Ofcom tightens rules to combat foreign scam calls

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has introduced new measures to protect consumers from scam calls originating overseas. The strengthened industry guidance, announced today, requires phone companies to block calls from abroad that falsely display UK landline numbers.

This move aims to tackle a common tactic used by fraudsters who 'spoof' trusted phone numbers to deceive victims. By imitating numbers from reputable organisations or government departments, scammers increase...

30 July 2024 | 5G

5G and security: The dual telecoms challenges facing the new UK government

As the newly elected Labour government takes office in the UK after 14 years of Conservative rule, industry leaders are calling for urgent action on cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.

The recent high-profile cyberattacks on critical organisations like the NHS and MoD have exposed significant vulnerabilities in the UK's digital defences, prompting experts to demand a more robust approach to cybersecurity and accelerated 5G rollout.

Mark Coates, VP EMEA at Gigamon,...

5 July 2024 | 5G

London police make ‘SMS blaster’ arrests

London police have arrested two individuals in connection with a scheme using an "SMS blaster" to send thousands of fraudulent messages. These messages, posing as banks and official organisations, aimed to deceive the public into sharing personal information.

The investigation, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, uncovered the use of an illegal telephone mast functioning as an "SMS blaster." This device enabled the perpetrators to bypass mobile networks' security...

10 June 2024 | Security

FCC moves to strengthen internet routing security

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has unveiled a proposal aimed at bolstering the security of America's networks against cyberattacks by improving internet routing security.

The new initiative mandates that ISPs produce confidential reports detailing their efforts and plans to address vulnerabilities in the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), a fundamental technical protocol used for routing information across the internet.

Under the proposal, the largest broadband...

7 June 2024 | Broadband

Researchers uncover attack to ‘decloak’ VPN traffic

A novel network technique that bypasses VPN encryption has been revealed by security researchers at Leviathan Security. Dubbed "decloaking," the technique allows an attacker to force a target's traffic off their VPN tunnel by exploiting DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) functionality built into operating systems.  

The result is that the user's traffic is transmitted unencrypted, enabling an attacker on the same network to snoop on their activity—despite their...

7 May 2024 | Networks

T-Mobile staff receiving cash offers to help with SIM swap attacks

T-Mobile employees are being propositioned via text messages to partake in illegal SIM swapping activities, with a financial incentive of $300 per swap.

SIM swap attacks take advantage of consumers using SMS as their two-factor authentication (2FA) method. By transferring a number via a SIM swap, an attacker can gain unauthorised access to victims' accounts.

This phenomenon of SIM swapping is a severe concern since it compromises the integrity of what is otherwise a...

16 April 2024 | Security

Chinese telcos given 2027 deadline to ditch foreign chips

To reduce dependence on foreign technologies, Chinese officials have reportedly mandated the country's leading telecom operators – including China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom – to eliminate foreign semiconductors from their networks by 2027.

Beijing’s directive particularly targets chips made by American giants Intel and AMD, which have been a staple in Chinese telecom infrastructure.

Issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the...

15 April 2024 | 5G

AT&T probes data breach affecting millions of customers

AT&T announced on Saturday that it is investigating a major data breach involving the personal information of over 73 million current and former customer accounts.

The company said a data set containing records on approximately 7.6 million existing AT&T accounts and 65.4 million former accounts was released on the dark web.

According to AT&T's preliminary analysis, the compromised data appears to date back to 2019 or earlier. However, the company stated it...

2 April 2024 | AT&T

Cybersecurity agencies issue warning over Chinese hacking group

Government cybersecurity authorities in the US and allied nations are sounding the alarm bell again over the Chinese hacking group known as Volt Typhoon.

In a joint advisory issued on Tuesday, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), FBI, and eight international partners warned that the Beijing-backed Volt Typhoon gang may be gearing up for disruptive or destructive cyber strikes targeting critical infrastructure...

20 March 2024 | Legislation & Government

ASIO chief warns of critical infrastructure sabotage threat

Mike Burgess, Director General of Security at Australia's Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), has raised concerns over the potential for sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.

Speaking at ASIO's annual threat assessment, Burgess emphasised the persistent efforts of adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure—with a specific focus on disrupting essential services during critical moments.

"The sabotage threat has receded in recent...

29 February 2024 | Networks