Kate O'Flaherty
Kate O'Flaherty is a freelance journalist with well over a decade's experience covering cyber security and privacy for publications including Wired, Forbes, the Guardian, the Observer, Infosecurity Magazine and the Times. Within cyber security and privacy, her specialist areas include critical national infrastructure security, cyber warfare, application security and regulation in the UK and the US amid increasing data collection by big tech firms such as Facebook and Google. You can follow Kate on Twitter.
Latest articles by Kate O'Flaherty
![An industrial engineer standing outdoors, his face is lit by the light from a laptop and a power station blurred in the background. He is wearing a hard hat and high-vis jacket over an orange jumper.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HEuPZ3MHXKEfCnnXvCLP2j-320-80.jpg)
What are the most-targeted industries for cyber attacks?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth What makes the most-targeted industries for cyber attacks such common victims, and what can they do to shore up security?
![A CGI render of a metal safe representing ransomware payments, viewed from an isometric angle and placed against a dark grey background resembling a motherboard. At the bottom of the safe, gold pins like on a chip can be seen, and four blue lines of light emanate from each side of the square safe.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ELrPPh37SP8EyPNn5MWMYT-320-80.jpg)
The end of ransomware payments: How businesses fit into the fight
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Governments worldwide have determined to stop ransomware payments, but what does this mean for businesses?
![A 2D graphic depicting a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Behind the spreadsheet, a dark green shape with cogs on it can be seen, to represent data analysis. In one corner, a businessman holds an oversized magnifying glass to focus on highlighted cells on the spreadsheet, and in the other corner a block carries math symbols.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CYwBvmmqU5ZvgFF5jipEUF-320-80.jpg)
Using Excel for data analysis vs management
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth With many public sector organizations using Excel for data analysis and management, what are the risks and benefits of each approach?
![A CGI representation of passkeys. A key with a biometric thumbprint on the handle is on a blue isometric grid background, surrounded by flying blocks glowing with red light and bearing the images of padlocks, keys, and shields.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3oNjFZ7foCoeVsjQUcM3pC-320-80.jpg)
What do passkeys mean for your business?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Passkeys are touted as the answer to the password problem. As support is rolled out by the big tech firms, are businesses ready for the technology?
![A black and white hand holding a drawing of a white, square-handled key. Instead of teeth, the key has the number "10110" representing binary code and encryption. The hand and key are set against a solid blue background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M52ds9wEZCmgUf2Bzb8fkM-320-80.png)
Why ransomware attacks happen to small businesses – and how to stop them
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth With a surge in small business ransomware attacks, it's critical to know what makes your organization a target and what defensive measures you can take
![A red warning sign on a backgroud of code, denoting malware and cyber attacks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qKCkPsC9o3LPrJHDP6Jkr7-320-80.jpg)
What are Kerberoasting attacks?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Kerberoasting attacks are on the rise. How does this attack method work and what can firms do to protect themselves?
![A CGI image of a glowing blue padlock made of energy representing zero trust network security, surrounded with glowing points representing a network.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CV7nXZgEmHgLtGLiLHjBgZ-320-80.jpg)
What is zero trust network access (ZTNA)?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth ZTNA can help protect your business applications and data from cyber attacks
![An CGI render of a white envelope being shot at from all directions by arrows with red-tips, to represent business email compromise (BEC).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwWCccN8DFYGdyRyZj9Eo3-320-80.jpg)
What is business email compromise (BEC)?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-Depth Business email compromise (BEC) is surging. What is BEC, why is it growing, and how can firms spot and mitigate attacks?
![A hooded figre standing in front of a digital version of the North Korean flag](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jcRn6x39ApowgWbrWX2wmA-320-80.jpg)
Should your business worry about North Korean cyber attacks?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth The threat from North Korea should not be overlooked. What are its aims and how does it stack up against Russia and China?
