Australian National University hit by huge data breach
Vice-chancellor says hack involved personal and payroll details going back 19 yearsThe Australian National University is in damage control after discovering a major data breach a fortnight ago in which a “significant” amount of staff and student information was...
The Guardian view on cybercrime: the law must be enforced | Editorial
Governments and police must take crime on the internet seriously. It is where we all live nowAbout half of all property crime in the developed world now takes place online. When so much of our lives, and almost all...
Saudi Arabia accused of hacking London-based dissident
Kingdom targeted satirist Ghanem Almasarir with Israeli malware, letter of claim allegesSaudi Arabia has been accused of launching a sophisticated hacking attack against a prominent dissident in London who is allegedly living under police protection, according to a letter...
George Orwell’s dystopia is with us today | Letters
As several Observer stories reveal, individuals are being watched and scrutinised just as the author predictedYour article on George Orwell’s prescient novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, coincided with several stories showing that his dystopia is upon us (“Big Brother’s long shadow”,...
Sajid Javid announces overhaul of espionage and treason laws
New bill needed to tackle hostile activity by Russia and others, says home secretaryHostile state actors – spies, assassins or hackers directed by the government of another country – are to be targeted by refreshed espionage and treason laws,...
Nothing but the truth: the legacy of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
Every generation turns to it in times of political turmoil, and this extract from a new book about the novel examines its relevance in the age of fake news and TrumpRead other extracts from the book: • David Bowie’s...
May I have a word about… Pegasus spyware | Jonathan Bouquet
Is the powerful virus that infected WhatsApp a flying horse or a Trojan horse? Don’t ask the woman who developed itThe unsavoury revelations about the hacking of WhatsApp by software developed by Israeli company, NSO Group, raised some interesting...
Israeli firm linked to WhatsApp spyware attack faces lawsuit
Amnesty International fears its staff may be ‘surveilled via NSO Pegasus software’The Israeli firm linked to this week’s WhatsApp hack is facing a lawsuit backed by Amnesty International, which says it fears its staff may be under surveillance from...
How do you retaliate against a WhatsApp attack? | James O’Malley
Cyberwarfare is on the march, but there is nothing in the Geneva conventions to cover itWe don’t yet know for sure who used Israeli company NSO’s software to hack WhatsApp users – the messaging service’s parent company Facebook has...
Government security decisions can be challenged in court, judges rule
Supreme court reverses earlier decisions and says GCHQ’s hacking powers should be subject to judicial reviewGovernment security decisions will in future be open to challenge in the courts after judges ruled that a secretive intelligence tribunal could not be...
The Guardian view on hacking: a dangerous arms trade | Editorial
Cyberweapons are dangerous in themselves. Their proliferation makes them much more harmfulNSO Group, an Israeli firm that has risen to a billion-dollar valuation on the strength of the aggressive hacking tools it sells to authoritarian governments across the Arab...
WhatsApp spyware vulnerability: targeted lawyer says attempt was desperate
NSO Group technology used against lawyer involved in civil case against the Israeli surveillance firmThe UK lawyer whose phone was targeted by spyware that exploits a WhatsApp vulnerability said it appeared to be a desperate attempt by someone to...
WhatsApp urges users to upgrade after discovering spyware vulnerability
The spyware, developed by Israeli cyber intelligence company, used infected phone calls to take over the functions of operating systemsWhatsApp is encouraging users to update to the latest version of the app after discovering a vulnerability that allowed spyware...
The privacy paradox: why do people keep using tech firms that abuse their data? | John Naughton
Despite privacy scandals, Facebook is more profitable than ever – journalists must use the tools of tech to understand whyA dark shadow looms over our networked world. It’s called the “privacy paradox”. The main commercial engine of this world...
German police close down dark web marketplace
Arrests in Germany, Brazil and US relate to ‘Wall Street Market’ which allowed trade in drugs, stolen data and mGerman police have shut down one of the world’s largest illegal online markets in the so-called dark web and arrested...
6 Security Tips That’ll Keep the Summer Fun
Taking some time off this summer? Before you head out on vacation, make sure your devices and apps are also ready.
How AI-enhanced malware poses a threat to your organization
Malware controlled by artificial intelligence could create more convincing spam, avoid security detection, and better adapt itself to each target, says a new report from Malwarebytes.
Tech news roundup: HPE Discover 2019, Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency, and Google Cloud’s debacle
This week's TechRepublic and ZDNet news stories include a look at the companies that hire the most data scientists, four significant impacts of a security breach, and a first-hand account of a major hack job.
ACLU tells Ga. Supreme Court Fourth Amendment should apply to personal data stored by cars
Fourth Amendment protections should apply to personal data in a
car’s Event Data Recorder, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will argue
before the Georgia Supreme Court today.
The state’s high court is hearing oral arguments in Mobley v.
State, which challenges law...
Can Anything Protect Us From Deepfakes?
Along with fake news, forged videos have become a national security concern, especially as the 2020 presidential elections draw near. Researchers at the University of Surrey have developed a solution that might solve the problem.
