IT for consulting and business services
Companies in the consulting and business services industries often have specialist needs that require effective use of IT. Law firms, consultancies, accountants, recruitment firms and other advisory services use innovative technology to deliver business benefits, and you can read our news and analysis of the key trends and what they mean to you
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News
20 Nov 2024
Apple addresses two iPhone, Mac zero-days
Two zero-day vulnerabilities uncovered in Apple’s operating systems could have allowed for arbitrary code execution and cross-site scripting attacks Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Nov 2024
Underfunded, under pressure: We must act to support cyber teams
With almost half of cyber pros experiencing more incidents this year, security leaders say their teams are coming under increasing strain. Businesses must be more proactive approach about building a resilient, future-ready workforce Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Jun 2022
Security Think Tank: Don’t trust the weakest link? Don’t trust any link
Your security model shouldn’t fall apart just because a part of your business, or a partner, has weak security. This is why information-centric security is a must Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2022
Snake Keylogger climbing malware charts, says Check Point
Cyber criminals behind Snake Keylogger campaigns have been switching up their tactics in the past few weeks, say researchers Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2022
ProxyLogon, ProxyShell may have driven increase in dwell times
The median network intruder dwell time was up 36% to 15 days last year, thanks to massive exploitation of the ProxyLogon and ProxyShell vulnerabilities by IABs, according to new Sophos data Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2022
UAE residents think 3D printing will have the most positive impact on society
People in the UAE believe next-generation technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence will become widespread in the country Continue Reading
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Opinion
30 May 2022
Strong internal foundations are key to withstanding external threats
The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these attack pathways better in order to fight back Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2022
Two-thirds of UK organisations defrauded since start of pandemic
Nearly two out of three UK companies say they have experienced some form of fraud or economic crime in the past two years, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2022
Dutch companies struggle to fill tech jobs
There are plenty of IT job vacancies in the Netherlands, but a shortage of IT professionals Continue Reading
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News
25 May 2022
IR35 reforms: PAC report blames HMRC for ‘widespread non-compliance’ in public sector
The Public Accounts Committee has shared the findings of its report into the after-effects of the IR35 reforms coming into force in the public sector back in April 2017 Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2022
Ransomware volumes grew faster than ever in 2021
Verizon’s annual DBIR assessment of the security landscape highlights an unprecedented boom in ransomware volumes, to the surprise of nobody Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 May 2022
Security Think Tank: To follow a path, you need a good map
The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these attack pathways better in order to fight back Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2022
(ISC)² to train 100,000 cyber pros in UK
Security association (ISC)² unveils ambitious UK training programme Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2022
CyberUK 22: Five Eyes focuses on MSP security
The western intelligence community has set out practical steps IT service providers and their customers can take to protect themselves Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2022
Cyber accreditation body Crest forges new training partnerships
Crest says partnerships with Hack The Box and Immersive Labs will enhance its members’ defensive and offensive security skills Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2022
Microsoft fixes three zero-days on May Patch Tuesday
It’s the second-to-last Patch Tuesday as we know it, and Microsoft has fixed a total of 75 bugs, including three zero-days Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2022
Queen’s Speech: Employment Bill omission suggests further delays to umbrella market regulation
Contracting market stakeholders were hoping for some clarification on the delivery timeline for umbrella market regulation in the Queen’s Speech, but none was forthcoming Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2022
CyberUK 22: Cyber leaders affirm UK’s whole-of-society strategy
On the opening day of CyberUK 2022, GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming and NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron have spoken of their commitment to the government’s ambition for a whole-of-society cyber strategy Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2022
CyberUK 22: NCSC refreshes cloud security guidance
The National Cyber Security Centre is revising its cloud guidance as increasing uptake of potentially vulnerable cloud services puts more organisations at risk of compromise Continue Reading
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News
28 Apr 2022
Ransomware recovery costs dwarf actual ransoms
The cost of recovering from a ransomware attack far outweighs the ransoms now being demanded by cyber criminals, according to recent data Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2022