![Lines of blue computer code next to a blue digital render of a human face](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fdMyvv7XRnNYS5yNAjWJUA-320-80.jpg)
How AI is changing patch management
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth With the number of vulnerabilities surging, patch management is becoming complex and time-consuming
![Hacker's hand hovering over an illuminated MacBook keyboard - an image denoting hacking](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y8abhoQWdvEHQQfbBgpqEn-320-80.jpg)
Open source software attacks: Everything you need to look out for
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Open source software attacks are a growing risk all firms should be aware of, so what can organizations do about them?
![A CGI render of the EU flag shown as 12 gold stars hovering and creating a ripple effect in a wave of blue data](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DFxSE87P88iW6pX6P92trE-320-80.jpg)
What is the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth The Cyber Resilience Act has come under fire, but what exactly does it stipulate, what are the key conflicts at the heart of it, and how can businesses prepare?
![Parliament](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bMrMpeGHAcJtiRYA53sF3o-320-80.jpg)
What does the Data Protection and Digital Information (DPDI) Bill mean for small businesses?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Everything SMBs need to know as soon-to-be-updated data protection regulations make compliance easier and reduce costs
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QX2iVwGXSoqdgmhNkLEveC-320-80.jpg)
Four measures SMBs can take to avoid common security pitfalls
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Security can be challenging for SMBs, but it’s possible to make yourself more resilient to reduce the impact of cyber attacks
![Hacker's hand hovering over an illuminated MacBook keyboard - an image denoting hacking](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y8abhoQWdvEHQQfbBgpqEn-320-80.jpg)
Should your business start a bug bounty program?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Big tech firms including Google, Apple and Microsoft offer bug bounty programs, but can they benefit smaller businesses too?
![An abstract image showing a red digital cloud on a dark red background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MA3K2XpXbK362B7DGtav8T-320-80.jpg)
What is cloud ransomware and how can you avoid attacks?
By Kate O'Flaherty last updated
In-depth With cloud ransomware increasingly targeting applications and data, as well as cloud-based companies, we explain how you can protect your business
![A digital brain coloured in red](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U4MhnPA9zTWxjpZqWccBeS-320-80.jpg)
Six generative AI cyber security threats and how to mitigate them
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth What are the risks posed by generative AI and how can businesses protect themselves?
![The UN flag image on a blue stone wall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u6rPGTMkN79GsQWTxnGioe-320-80.jpg)
The UN's cyber crime treaty could be a privacy disaster
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Although a UN committee is fleshing out a new international cyber crime treaty, experts question whether it’ll make any positive difference to businesses
![A digital padlock representing security](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/af53UK7ndNRt5YMTfDgiMZ-320-80.jpg)
How IT professionals can get into cyber security
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth The widely known cyber security skills gap might tempt IT professionals into a career change, but what’s the best way to navigate this switch?
![A graphic of a padlock in a digital blue colour, with effects](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/thCdknGN4MYKQvwnRS6v5Z-320-80.jpg)
What are privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs)?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth As businesses need to consider privacy now more than ever, privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) are gaining traction
![A woman sitting by her desk at her workplace alone, head in hands](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Zj3XETBGUAPo43mq5NrQQJ-320-80.jpg)
Why is cyber security's sexual harassment problem so rife?
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth From physical assault to unsolicited explicit images, women in the industry face a barrage of inappropriate behaviour and find little support from employers
![An abstract image showing a skull over a pixelated background to symbolise a cyber security vulnerability](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rcgqGm2k9qbr9K4kHhEmvU-320-80.jpg)
The scariest cyber security horror stories of 2022
By Kate O'Flaherty published
In-depth Lapsus$ group, Log4Shell, new Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, and the Russia-Ukraine war dominated cyber security headlines in 2022
![A white robotic hand holding a lock in front of a yellow background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LoBrXsZHUNaZt3WSBhzJ6P-320-80.png)
How to use machine learning and AI in cyber security
By Kate O'Flaherty last updated
In-depth New technologies can augment your security team's response and may even be able to actively deceive attackers
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