TalkTalk cyber attack: Chief Dido Harding receives ransom email after customer’s personal data hacked October 23, 2015 TalkTalk chief Dido Harding has received an email containing ransom demands from people claiming to be behind a massive cyber attack which could have affected up to four million customers. Harding said she had personally been contacted by someone purporting to be the hacker "looking for money" she told the BBC. "If you're a cyber-criminal the days of [...]
Industry view: Adoption and collaboration are key to defeating the cyber threat September 15, 2015 Cyber-crime is now one of the most serious threats to businesses and national economies. It is rare that a week goes by without a story breaking about a business that has suff ered a cyber-attack. Already this summer in the US, Jeep Cherokee told customers to update their cars after hackers crashed a vehicle, having [...]
Faceless fears: no one hears you scream online – it is far too distant and anonymous September 15, 2015 Opening shots René Carayol THERE IS rarely a business bulletin nowadays that doesn’t mention a significant successful fraud. This is of course not the full picture, as most businesses and many consumers do not feel compelled to report their perceived lax controls. It’s now nearly always a sophisticated cyber-attack or the now more prosaic online [...]
Carphone Warehouse draws data watchdog probe after millions of customer details hacked August 10, 2015 The UK's data watchdog is investigating a huge data breach at high street retailer Carphone Warehouse which has put millions of customers at risk. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is "making enquiries" into the attack in which the private information of more than two million customers, such as card details, addresses and dates of birth, [...]
Response to Cecil the Lion’s death is a sad lesson in the irrationality of public opinion August 4, 2015 Alas poor Cecil! Close personal friend of mine, sadly dead now. The catchphrases of the Scottish comedian Bob Doolally capture the outpourings of grief among the Twitterati at the death of the now famous lion. The mourning is mixed with incoherent rage, as long-standing opponents of torture and capital punishment demand that the American dentist [...]
Ashley Madison’s hacking affair: Is a London IPO now a fling too far after data breach? July 21, 2015 Ryainair boss Michael O’Leary is no shrinking violet, but even Ashley Madison, the controversial adultery website hacked on Monday, proved too much for the colourful Irishman. The Ryanair chief was offered €120,000 (£84,350) by Ashley Madison last year to paint its logo on one of its planes, but turned them down. The incident [...]
Unfriended is the first truly terrifying horror movie about the evils of the internet May 1, 2015 Unfriended opens with a truly harrowing sequence: grainy smartphone footage shows a girl clutching something at arm’s length. There are shrieks of panic from an unseen crowd and you realise she’s holding a gun. There’s a bang and she collapses backward; you’re watching a snuff video, and one that looks horribly authentic. As Unfriended’s protagonist, [...]
Asos UK sales soar 24 per cent after biggest ever trading week over cyber weekend December 9, 2014 Online retailer Asos said UK sales rocketed after customers rushed to cash in on "cyber weekend" deals, but gains were offset by disappointing international sales. The results Total retail sales increased by 8 per cent to £246m in the three months to November 30. However, this has slowed from the previous quarter, where they grew [...]
North Korea praises Sony hack as a “righteous deed” but denies involvement December 7, 2014 North Korea has denied it was behind a cyber attack on Sony Pictures over the studio’s new movie release which depicts an assassination attempt on the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un. The secretive country failed to distance itself from the attack which caused huge amounts of highly sensitive information to be leaked, praising the attack and [...]
Cyber Monday UK 2014: A great day for online shoppers – and for internet crime November 30, 2014 Today is Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day in the retail calendar, as consumers continue to cash in on Black Friday discounts and get their Christmas orders in. With consumers expecting fast turnarounds of online purchases, retailers will no doubt be concerned about supply chains and channels to market – one wrong move could [...]