some of the most well-established and public facing companies as the target of cyber criminals attacks, the...

What’s up with WhatsApp? Why WhatsApp is not as secure as you thought it was A chain is only as strong as the weakest link.  This is true for any type of technology, but particularly so when it comes to security. There’s been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the privacy of calls and messages sent via mobile phones, with some commentators advocating apps like WhatsApp as the answer. While it is...

By Michael Dortch, LANDESK If you haven’t yet had a serious cold or flu this winter, consider yourself lucky. And if you have, or are going through one right now, my heartfelt condolences. While beginning my own personal recovery, parallels began to occur to me between fighting these personal health threats and fighting off threats to cybersecurity. Therefore, I wanted to provide some tips for both. (Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or provider of...

The innovations in today’s digital world continue to advance at a tremendous pace, and 2016 didn’t fail to have an impact it is having on society.  As a hobbyist in remote flight, the introduction of drones to deliver blood and medicines in Rwanda from a Silicon Valley startup was an amazing example of how IoT can have a hugely positive impact on society.  I can’t wait for the completion of the $10million Tricorder Xprise to...

David Ferbrache, technical director in KPMG’s cyber security practice, highlights ten cyber security trends expected in 2017. David suggests that privacy will dominate the corporate agenda next year. He explained: “The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is less than 18 months away – and privacy has suddenly made it to the top of the corporate agenda – not just in Europe. The GDPR tilts the scales in the direction of the European citizen,...

Millennials are set to outnumber baby boomers in the workplace this year for the first time. With a millennial workforce comes a demand for much more than a pay cheque. Flexibility is now a key differentiator when it comes to attracting new talent. However, with great flexibility comes great responsibility… and a massively increased cyber security risk. With this in mind, the following tips highlight how businesses in 2017 can navigate the murky waters created...

The threat that ransomware poses to organisations grows exponentially each year. Malwarebytes, the leading advanced malware prevention solution, recently conducted an international study that found that almost 40 per cent of businesses had been a target of ransomware over the last year. Among this 40 per cent, over a third had also lost revenue due to the ransomware attack and, even more alarmingly, 20 per cent were required to completely halt their operations. It is...

1)     The AI arms race In 2017, we’ll see Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning used by both sides of the cybersecurity battle, resulting in more sophisticated threats and even more advanced means to combat them. From a hacker’s point of view, AI will power malware, and will use data from the target to send phishing emails that replicate human mannerisms and content. Seeming more lifelike, these AI powered attacks will resonate with the target...