Weekly News Highlights | UK electoral register hacked, layoffs hit cybersec, UK considers crackdown on Chinese tech
UK electoral register hacked
After an attack first discovered last October, the UK's Electoral Commission has now revealed that it has been the victim of a "complex cyber-attack".
Attackers had access to electoral registers including the names and addresses of people who had registered vote between 2014 and 2022. The commission have estimated that the register for each year contains the details of around 40 million people.
Read more here.
Layoffs hit cybersec
Times are hard and the cyber security industry is no exception. This week US cyber security organisation Rapid7 has announced plans to lay off 18% of staff in a restructuring effort. In the UK, the Manchester-based NCC Group have just announced more layoffs after slashing numbers by 7% earlier in the year.
These announcements come after a turbulent year for the industry as organisations look to respond to rapidly changing markets.
UK considers crackdown on Chinese tech
After the US's recent move to restrict American investment in Chinese tech organisations, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated:
“The UK will consider these new measures closely as we continue to assess potential national security risks attached to some investments.”
If the UK follows suit, investment will be restricted for Chinese firms operating in the semiconductor, microelectronic, quantum and AI sectors.
Read more here.
