Ian Barker

Hacker malware images

Perilous as a picture -- attackers sneak malware into website images

A new report from HP Wolf Security reveals that attackers are hiding malicious code in images on file hosting websites like archive.org, as well as using the same loader to install the final payload.

These techniques help attackers avoid detection, as image files appear benign when downloaded from well-known websites, bypassing network security like web proxies that rely on reputation.

By Ian Barker -
Cloud security padlocks

Security and compliance are biggest barriers to cloud adoption

Cloud adoption is at the heart of digital transformation, providing organizations with the agility and flexibility they need to stay competitive in today's rapidly changing marketplace.

A new report from Fortinet looks at the latest trends, challenges, and strategies shaping cloud security, include safeguarding sensitive data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maintaining visibility and control across increasingly complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

By Ian Barker -
Updating Upgrade Software Program

68 percent of organizations don't fix critical vulnerabilities on time

A newly-released report from Swimlane shows that a worrying 68 percent of organizations say remediating a critical vulnerability takes them more than 24 hours.

The survey of 500 cybersecurity decision-makers across the US and UK reveals that 37 percent cite the top challenge in prioritization as a lack of context or accurate information. Similarly, 35 percent report this lack of context hampers their remediation efforts.

By Ian Barker -
Cloud network security

New LLM-powered engine helps secure complex cloud environments

While moving systems to the cloud delivers many benefits, it also leads to complex dynamic environments that can be a real challenge when it comes to keeping them secure.

With the launch of a new Large Language Model (LLM)-powered cloud detection engine, Sweet Security aims to cut through the noise and allow security teams to tackle these environments with greater precision and confidence.

By Ian Barker -
SIEM tablet

SIEM and its role in the enterprise SOC [Q&A]

SIEM (security information and event management) is currently one of the cybersecurity field’s most active markets. It holds the promise of making sense of the disparate data sources across enterprise environments to detect and respond to malicious activity.

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed a wave of innovation, mergers and acquisitions and consolidation in this area, largely driven by AI advancements and the push toward the AI-native security operations center (SOC). But there's also a 'data paradox' involved in balancing cost with importing and storing as much data as possible.

By Ian Barker -
Cybersecurity threat intelligence

Threat actors move from email to browsers

New research from the eSentire Threat Response Unit (TRU) shows a shift towards browser-based threats last year as more traditional email malware declines.

Moving onto 2025 the report predicts an increase in politically motivated cyberattacks, with adversaries disrupting the physical infrastructure of the Internet to disrupt internet access. It also expects we’ll see continued growth in ransomware attacks against all industries, abuse of certificate authority, and further increase in browser-based threats to deploy malware.

By Ian Barker -
Enterprise AI

Enterprises risk falling behind in AI adoption

Despite the excitement around AI as a transformative force, many enterprises are struggling to adopt the technology in meaningful ways, according to a new survey from Unily.

This has resulted in a growing gap between AI 'haves' and 'have nots,' where enterprises adopting AI tools for their people are making quicker gains than those without. At the same time employees who are open to using AI tools increasingly want more exposure to them and may even choose employers who are early AI adopters over those who are slower to adapt.

By Ian Barker -
CISO graphic

CISOs take on extra responsibilities

The majority of CISOs are taking on responsibilities beyond cybersecurity, including business risk, IT oversight, and digital transformation. Three percent of CISOs attribute their raise to taking on larger scope, while others see it reflected in merit increases.

New research from IANS Research and Artico Search surveyed over more than 830 CISOs and other security leaders to understand the key trends and challenges reshaping CISO role.

By Ian Barker -
worry stress

The top SME security worries for 2025

Smaller businesses are just as vulnerable to cybersecurity issues as larger ones, more so in some cases as they have fewer resources to devote to protection.

New research from UK cloud services firm Six Degrees looks at the concerns of UK SMEs. It finds 35 percent cite AI-related threats as their top concern, outranking malware (25 percent), scams and other fraud (25 percent), phishing (25 percent), and ransomware (23 percent).

By Ian Barker -
UK artificial intelligence

UK government sets out plans to turbocharge AI use

Artificial intelligence will be unleashed across the UK to deliver a decade of national renewal under a new plan announced by the government.

The Prime Minister has agreed to take forward all 50 recommendations set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan released last year, in a plan to make the UK ‘irresistible’ to AI firms looking to start, scale, or grow their business.

By Ian Barker -
API

Why GraphQL is a serious alternative to the REST API [Q&A]

GraphQL -- in case you haven't heard of it -- is a rapidly rising query and manipulation language for APIs. It's designed to make APIs fast, flexible and developer-friendly, and it moves the complexity of data fetching from the client to the server side.

We spoke to Pete Crocker, director of solutions engineering at OpsMill, to learn why it's increasingly being employed as an alternative to the more established REST API.

By Ian Barker -
Cryptography encryption

The role of encryption in the cybersecurity landscape [Q&A]

Despite being an effective tool for safeguarding sensitive information, encryption remains underutilized by many organizations, leaving them vulnerable to cyber threats.

Many companies still rely on perimeter security measures, viewing encryption as optional rather than essential. Misconceptions about the complexity and cost of encryption further hinder its adoption, leading to a reactive approach that often waits for a data breach before taking action.

By Ian Barker -
Ransomware Malware Cyber Attack

Over 195 million records breached in ransomware attacks last year

In 2024, ransomware groups claimed responsibility for 5,461 successful ransomware attacks on organizations worldwide. Of these 1,204 were confirmed by the targeted organizations, according to analysis by Comparitech.

Across the 1,204 confirmed attacks, 195.4 million records have been breached. These figures for 2024 are lower than those recorded in 2023 (1,474 attacks affecting 261.5 million records), though they are expected to rise as reports often come in months later.

By Ian Barker -
Using paypal for purchase

Clever PayPal attack dodges phishing checks to take over accounts

Research by Fortinet has uncovered what it terms a 'phish-free' PayPal phishing attack that seeks to trick the unwary into giving up control of their account.

It starts with an email request for payment that appears to come from a valid email address. Click the link and you're taken to a PayPal login page showing a request for payment. This is where it gets clever because if you do login your account gets linked to the address the email was sent to -- not the one you received it on.

By Ian Barker -
Futuristic robot artificial intelligence concept.

Delivering return on investment from GenAI [Q&A]

For many people AI has been seen as an answer to all their problems. But a recent Gartner report suggests we could be entering a 'trough of disillusionment' as the biggest challenge when adopting GenAI is estimating and proving the business value.

Getting that value needs creative thinking and integration of GenAI with other technologies that can benefit from its ability to analyze, summarize and create content.

By Ian Barker -
betanews logo

We don't just report the news: We live it. Our team of tech-savvy writers is dedicated to bringing you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and trustworthy reviews across the digital landscape.

x logo facebook logo linkedin logo rss feed logo

© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved.