Archives for Uncategorised

Funky Pigeon suspends orders after being hit by a cyber attack

WH Smith has suspended orders from its online greetings cards business Funky Pigeon after the site was the victim of a cyber attack last week. But the stationery and books retailer said no customer payment data, such as bank account or credit card details, have been hacked. A red warning at the top of the website on Tuesday, 19 April read “Oops! We’re experiencing some issues and we can’t accept new orders at the moment. Please try again later”. The issues were reported widely in UK news outlets. Many said external IT consultants had been called in to advise the
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The Works forced to shut some shops after cyber-attack

The Works has been forced to shut shops temporarily and suspend new stock deliveries after a cyber-attack. The retailer said five of its 526 shops have been closed since last week after hackers gained access to its computer systems and caused issues with its tills. Customers are experiencing longer delivery times for online orders as a result. It is important to say that no shoppers’ payment details had been compromised. The issue has been described as a ransomware attack. The UK National Cyber Security Centre states ” ransomware is a type of malware that prevents you from accessing your computer
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Warning as cyber criminals ‘prey on omicron fears’ with new scams

Scammers are continuing to take advantage of topical fears surrounding the pandemic by using the omicron COVID variant as a lure in recent phishing scams. The NHS has warned of a phishing campaign which leads people to fill in bank details for an “Omicron PCR test”, while Which? has reported rogue sites charging delivery fees for tests that can actually be obtained for free from the NHS. They also flagged one scam website which asked users to set up a security question. Some scam websites ask for answers to common security questions, (e.g. mother’s maiden name). This isn’t required for
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Microsoft Edge unveils a rainbow of colour customisations

Microsoft is bringing a new batch of customisation options to Edge, allowing you to totally customize the look of your browser. According to a report published by techradar, Microsoft is getting more colourful with Edge. In future versions of the browser is will be possible to choose from a wide range of themes to help create a personalised look. The new options let you choose from 14 colour-based themes and download even more styles from the Chrome Web Store. The similarity in approach is a result of Edge now being based on the same Chromium engine as Google’s Chrome browser. The
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New resources to help scam victims

New landing page resources will replace .uk domains suspended for criminal activity to help members of the public access appropriate guidance, says a report by Computer Weekly. Nominet, the UK’s domain registrar, is launching law enforcement landing pages for suspended domains related to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the National Crime Agency (NCA), extending an existing pilot programme. In future, when such domains are suspended because of criminal activity, the new landing pages will redirect web users who access them to secure, Nominet-hosted sites containing further advice and guidance. Until now, users
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Beware of fraudsters posing as internet service providers

CYBER fraud detectives say they’ve seen a rise in the number of calls from scammers posing as internet service providers. Police forces across the UK have warned of a rise in cyber-crime over the past year. Last November, the National Cyber Security Centre – a part of spy agency GCHQ – said it had fought off more than 700 cyber- attacks in the past 12 months, including 200 linked to coronavirus-related frauds such as organised criminals posing as PPE suppliers. But detectives say that one to watch for in 2021 is the fake internet provider out to gain access to
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Zoom: 15 video chat tips and tricks to try

Video based meetings seem here to stay, even when an end to the current pandemic is declared. Many workers are now used to using Microsoft Teams or Zoom for business. Despite the talk of Zoom fatigue and people suddenly realising their home broadband isn’t up to scratch, there are benefits in saving time and travel. We’ve all realised there’s little need to drive 30 miles just to sit in a meeting for 30 minutes. Whether you’ve been using Zoom for years or have only just signed up in 2020, there are a number of helpful and fun tips, tricks and
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New NHS Covid-19 email scam (Jan 2021) – do not click on the link

There’s lots of people who appear to have received an email which claims to be an invitation for a coronavirus vaccination. It has an authentic looking NHS image – do not click, it’s a scam. Trading Standards departments across England and Wales are warning that many people have received these emails. They add: “It purports to be from the NHS, inviting you for your vaccination. “We can confirm it is a scam and the links take you to a website that asks for financial details to pay for the vaccine. “Do not click on the link!” If you get this
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New Microsoft Edge search feature makes multitasking easier

Microsoft Edge has launched a new feature which allows users search for further information without moving away from a website. Users can now highlight a word or phrase and find out more information by using the right-click function. This brings up a menu which includes a option. called “Search in Sidebar.”A further click will bring up options for the searched for word or phrase on the right hand side of your screen. This new feature makes life much easier when you need to look up the meaning of a word, or get some more background information about a news story.
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