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Security IT Summit

Join an all-star list of VIP security professionals at the Total Security Summit

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Register today for Total Security Summit and you’ll be joining a VIP guest list of just 60 senior security professionals.

It’s entirely free for you to attend – simply register here.

14 & 15 October 2019 – The Midland Hotel, Manchester

As our guest, you’ll be provided with an itinerary of face-to-face meetings with suppliers who match your requirements. You can also attend insightful seminars and network with peers who share your challenges.

You’ll be joining representatives from the likes of:

  • Alton Towers Resort
  • Arnold Clarke
  • Burberry Group
  • Chester Zoo
  • Discovery Networks International
  • Engie
  • Hilton Hotels
  • Houses of Parliament
  • Lancashire Teaching Trust NHS
  • Leicester City FC
  • Mayfair Casino 
  • Matalan Retail 
  • Mersey Care NHS
  • Moorgarth
  • River Island
  • Newall Brands
  • SKY TV
  • St Helens & Knowsley NHS Trust
  • SSP UK & Ireland
  • The Bridgewater Hall
  • The View from the Shard
  • Thirteen Group
  • Transport for London
  • TJX Europe
  • TWI Global
  • Twitter
  • United Synagogue 
  • University of Glasgow
  • Virgin Atlantic Airways
  • Walton & Halton Hospital NHS Trust
  • WeWork
  • WH Malcolm 
  • WSP
  • Yo! Sushi

Your free VIP ticket includes overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments, plus an invitation to our networking dinner.

But places are limited so register today!

Introducing the Smarter Payments Summit

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Discover new payment, secure transaction solutions this autumn at the Smarter Payments Summit.

It takes place on September 9th at the Hilton London Tower Bridge and follows the same unique format as the Security IT Summit. 

As our VIP guest, you will be able meet with suppliers to the sector, based on your requirements and upcoming projects. Meetings are pre-arranged and there’s no time wasted, no hard sell.

Seminar sessions will be hosted throughout the day. And you will also have the opportunity to network with like-minded peers who share your challenges.

Suppliers in attendance will cover the whole spectrum of payment transaction areas, including:

Account Issuing & Merchant Acquiring Solutions Acquiring Bank App Developer Billing Business Reports Card Payment Solutions Card Processors Card Readers Chargeback Systems Contactless Technology Corporate Finance EMV Solutions Epayment Solutions Fraud Management Mobile Banking Mobile Payments Mobile Transactions Mpos Technology mWallets NFCPayments Processor Payment Networks Payment Service Provider Payment Software Solutions Remittances/Money Transfer Security & Identification Solutions Smart Card Manufacturers Software Solutions Terminal Manufacturers Test Tools Transaction Loss Prevention… and more.

Senior payment transaction professionals are invited to attend the Smarter Payments Summit for free. You’ll be joining representatives from the likes of AEG Presents, Atombank, BNP Paribas, British Heart Foundation, BT, Crown Commercial Services, Decathlon, De Beers, EasyJet, Financial Times, Huawei, John Lewis, Marathonbet, myLotto24, Selfridges, Tesco, The Share Centre, Three UK, Virgin Money, William Hill and many more.

To find out more about attending the Smarter Payments Summit, visit www.smarterpaymentsummit.co.uk.

Security IT Summit: Extra places released!

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Due to popular demand, we have released two additional tickets to next month’s Security IT Summit.

This one-day event takes place on July 2nd at the Hilton London Canary Wharf.

These new places will go quickly, so register now for the opportunity to:-

  • Source innovative and budget-saving suppliers
  • Network with like-minded peers
  • Enjoy complimentary lunch and all refreshments

Register today, or to find out more visit www.securityitsummit.co.uk.

Skill boost as £18.5m committed to data & AI degrees

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Up to 2,500 people will benefit from £18.5 million of funding to retrain and become experts in data science and artificial intelligence (AI).

The investment is part of the Government’s ongoing strategy to drive skills within the technology sector, supporting more adults to upskill and retrain to progress in their existing careers or find new employment.

£13.5 million investment will fund new degree and Masters conversion courses and scholarships at UK academic institutions over the next three years.

£5 million is also being invested to encourage technology companies to develop cutting-edge solutions, utilising AI and automation, to improve the quality of online learning for adults.

The Adult Learning Technology Innovation Fund, which will be launched in partnership with innovation foundation Nesta, will provide funding and expertise to incentivise tech firms to harness new technologies to develop bespoke, flexible, inclusive, and engaging online training opportunities to support more people into skilled employment.

More than 2.1 million people are currently employed across the tech sector, contributing £184 billion to the economy every year and inward investment to the UK AI sector stood at £1 billion for 2018, which is more than Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland combined.

The Government is also investing in data-driven technologies, such as artificial intelligence, through the modern Industrial Strategy, so tech businesses and people with the drive and talent can succeed.

“UK firms continue to build on our heritage as the home of Artificial Intelligence, and through our modern Industrial Strategy we’re investing in that strength to ensure we remain world-leaders in the field and at the very forefront of the latest technologies,” said Greg Clark, Business secretary.

“These new retraining opportunities and scholarships will ensure people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to move into new and exciting careers, and to shape this innovative industry for years to come.”

Discussing the launch of the new Adult Learning technology Fund, Damian Hinds, Education Secretary, said: “Artificial Intelligence and other new technologies are transforming the way we live and work and have the potential to radically improve online learning and training, so more people can get the skills they need.

“We all have busy lives, juggling work and family commitments so online courses are a great way for more people to retrain or upskill and secure a rewarding career. Investing in cutting edge technologies such as AI will mean we can future proof the online learning experience and ensure it better meets students’ needs.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for technology firms to work with Government to put their ideas into action to help develop pioneering online training opportunities for adults.”

Potential applicants to the AI and Data Conversion courses will hold a degree in other disciplines and scholarships will be made available to support applications from diverse backgrounds. This could include people returning to work after a career break and looking to retrain in a new profession, under-represented groups in the AI and digital workforce, including women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, or lower socio-economic backgrounds.

The news follows the recently announced multimillion skills package which saw the creation of industry-funded AI Masters, prestigious Alan Turing Institute AI research fellowships, and 16 dedicated Centres at universities across the country to train 1000 extra AI PhDs.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

£153 million to help commercialise quantum technology

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The Government has pledged £153 million Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund funding, alongside £205 million from industry, to support commercialisation of quantum technologies.

The funding helping to support businesses delivering quantum-enabled products and help remove technological barriers to productivity and competitiveness in the UK. 

The Government funding will also be supported by £205 million from industry.

Quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionise a range of industries – from cyber security to defence and healthcare – however to maximise the industry’s potential within the UK it needs continual Government support.

The new programme will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation, lifting total UK investment or planned investment in the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) to over £1 billion.

Four key areas will be approached by the challenge:

  • product and service innovations: a series of collaborative research and development competitions to deliver game-changing quantum-enabled products and services
  • industry-led technology development projects: a programme of industry-managed research activities addressing specific challenges
  • supply chain: feasibility projects focused on innovative components and supply chain elements across the quantum sector
  • investment accelerator: encouraging venture capital for early-stage, spin-out and start-up quantum technologies companies

“The UK is a world leader in quantum technologies,” said Professor Sir Mark Walport, UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive. “The funding announced today builds on the great progress we have made and lays the foundations for a quantum technology industry here in the UK.

“It will ensure that we remain at the forefront of this exciting and evolving field and that we realise its potential, from improved healthcare to more accurate and reliable navigation, that is fundamental to so many services.”

Roger McKinlay, Challenge Director for Quantum Technologies at UK Research and Innovation, said: “Quantum technologies will transform all aspects of our lives from more efficient infrastructure to higher levels of security in the transmission and storage of data.

“The announcement of this significant public funding for the industrialisation of quantum technologies exemplifies the benefits of the Industrial Strategy, both in terms of improved coordination across government departments and also the creation of long-term partnerships between government, academia and businesses. 

“Five years of investment in the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme has given the UK a technological lead which businesses are now ready to turn in to a significant commercial advantage.”

Image by Garik Barseghyan from Pixabay

Retailers ‘struggling to balance customer experience with IT security’

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Retailers are struggling to balance the challenges of delivering increased footfall, bigger basket sizes, and an enhanced customer experience with their fundamental technology and IT security needs.

