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
![GitHub code on a dark background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/udBGAhuZpkqnKSFJivKPpN-320-80.jpg)
GitHub makes Copilot generally available despite weak effectiveness
By Connor Jones published
News The AI pair programmer and code-completer has passed a 12-month technical trial but most suggestions are ignored by developers
![Delivery van with Yodel logo photographed through a shop door frame](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ebXziJhb6sigEt4mHRwBea-320-80.jpg)
Delivery firm Yodel disrupted by cyber attack
By Connor Jones published
News The company confirmed that some services are down but deliveries are continuing, though specific details are currently unknown
![A close up of a man stood at lectern speaking at business conference](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XWquzj52tUqi8c5SQFJHdc-320-80.jpg)
Security BSides commits to greater conference diversity after speaker backlash
By Connor Jones published
News A surprise booking of a divisive social engineer prompted a number of cyber security experts to pull out of BSides Cleveland
![Cloudflare's headquarters in San Francisco](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NAKQLSDqVpjtoBgjdN4ttb-320-80.jpg)
Cloudflare fixes outage that knocked major web services offline
By Connor Jones published
News Online services such as Nord VPN, Shopify, and Steam were all inaccessible by users in most regions
![The Cisco logo hanging against fairy lights](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yFCDiZPwVfNCL7Z4Q4r7tJ-320-80.jpg)
Cisco claims it's solved 'broken' hybrid work model
By Connor Jones published
Analysis Networking giant flexes muscles at Las Vegas with slate of product launches as it insists recent troubles are in the rearview mirror - our Cisco Live 2022 view from the airport
![Windows 11 and Windows 11 displayed on two different laptops](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U5iUT7hfsEbwHfaBbr4Un9-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft reportedly blocks Russian Windows 10 and Windows 11 downloads
By Connor Jones published
News Local media report issues from inside Russia but the company has yet to confirm if it was a deliberate move or merely an error
![A sign with the word Cisco written in blue next to the word live! written in yellow, both of which are sat on a dark conference room floor](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xsrPSgFZS7kNKVUeRvaNL6-320-80.jpg)
WAN Insights is Cisco’s first foray into predictive network intelligence
By Connor Jones published
News The company has worked on the technology for years but WAN Insights is the first product that has been made available to businesses
![A white Cisco sign suspended from the ceiling of a dark conference room](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nz939mBeCqyNsW3fHnoRZE-320-80.jpg)
Cisco unveils new ‘intelligent’ approach to networking with brace of product launches
By Connor Jones published
News Cloud Management for Cisco Catalyst and Cisco Nexus both aim to bring deeper insights and ease the burden of IT teams
![An abstract image showing two digital faces looking at each other](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NEaP2bkgWaYcnUW3jeQDTL-320-80.jpg)
Deepfake attacks expected to be next major threat to businesses
By Connor Jones published
News Cisco’s cyber security experts agreed that social norms may also become “super weird” as a result
![Abstract image of a skull inside computer code](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S98cE23HRNUojNW8aoSFKC-320-80.jpg)
Businesses need to be more aggressive with their cyber security, Cisco warns
By Connor Jones published
News Government warnings of Ukraine-Russia cyber war spillover must be heeded in order to stay safe
![Photograph taken of an old building in Palermo, Italy, with the sun setting in the background over the hills](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S4oSJTgzY3cvZEfJEBdX3n-320-80.jpg)
Palermo ransomware attack: Vice Society claims responsibility as city details recovery strategy
By Connor Jones published
News The Italian municipality is attempting to defy attackers by restoring its systems from backups
![Somebody holding a smartphone in front of a Cisco logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jhMfvN2iZg97bkLocZitZR-320-80.jpg)
Cisco must prevent its blip from becoming a full-blown crisis
By Connor Jones published
Opinion Supply chain woes have hampered the networking giant’s recent fortunes, but Cisco Live 2022 gives it the opportunity to prove doubters wrong
