Connor Jones
Connor Jones has been at the forefront of global cyber security news coverage for the past few years, breaking developments on major stories such as LockBit’s ransomware attack on Royal Mail International, and many others. He has also made sporadic appearances on the ITPro Podcast discussing topics from home desk setups all the way to hacking systems using prosthetic limbs.
Connor has previously written for the likes of Red Bull Esports and UNILAD, before a lengthy stint at ITPro. He has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from one of the UK’s leading journalism departments at the University of Sheffield, as well as an undergraduate degree in English Language from Sheffield Hallam University.
When he’s not hitting the phones trying to squeeze stories out of sources and press offices, in his free time Connor studies software development, is a keen cook, and enjoys leading an active life through cycling, hiking, racket sports, and weightlifting.
Latest articles by Connor Jones
![BulletProftLink: Email security multicoloured mockup image](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DhCuUCKmYpJZLZNejqvrd4-320-80.jpg)
Inside the platform propping up the next generation of email crime
By Connor Jones published
News Cyber criminals are flocking to BulletProftLink for additional protections as business email compromise surges
![JD Sports logo on a square sign fixed to one of its high street stores, with a clear blue sky in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jjjzqvzwjbSBAZ6UsX2qMa-320-80.jpg)
JD Sports details cyber security revamp following January attack
By Connor Jones published
News It hopes a multi-vendor approach will substantially improve its cyber resilience
![Microsoft Authenticator: Microsoft logo on an office building](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SwwWx2x86rG7LZCCN4yjxL-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Authenticator mandates number matching to counter MFA fatigue attacks
By Connor Jones published
News The added layer of complexity aims to keep social engineering at bay
![Microsoft Teams meeting in progress, with a payment being requested from a small business](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7ejw48beMzesFS5V3u43e-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Teams now allows SMBs to collect payments in meetings
By Connor Jones published
News With the help of PayPal, Stripe, and GoDaddy, the Microsoft Teams Payments app offers in-meeting payment requests
![Morgan Advanced Materials logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S52fP2iLjeAUa9svpsR7HG-320-80.jpg)
Morgan Advanced Materials still unable to restore systems after January cyber attack
By Connor Jones published
News Billion-pound manufacturing firm’s sites are still running processes manually nearly five months after its suspected ransomware attack
![Ransomware mockup of a red neon motherboard with a floating triangular warning sign denoting danger](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5nJ9k7XPLAvnziBiBAgcET-320-80.jpg)
Off-the-shelf ransomware is spurring a new era in the Ukraine war
By Connor Jones published
News Experts agreed Russian forces could be overwhelmed, forced to use less sophisticated tools to meet the regime's demands
![Capita logo appearing a smartphone](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v4bNLWAEzqCsyMte33vp5C-320-80.jpg)
Capita finally admits breach affecting 4% of its servers
By Connor Jones published
News It also allegedly misled the public about when the breach took place
![Russia flag made with code](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GUcM3omuodUfDGSCdWqmE8-320-80.jpg)
“New class” of destructive Russian hackers threaten national infrastructure
By Connor Jones published
News The cyber threat has been raised due to the heightened risk of ideologically driven cyber attacks from Russia-aligned adversaries
![Western Digital logo appearing on a smartphone against a sky blue background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Re8eV8ho9v6DCadaRQfs8Y-320-80.jpg)
Western Digital refuses to negotiate with hackers as ALPHV offers “final warning”
By Connor Jones published
News The hackers claim to have stolen 10TB worth of the company's data but have received no contact during two-week incident
![Top malware and ransomware cause 'system hacked' alert to appear on a computer screen](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wxwQh5vaMoKWvRvc4tsgMe-320-80.jpg)
The top malware and ransomware threats for April 2023
By Connor Jones published
News New ransomware gangs and malware abound as hackers continue to evolve their tactics
