KANE'S TECH TIPS:
SUNDAY 11TH MAY 2025
Welcome to another low down on all the latest Tech news, Tips and Tricks to help you keep up to date with the latest from the Tech world!
You can hear the feature On Air on a Sunday with Mark, and throughout the week.
NCSC: Criminals Launching Cyber Attacks At British Retailers
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that criminals launching cyber attacks at British retailers are impersonating IT help desks to break into organisations.
Hackers have targeted Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods in the last two weeks, and on Friday the anonymous group told the BBC there will be more attacks soon.
Now the NCSC, the government agency responsible for cyber security, has issued guidance to organisations urging them to review their IT help desk "password reset processes" to reduce their chances of getting hacked.
"We believe by following best practice, all companies and organisations can minimise the chances of falling victim to actors like this," it said.
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4grn878712o
Source: BBC News
New App For Families For Neurodivergent Children
A new app has been launched which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), to give carers who suspect their children are neurodivergent, "a better picture of what's going on" whilst waiting for a diagnosis.
Bristol-based company Spicy Minds' app called Hazel gave users access to a series of tests where AI then interpreted the results and compiled personalised strategies for things such as school or holidays.
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj450qrp979o
Source: BBC News
OFCOM Wants More Power Over Removing Misinformation On Social Media
Media regulator Ofcom needs more powers to remove posts such as those which encouraged the 2024 summer riots, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary says.
Sir Andy Cooke said it took too long to remove misinformation on social media, allowing it to spread further and have a greater impact.
He said the Online Safety Act - despite being only recently passed - did not give the regulator the tools it needed to contain such content.
"Ofcom needs to have the proper capacity and capability to get posts taken down quickly if it's going to be effective," he said.
"If you don't get them down quickly, they spread virally."
The Online Safety Act currently had "little or no bearing" on scenarios such as last summer's violent disorder, he added.
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0jzj18w77yo
Source: BBC News
App Of The Week
This week's app of the week is called Edits.
Edits is a free video editing app that was developed by Instagram, which is meant to simplify the video creation process for content creators.
The interface is user-friendly and intuitive to jump right in, with the timeline-based editor allowing you to easily trim, split, and arrange clips.
This app is free to download on IOS and Android Devices
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.basel&hl=en
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/edits-an-instagram-app/id6738967378
🛡️ Security Corner 🛡️
Action Fraud are urging the public to look out for phishing emails that relate to extortion as the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) received over 2,924 reports in March 2025, a staggering increase compared to only 133 reports made in February.
The reported phishing emails received by the National Cyber Security Centre’s SERS relate to a type of extortion referred to as ‘Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion’ (FMSE).
What to do if you receive an email like this:
- As with other phishing emails, do not engage with the phisher, forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk, which is the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), and then delete it.
- If you are considering paying the Bitcoin ransom, you should be aware that doing so, you will likely become the target of more scams, as the phisher will know they have a ‘willing’ customer.