That’s the conclusion of a survey conducted in May 2019 at RetailEXPO 2019 by Cybera, which revealed that offering a differentiated customer experience (31 percent) and increasing footfall (28 percent) are the biggest challenges for retailers.

In addition, another recent report showed that poor customer experiences cost British retailers up to £102 billion in lost sales each year.

Retailers are well aware of the need to positively differentiate themselves, with 83 percent of respondents in the Cybera survey citing that delivering an enhanced in-store customer experience is very important.

Cybera says the key to addressing all these new challenges is additional applications and services, the majority of which will rely on secure, stable, and scalable network technology. However, nearly one quarter (23 percent) of the respondents have not introduced additional services to their stores in the past 12 months.

The primary inhibitors included cost—25 percent said they thought it would be too expensive—followed by IT security concerns (19 percent) and a belief that their network would not support additional applications (14 percent).

Moreover, many retailers noted the ever-evolving regulatory landscape—including GDPR, PCI, and the upcoming PSD2—as an added distraction. Nearly half (47 percent) said they were concerned about new regulatory demands, admitting it was time to review their technology and processes.  

Interestingly, less than 10 percent considered IT security to be a key business challenge. This is particularly startling compared to the findings of the British Retail Consortium’s annual crime survey, which found that members are generally seeing a growth in the number of cyber-attacks, continuing previous years’ patterns. Nearly 80 percent of respondents in that survey said the volume of cyber-attacks and breaches had increased in 2018 over the previous year.

Cybera SVP and GM EMEA, Hubert da Costa, said, “Retail technology and customer demands are constantly changing, but one thing that will always be critical is customer experience. The growth of IoT in retail is staggering and it threatens the ability to deliver a consistent, high-quality customer experience. All of these network-enabled devices are disparate, which means separate management and requirements. This IoT growth is challenging for retailers—many of whom operate remote, smaller-footprint sites managed by a staff with limited IT expertise. The solution is to leverage a network platform that enables them to deliver these new breakthrough apps and services quickly, easily, and without compromising their security.”

Do you specialise in Authentication solutions? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on IT Security Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the cyber security market – and in July we’re focussing on Authentication solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help IT security buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a Authentication solutions specialist and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering, month by month:

Jul – Authentication
Aug – Penetration Testing
Sep – Vulnerability Management
Oct – Employee Security Awareness
Nov – Malware
Dec – Network Security Management

For information on any of the above topics, contact Chris Cannon on c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Image by ar130405 from Pixabay

Ramnit Trojan resumes attacks on European financial institutions

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The Ramnit banking Trojan has returned to its old hunting ground after recent forays into the e-commerce space,

The discovery follows analysis by F5 Labs and F5’s EMEA-based F5 Security Operations Center (SOC) examining active Ramnit banking Trojan Malware configurations in February and March 2019.

All signs indicate that Ramnit’s authors are —once again—largely targeting financial services websites to coincide with Tax return activity, primarily in Italy.

Ramnit was previously hitting the headlines during the 2018 holiday season for shifting its attack focus to US e-commerce sites1.

In the most recent studied Ramnit sample active in March this year, the Trojan’s authors were primarily focused on financial services and financial tech sites in Italy (40% of all attacks). 9% of attacks were aimed at the UK and 8% at France2. Overall, 70% of all Ramnit targets in March were European, 27% American and 3% were located across the rest of the world3.

Interestingly, while social networking sites made up a smaller portion of targets observed in February and March, some of the biggest social networking platforms in the world were still under fire, including Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube. 

In other notable developments, F5 Labs was able to discover how this March’s Ramnit configurations are continually adapting, including scaling web injection tactics4 to attack websites5. An interesting innovation in this respect entailed going after targets with no link to a specific company or website.

Instead, several words in French, Italian, and English were added to the mix in the hope of catching random websites. Along with the simple word targets, Ramnit also included the name of an Italian Opera and a few misspelled domain names. 

“Ramnit is a persistent banking Trojan that first emerged in 2010 as a less sophisticated form of a self-replicating worm. Today, both its tactics and targets have evolved to include many other industries. It is highly adaptable, as we can see with this recent shift back to the financial sector, as well as its authors’ new attempt to expand the attack surface,” said Roy Moshailov, head of security and malware research, F5 Networks.

