Posts by Mike Knight
New Windows Feature Displays Which Apps Have Been Listening-In
The new Privacy Auditing feature in Windows 11 allows users to see a list of which apps have accessed their microphone or camera recently, plus details of any other suspicious activity. See Which Apps Have Accessed Your Microphone and Camera David Weston, Microsoft’s VP for Enterprise and OS Security, highlighted the new privacy feature in…
Read MoreFewer Cookie Pop-Ups – But At What Cost?
A government Bill has laid out a new UK data protection regime (which diverges from EU regulations) and which the government says will ease the burden of compliance on businesses. Data Reform Bill The government says that the ‘Data Reform Bill’, announced in this year’s Queen’s Speech, and outlined as part of London Tech Week,…
Read MoreRegulations Dictate More Action Needed On Fake Content
A Strengthened EU ‘Code of Practice on Disinformation’ will require big tech companies to take more action to ensure that purveyors of disinformation do not benefit from advertising revenues. Broader Range Of Commitments The strengthened ‘Code of Practice on Disinformation’ will aim to achieve the objectives of the European Commission’s Guidance presented in May 2021,…
Read MoreWhat Happened Recently With The ICO?
Following news of a Freedom of Information (FOI) disclosure revealing a lack of public reprimands issued over GDPR breaches in the public sector, we take a closer look at the FOI, what it can be used for, and how it’s linked to the ICO. What Is The Freedom of Information Act? The Freedom of Information…
Read MoreRussia Cautions Cyber Attacks May Start Military Confrontation
The growing number of cyber-attacks since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine have led The Russian Foreign Ministry to warn that more western cyber-attacks on its infrastructure could lead to a direct military confrontation. Housing Ministry Website Hack The warning followed an apparent cyber-attack on the Russian housing ministry website which led to a…
Read MoreNew Spy-Spotting App From MI5
The UK government’s MI5-run ‘Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure’ has launched a new app to help people spot approaches from foreign spies and organised criminals seeking sensitive information. Really? How Big Is The Problem? According to MI5, it spotted 10,000 UK nationals across society being approached last year via fake social media profiles,…
Read MoreApple, Google and Microsoft In Password Collaboration
Apple, Google and Microsoft have announced that they are joining forces to support a common passwordless sign-in standard that will allow websites and apps to offer consistent, secure and easy sign-ins across devices and platforms. The Problem With Password-Only Relying on password-only authentication is known to present many risks and challenges such as managing multiple…
Read MorePernicious Pegasus Plagues (Another) Prime-Minister
With many governments (including the UK Government) being targeted with Pegasus phone-spying software, there’s now news that Spain’s PM’s has also been hit. What Is Pegasus? Pegasus spyware is sold by Israeli-based NSO Group to governments to carry out surveillance by infecting phones with surveillance software. The software is sold to nation states, for millions…
Read MorePegasus Spyware Discovered In Downing Street
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab has reported finding evidence that Pegasus spyware was being used to listen-in on UK government networks for 10 Downing Street and the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) in 2020 and 2021. Pegasus Pegasus spyware is sold by Israeli-based NSO Group to governments to carry out surveillance by infecting phones…
Read MoreWhat is Lapsus$?
In this article, we look at the cyber-crime gang Lapsus$, how they operate and the details of some of their recent high-profile attacks. Lapsus$ ? Lapsus$ is reported to be a mostly teenage cyber-crime gang (hackers), mainly based in South America, yet with its alleged multi-millionaire teenage leader based in Oxford, UK. The gang, which…
Read More