![Windows logo appearing on a smartphone set against a bright Windows logo taking up the entire background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ecqqzhaeTJbyTBMiTyGzNe-320-80.jpg)
Admins rage as April Patch Tuesday delivers ‘broken’ password feature
By Connor Jones published
News Security fixes include a zero day exploited by a ransomware group and seven critical flaws
![Kaspersky Internet Security software](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gVGBMu6JHqBv6rA6dFynFa-320-80.jpg)
US considers fresh punishments for Kaspersky on national security grounds
By Connor Jones published
News The embattled Moscow-based company has fended countless allegations of Kremlin collaboration for more than a decade
![Two police officers wearing fluorescent jackets standing with their back to the camera](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5qWnAs7TwRGBwhu4zWh4mk-320-80.jpg)
UK criminal records office suffers two-month "cyber security incident"
By Connor Jones published
News ACRO was forced to shut its systems offline and security experts are suggesting ransomware may be involved
![IT Pro Recommended Best NAS Drives logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aV5AXn882q2qkUYHms4TFf-320-80.jpg)
Best NAS drives 2023
By Connor Jones last updated
Best The perfect NAS drive for every use case, from a home office all the way to the enterprise
![Somebody with glasses thinking while looking at a screen in a dark room](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vAjJionAXcT3KERAArcecH-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Security Copilot could be a seismic success for the tech industry
By Connor Jones published
Analysis The tool has been greeted with overwhelming excitement from security professionals and stands to change the lives of threat analysts forever
![An image of a digital padlock with code around it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xWaaxTESRdQ6kNGFYtgQR6-320-80.jpg)
Rubrik confirms data breach but evades Cl0p ransomware allegations
By Connor Jones published
News It admitted some data was stolen through the exploitation of a zero day in a third-party platform, but has declined to comment on rumours of Cl0p's involvement
![Digital generated image of electronic circuit security padlock made out of numbers on black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/duX6vEHfbNHfCJNWPotSXf-320-80.jpg)
BlackLotus UEFI bootkit can break into fully patched Windows 11 PCs
By Connor Jones published
News First noticed in October and priced at £4,000, it's the first bootkit of its kind capable of bypassing UEFI Secure Boot
![Colleagues meeting around a table](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nkWEgKnrdU3NBHuPXywyYh-320-80.jpg)
How technology is keeping medium-sized businesses on the path to growth
By Connor Jones published
Sponsored Businesses are facing a catalogue of challenges in 2023, but technology will be at the core of those that weather the storm
How technology is keeping medium-sized businesses on the path to growth
By Connor Jones published
Sponsored Businesses are facing a catalogue of challenges in 2023, but technology will be at the core of those that weather the storm
![CISA director Jen Easterly speaking at a House Committee hearing](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KpYujoLjWKxzcZfKbaRiFo-320-80.jpg)
CISA: Tech industry 'shouldn't tolerate' Patch Tuesday
By Connor Jones published
News CISA director Jen Easterly said the tech industry has allowed the widespread acceptance of "deviant behaviours" to make a mockery of cyber security
![Royal Mail logo on a sign attached to one of its offices](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HYwFECMfBcyuNLSrJV9ygc-320-80.jpg)
LockBit leaks 44GB of Royal Mail's data, new £33m ransom set
By Connor Jones published
News 200 employees are believed to be affected with vaccine records, salary information, HR formal dismissal documents, and business contract documents all appearing to be included in the leak
![Google's G logo inside a yellow shield with key and exclamation mark symbols denoting security](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XKbw6SUjusJfSxGtWbxunB-320-80.jpg)
Google pays largest-ever bug bounty worth £500,000
By Connor Jones published
News The company remained tight-lipped over the exploit itself, but speculation is possible given its publicly available rewards breakdown
![Two masked members of Anonymous demonstrating during the Occupy protest on October 15, 2011 in The Hague](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2Duur9at2EY8WrGhCr8Tx6-320-80.jpg)
What is hacktivism?
By Connor Jones last updated
In-depth From Anonymous to the IT Army of Ukraine, we answer 'what is hacktivism' and guide you through the history of the most compelling corner of the tech industry