Log4Shell, ProxyLogon, ProxyShell among most exploited bugs of 2021
These 15 CVEs were the most commonly exploited last year, and if you haven’t mitigated against them, now is the time Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2022
Ransomware victims paying out when they don’t need to
Sophos’s annual State of Ransomware report shows dramatic increases in the impact of ransomware attacks, but also finds many organisations are paying ransoms when they don’t need to Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2022
Government digital ignorance puts Dutch economy at risk
In this interview, Michiel Steltman, managing director of Digital Infrastructure Netherlands, tells Computer Weekly why the Dutch digital economy is at risk due to a lack of knowledge and understanding at government level Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2022
BCS passes defiant Ukrainian tech industry message to its members
BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has passed on a message from Ukrainian IT suppliers that the country is open for, and in need of, business Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2022
Emotet tests new tricks to thwart enhanced security
The operators of the Emotet botnet seem to be trying to find a way to get around recent changes made by Microsoft to better protect its users Continue Reading
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News
13 Apr 2022
WatchGuard firewall users urged to patch Cyclops Blink vulnerability
The US authorities have seen fit to add the WatchGuard vulnerability used by Sandworm to build the Cyclops Blink botnet to its list of must-patch vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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News
13 Apr 2022
Microsoft patches two zero-days, 10 critical bugs
Patch Tuesday is here once again. This month, security teams must fix two privilege escalation zero-days in the Windows Common Log File System Driver and the Windows User Profile Service Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Apr 2022
not for resale (NFR)
Not for resale (NFR) is a designation for products that vendors give to their channel partners for testing and educational purposes with the understanding that the channel partner will not resell those products to the end user. Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2022
European IT and BPO outsourcing off to strong start
European IT and business process outsourcing services continue to increase rapidly, with cloud-based services now more than half of the total Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2022
IR35 reforms: Private sector warned HMRC's 12-month 'light-touch' enforcement period is ending
HMRC confirmed, in the lead up to the IR35 reforms coming into force in the private sector in April 2021, that it would be taking a ‘light-touch’ approach to enforcing the rules for 12 months. And that grace period ends today Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2022
Triple-threat Borat malware no joke for victims
Unlike its namesake, the newly discovered Borat malware won’t raise a smile for IT security pros Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2022
Saudi Arabian ICT sector hits $32.1bn after strong pandemic response
The Saudi Arabian IT and communications sector is recovering strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2022
Environmental campaigners halt Meta datacentre construction in the Netherlands
Datacentre being built to serve ‘metaverse’ worlds would consume nearly half as much energy as all other datacentres in the country Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2022
Four moves to ‘checkmate’ critical assets thanks to lax cloud security
Malicious actors can compromise 94% of critical assets within four steps of the initial breach point, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2022
One-third of UK firms suffer a cyber attack every week
New statistics from the annual DCMS Cyber security breaches survey reveal the extent and frequency with which UK organisations are being attacked by malicious actors Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2022
CIO interview: Spencer Clarkson, CTO, Verastar
Digital transformation and unifying customer relationship management systems are driving the business services group forward Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Mar 2022
Recruitment risks: Avoiding the dangers of fraudulent candidates
Tech companies are seeing an increase in fraudulent job applications, with associated impacts on risk and cyber security. So how can organisations protect themselves from fraudulent applicants while ensuring they recruit the best talent? Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2022
NCSC: Not necessarily wise to ditch Kaspersky
UK’s National Cyber Security Centre issues refreshed guidance on organisations’ usage of technology and services of Russian origin, but stops short of advising users to expunge all Russian products from their IT estates Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2022
Wave of Log4j-linked attacks targeting VMware Horizon
Sophos issues a new warning to organisations that have so far failed to patch their VMware Horizon servers against Log4Shell Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2022
Most big businesses are taking up banking as a service
API-based banking services allow corporate customers to offer financial services without the need for heavy tech development or regulatory approval Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2022
Umbrella company Workwell refutes contractor’s ‘withheld holiday pay’ claim