![A front view of Microsoft's office in Washington showing a glass front building and a small sign with the Microsoft logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pGW92JaQrsKV36apnVBrPj-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft overhauls staff contracts, abandons 'non-compete clauses' to comply with state laws
By Connor Jones published
News The tech giant will also no longer invoke non-disclosure agreements and will publish salary ranges on all job listings
![Code appearing on a screen while running pentesting processes to analyse a server](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zHEy2JDVnVhn79TBmpvyGJ-320-80.jpg)
Kali Linux creators announce free cyber security sessions delivered live on Twitch
By Connor Jones published
News The brand-new initiative is aimed at reaching more aspiring certified pen-testers through twice-weekly livestreamed lessons
![iPhone with a USB-C cable rested on the screen, and an EU flag overlaid on the picture](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HabwJYewKopdzypGwEkvrX-320-80.jpg)
Apple faces a catch-22 decision with iPhones and USB-C
By Connor Jones published
Analysis The EU's decision to mandate USB-C across all electronics means Apple must either eat its words or anger its loyal customers once again
![A 2D mockup image of a business paying a cyber criminal for a ransom](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bFQu3h53zHpohYToQdXjg6-320-80.jpg)
Double extortion ransomware pushes average payments close to $1 million
By Connor Jones published
News As the average payment approaches the landmark figure, experts reflect on times when the going rate was just $500
![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)
Cyber criminals are spending longer inside business' networks after the initial breach
By Connor Jones published
News Cyber attackers' dwell time is up 36% thanks to initial access brokers and repeat exploitation of Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, according to Sophos
![Macbook, iPad, and iPhone all positioned in the frame showcasing Apple's new developer features](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4U9XUFCZUL2TVEDmaEKZH-320-80.jpg)
Apple overhauls SwiftUI navigation and brings a score of new features to developers at WWDC 2022
By Connor Jones published
News Xcode also receives performance improvements and additional functionality, while Xcode Cloud is finally launched too
![Atlassian logo on a smartphone, with the logo on a wall in the background too](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yydKJGAQrQ4uT9zW7ZzgKW-320-80.jpg)
Exploitation of Atlassian Confluence zero-day surges fifteen-fold in 24 hours
By Connor Jones published
News The zero-day code execution vulnerability was discovered last week and cyber attackers are already capitalising on the proof-of-concept code
![Top-down shot of Fairphone 4](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SxcKbu5CdDAZhgidgNRnq8-320-80.jpg)
Fairphone 4 Review: A modular phone for a wasteful world
By Connor Jones published
Reviews The latest Fairphone is still the statement fashion piece to show your eco-friendliness, but better performance can be found elsewhere for a cheaper price
![Laptop computer displaying logo of Microsoft Exchange](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bJ9oCEENwLSGt4ZbxEV9hn-320-80.jpg)
State-sponsored hackers delay new Microsoft Exchange Server by four years
By Connor Jones published
News Hafnium's devastating zero-day exploit chain in 2021 forced Microsoft to improve the security of current versions instead of releasing the new one on schedule
![GitHub logo displayed on a smartphone in front of a mocked-up binary code background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/72zijUagJ2i9UpjWMLyHQb-320-80.jpg)
GitHub Enterprise Server 3.5 is equipped with a horde of new security protections
By Connor Jones published
News Admins are also given more controls to ensure the smooth running of servers, be it on-prem or in the cloud
![Microsoft Office 365 image, with a magnifying glass over Microsoft Word](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xrgj9PF6FCZYP28wvvrMNh-320-80.jpg)
Chinese hackers exploit Microsoft zero-day as list of vulnerable Office products grows
By Connor Jones published
News Microsoft has published a support guide and temporary workarounds for IT admins to mitigate the threat
![Russian hacking on a laptop mockup with code sprawling over the screen](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tkKB3q5gtsyADQHcoXjLSa-320-80.jpg)
Russian Killnet cyber attacks begin on Italian-linked businesses
By Connor Jones published
News Italy's cyber security authority issued a warning to all public and private sector organisations with links to the country to prepare for an increased number of cyber attacks from the pro-Russian hackers