“It is critical for banks and financial institutions to implement web fraud protection solutions to protect their customers and to help ease the burden of fraud expenses—especially banks that are actively being targeted. Other industries also need to be aware of attackers’ increasingly clever techniques so they can take similar precautions. The main thing is not to be complacent. Because Trojan malware is typically installed through phishing or malicious advertising, it’s also vital that all organisations to provide security awareness training to employees and clients.”

Image by dawnfu from Pixabay

Petition launched for mandatory IT security levels in business

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A petition has been launched urging the Government to establish a mandatory minimum level of IT security for all businesses.

Cyber crime among UK businesses no costs over £21 billion each year. The petition, launched by Evaris, aims to make the currently optional National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Essentials Scheme compulsory for businesses to protect them in the event of a cyber attack and reduce the cost of cyber crime to the UK economy, as well as the public.

According to the recent Cyber Security Breaches Survey, less than three in 10 (27 percent) businesses have a formal cyber security policy in place, while large companies reported an average of 12 attacks per year that they knew about. Six attacks per year were reported by medium-sized companies.

As a result, Evaris is calling for all businesses to take steps to prevent such attacks from occurring.

The petition aims to ensure small organisations with up to 50 employees and medium-sized firms with between 51 and 250 staff should meet at least the criteria for certification for the Cyber Essentials scheme. Large businesses (those with more than 250 employees) should at least meet the criteria for the Cyber Essentials Plus scheme.

Terry Saliba, Solutions Architect at Evaris, said: “Data shows that more than four in ten businesses experienced a cyber security breach in the past 12 months, and these are becoming increasingly sophisticated and costly for businesses across all industries.

“Unfortunately, we still see that many firms are failing to understand the extent of this issue, and so we believe this petition is vital for establishing a compulsory baseline adhered to by all businesses.

“We’re extremely pleased to see our campaign to make Cyber Essentials compulsory for all companies has gained the support of industry bodies. These organisations see the extent of the damage caused by a lack of IT security and training on a daily basis.”

Vince Warrington, CEO of Protective Intelligence, said: “I’m supporting the petition because I’ve had to deal with the consequences of cyber attacks and seen the destruction they can cause.

“At the moment, far too many companies still see cyber security as a ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential part of everyday business, or feel they don’t understand what they need to do to protect themselves. But cyber attacks are not going to simply disappear – the criminals behind them will target your business if you haven’t taken even the most basic steps to keep them out.

“By driving all companies to adopt Cyber Essentials the government can not only create a good level of basic cyber hygiene across UK Plc, but also create a regular flow of work small cyber security businesses can themselves bring onboard new staff and train them up, thus reducing the predicted shortfall in qualified cyber security experts that the country will need in the decades to come.”

In order to be certified by the Cyber Essentials Scheme, applicants must, as a minimum:
· Use a firewall to secure their internet connection
· Choose the most secure settings for their devices and software
· Control who has access to data and services
· Have protection against viruses and other malware
· Keep devices and software up to date

Saliba continued: “We would urge all businesses to sign our petition and seek Cyber Essentials accreditation to ensure they are protected against the increasing threat of cyber attack. It is time for action to be taken to help businesses remain protected from infiltration.”

Image by Stefan Coders from Pixabay

Time running out to claim your FREE VIP ticket

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Time is running out for you to claim your free place at the Security IT Summit – We have just 3 free VIP tickets left!

This unique event takes place on July 2nd at the Hilton London Canary Wharf.

Register here for the following benefits:

  • Meet with innovative suppliers for a series of face-to-face, pre-arranged meetings based on your own requirements.
  • Network with like-minded senior cyber security professionals.
  • Attend a series of insightful seminar sessions.
  • Enjoy complimentary lunch and refreshments

Our seminar programme includes:

  • Assessing and improving the maturity of your security operations – by Kev Eley, Enterprise Client Director
  • 4th Industrial Revolution – Globalisation 4.0 – by Alfred Rolington, Joint CEO, Cyber Security Intelligence
  • Weaponising data: the dark nexus of hacking, leaking, journalism and information warfare – by Geoff White, Journalist

Would you like to join 60 other senior professionals? – Register here!