A dispute between a contractor and their former umbrella company shines a light once more on the knotty issue of holiday pay Continue Reading
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Opinion
22 Mar 2022
Revised scope of UK security strategy reflects digitised society
The omission of the word ‘security’ from the title of the UK government’s new National Cyber Strategy is a telling one, reflecting our increasingly digitised society, say Maximillian Brook and Arunoshi Singh of the ISF Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2022
Teleperformance’s robotic process automation increases job satisfaction
A project to introduce software robots at the Dutch arm of Teleperformance has been adopted globally Continue Reading
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Opinion
21 Mar 2022
UK Cyber Strategy a welcome injection of progress
The National Cyber Strategy should be seen as a welcome injection of both focus and investment in bettering cyber defence for everyone, says Turnkey Consulting senior consultant Louise Barber Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2022
Ukrainian cyber defences prove resilient
Thanks to a combination of prior experience and global support, Ukraine’s defences against cyber incidents are holding strong in the face of Russian attacks Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 Mar 2022
National Cyber Strategy will enhance UK’s cyber power status
The UK punches above its weight when it comes to wielding cyber power around the world, but challenges to this status are clear. The National Cyber Strategy has a clear role to play in maintaining and enhancing this status, writes Paddy Francis of Airbus Cybersecurity Continue Reading
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News
16 Mar 2022
German authorities warn on Kaspersky but stop short of ban
Germany authorities warn Kaspersky users to consider alternatives to the firm’s flagship antivirus software, citing national security concerns and the war on Ukraine Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Mar 2022
How cyber security teams can conquer the four-day working week
The four-day week may be an idea whose time has come, but for always-on cyber security professionals, the impact of squeezing more work into fewer days is a tricky proposition Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2022
Cross-party group of MPs calls on Loan Charge contractors to participate in call for evidence
The Loan Charge and Taxpayer Fairness All Party Parliamentary Group is seeking input from contractors about the real-world toll the loan charge policy is having on them Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2022
IR35 private sector reforms one year on: Assessing the impact on the UK’s tech talent pool
With the first anniversary of the IR35 reforms taking effect in the private sector fast approaching, IT contractors set out how the changes have affected their ability to find work in the UK Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Mar 2022
How can I avoid an exodus of cyber talent linked to stress and burnout?
Cyber security professionals have played a crucial role during the pandemic, yet many feel like their employers aren’t providing adequate mental health support and have considered quitting their jobs as a result. What can employers do to help them? Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Mar 2022
National Cyber Strategy misses the mark in one important way
The National Cyber Strategy is full of fine words, says Petra Wenham, but as the old expression goes, fine words butter no parsnips, and it misses the mark in one very important way Continue Reading
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News
10 Mar 2022
Tech brands sign on to HackerOne responsible security drive
Tech companies sign HackerOne’s new corporate security responsibility pledge to bring cyber out of the shadows and promote effective, secure development practices Continue Reading
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News
09 Mar 2022
China’s APT41 exploited Log4j within hours
APT41 compromised multiple government organisations via the Log4Shell exploit within hours of its initial disclosure, Mandiant claims Continue Reading
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News
09 Mar 2022
Microsoft serves up three zero-days on March Patch Tuesday
Three zero-days pop up in Microsoft’s March update, along with a number of other noteworthy concerns for defenders Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2022
Boardroom does not see ransomware as a priority
Less than a quarter of company directors think ransomware is a top priority for their security teams, according to Egress Continue Reading
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News
02 Mar 2022
Gothenburg University makes breakthrough in energy efficient computers
Swedish and Japanese universities make advancement in the development of computers that can work as energy efficiently as a brain Continue Reading
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News
02 Mar 2022
Middle East IT spending to recover to at least pre-pandemic levels
Middle East IT leaders expect budgets to increase this year, with spending to match or exceed pre-Covid levels Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2022
Ukraine cyber attacks seen spiking, but no destructive cyber war yet
While cyber attacks linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine are taking place, they are having little impact beyond the region Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2022
KnowBe4 cyber drama tackles Colonial Pipeline in fourth season
KnowBe4’s ongoing cyber security training drama, The Inside Man, reaches its fourth season with a plot drawing inspiration from one of the most impactful cyber attacks of 2021 Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2022
