Scientists say they have developed a Bluetooth tracing system which is ready to be deployed into an app in the fight against coronavirus.

A team at UCL (University College London) have been working on the technology with data privacy experts to ease concerns of misuse.

Contact tracing has been widely discussed as a potential solution to help end the Covid-19 lockdown, following in the footsteps of Singapore, where a similar offering has been adopted.

The idea is to use Bluetooth technology to keep a log of those who have been in close proximity to you, and send out an alert if any anonymously declare themselves as tested positive, with advice on further steps to take.

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A pan-EU coronavirus health tracking app is needed to protect the privacy of the region's citizens, Europe's data protection tsar has said. 

Several European governments have launched Covid-19 tracking applications to help inform social distancing policies and the eventual lifting of lockdown measures.

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Look outside and the world has stopped turning. But if you look online, everything appears to be spinning faster than ever. Every day that passes brings with it a selection of remarkable tech-related stats and figures. Phishing attacks skyrocketing, Zoom meetings spiralling and record-breaking bandwidth. If you’re struggling to keep up, here are some of the most interesting and dramatic stats we’ve seen so far. 

The post Key Covid-19 stats so far: Cloud, data centre, cyber security, AI & big data appeared first on Techerati.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office responsible for enforcing compliance with data regulations has deferred £280 million in fines handed out to British Airways and Marriott Hotels for data breaches.

British Airways was landed with a record £183 million in July 2019 over a 2018 data breach that saw 380,000 customer payment cards compromised. While Marriott is facing £99 million fine, also issued in July 2019, over a data leak caused by Chinese hackers that affected around 339 million customers.

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The NHS needs greater cyber security support to prevent a crippling attack during the coronavirus pandemic, a think tank has warned.

Security experts at Chatham House claim the NHS may be ill-prepared to deal with the aftermath of a potentially devastating cyber threat and has suggested the Government seek urgent help to protect it.

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Zoom has apologised to users over security and privacy issues which have plagued the platform, pledging to make changes in the coming weeks.

The video calling platform said its usage has “ballooned” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as millions of people were forced to work and study from home.

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Managed service providers (MSPs) are at a crossroads in terms of what security services they are going to offer their customers. The dynamic digital landscape has required them to include some kind of security. At the same time, they know what they are currently offering isn’t going to serve them or their customers in the long term. Fortunately, MSPs don’t have to go it alone; they can partner with Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers to fill in the gaps in their security portfolios and give them a superior competitive position.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has led many companies to alter the way they conduct business, in many cases evolving to a new way of running operations. Some businesses have been fortunate where operating models have stayed in line with "Business as Usual". However, in most cases businesses have either had to adapt or evolve into a new operating model.

Information security and cyber defence teams have a challenge ahead of them, they will not only have to run normal day-to-day operations but now must understand the new threat vectors that are being introduced that widen the threat landscape, and work to minimise cyber risk so businesses stay protected.

The post Adopting a new operating model? Don’t leave your business exposed appeared first on Techerati.

Cybersecurity teams are some of the most risk averse people in any organisation -- they have to be. In our new coronavirus-induced reality, however, this trait is being challenged.

Security pros dipping their toes into cloud applications have been forced firmly out of their comfort zones. Instead of vetting remote work or cloud-based systems one by one over a suitable period, companies are spinning up multiple overnight. And this is against the backdrop of all of the other numerous fears and anxieties that a global pandemic brings to the table. It doesn’t matter if you’re in marketing, finance or IT: high-pressure situations breed errors.

“The combination of these factors together makes this a very risky situation for a lot of organisations,” says Jeremy Snyder, VP of Business Development and International Strategy at cloud security company DivvyCloud. 

The post As remote working explodes, cloud visibility is no longer a “nice to have” appeared first on Techerati.

What lessons can be learned from reviewing how we manage cybersecurity and applying it to an anti-Coronavirus campaign? In recent years, some in the cyber world recognize that there is a lot to learn from the biological world when protecting systems against viruses. Now, the Corona epidemic presents an opportunity for the medical world to learn something from the cyber world. To analyze the strategies selected by various countries, let’s review it through the lens of cyber strategies. Let’s begin by recognizing that cybersecurity is built in layers. There is no one magic solution or layer which will prevent all the possible attacks. Furthermore, in the cyber world, it has been realized for some time that it is impossible to protect everything for all eternity. There will be victims.

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As we all adjust to working remotely, security teams across the world are grappling with a very serious challenge. Almost overnight our companies have changed. Well established procedures are being rewritten, best practices quickly rethought, and policies stretched to breaking point.

Business transformation is always a security risk. New technology and working practices need new security measures; but normally this risk is managed carefully, and over time. Covid-19 has not afforded us that luxury. For some businesses the scale and speed of this change will be unprecedented. It is also very public; attackers are aware of the situation and already exploiting it. Below are some of the most serious threats that security teams will face over the coming weeks.

The post Remote working risks: 6 security-threats facing companies during this difficult transition appeared first on Techerati.

As enterprises go digital and integrate new technologies into their business, public sector organisations have been left scrambling to keep up with the new digital age. This is a mammoth challenge for a public institution like the NHS which operates across a massive scale and hosts huge amounts of data.

It’s not as simple as moving away from legacy infrastructure to a cloud platform in a few easy steps. It’s a complicated project that encompasses different areas including cyber security, networking, data and cloud. The issue facing the NHS and other public sector organisations is prioritising one area without compromising another. It’s a careful balancing act to ensure that the NHS can achieve its aim of becoming digital and agile, whilst deploying a stringent cyber security strategy in order to protect its new digital system, critical services and confidential data. 

The post Digitalising healthcare: the key to being secure and agile appeared first on Techerati.