Security organisations form Nonprofit Cyber coalition
Founding members of the Nonprofit Cyber coalition pledge to enhance joint action on cyber security around the world Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2022
Russia behind dangerous Cyclops Blink malware
Joint NCSC CISA advisory attributes a dangerous malware, dubbed Cyclops Blink, to Russia’s Sandworm APT, likely a GRU unit, with WatchGuard users at particular risk Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2022
Backups ‘no longer effective’ for stopping ransomware attacks
Traditional methods of mitigating ransomware are less efficacious thanks to the rise in double and triple extortion techniques Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2022
Microsoft extends Defender umbrella to Google Cloud Platform
Redmond says extending Defender for Cloud native capabilities to the Google Cloud Platform will help simplify security for organisations pursuing multicloud strategies by eliminating the gaps where the bad guys can get in Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2022
No imminent cyber threat to UK from Russia
Intelligence officials say they have no evidence or indication that Russian cyber attackers are preparing offensive assaults on infrastructure or organisations in Britain Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2022
UK organisations swift to chide phishing victims
While UK organisations are doing better at security training, many are quick to punish employees who fall victim to phishing attacks, whether real or simulated Continue Reading
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Opinion
22 Feb 2022
Security Think Tank: Good training is all about context
In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service? Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2022
UK organisations untroubled by Trickbot surge
A surge in Trickbot infections is targeting some of the world’s most prominent brands, but UK organisations seem thankfully unaffected Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2022
2021 another record year for UK cyber investment
Total revenue generated by the UK’s cyber sector was up 14% last year, and UK-registered security firms raised over £1bn in investment Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2022
CIO interview: Steve Williams, M&A lead and IT director, Waterstons
Steve Williams is applying decades of CIO experience to the advice he gives businesses during major mergers and acquisitions Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2022
Nordic countries lack a unified approach to AI
Nordic countries need to work together on a pan-regional artificial intelligence strategy Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2022
China emerges as leader in vulnerability exploitation
Threat actors linked to China are emerging as a significant force in the weaponisation of newly discovered CVEs Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2022
Why security professionals should pay attention to what Russia is doing
Even though the average organisation is an unlikely target for a Russian state cyber attack, here's why security teams still need to watch what Russian threat groups are up to Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Feb 2022
Phishing tests are a useful exercise, but don’t overdo it
The vast majority of cyber attacks start with a phish, so it’s not surprising that phishing tests form part of cyber training plans. But sometimes these tests go too far. Cyberis’ Gemma Moore looks at how to avoid the pitfalls Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2022
Linux-based clouds an open door for attackers, says VMware
Its prevalence as a cloud operating system means Linux is becoming a meal ticket for malicious actors, but the security industry does not seem to have cottoned on to this yet, says VMware Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2022
Ransomware ever more sophisticated and impactful, warns NCSC
UK’s National Cyber Security Centre teams up with US and Australian partners in a joint advisory warning organisations of the increasing sophistication exhibited by criminal ransomware gangs Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2022
Microsoft stomps on 48 bugs in February Patch Tuesday update
It’s a light Patch Tuesday for February 2022, as Microsoft issues fixes for just 48 CVEs, including a solitary zero-day Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2022
Microsoft to start blocking macros to thwart malware
Microsoft is making changes to web macro permissions across multiple Office apps to help improve user security Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2022
The Security Interviews: Building the UK’s future cyber ecosystem
As the government lays out the next iteration of its Cyber Security Strategy, we speak to Plexal and Lorca’s Saj Huq about his work building a cyber ecosystem to support the UK’s future ambitions Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2022
Umbrella IT contractors urged to seize on court ruling to reclaim withheld holiday pay
The outcome of a court ruling concerning a holiday pay dispute between Pimlico Plumbers and one of its former employees could have costly implications for the umbrella company sector, it is claimed Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2022
UAE chooses Accenture to develop national payments platform
Consortium led by Accenture to build new payments infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 Feb 2022
Security Think Tank: How to build a human firewall
In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service? Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2022
Zero-trust to soar in 2022, but dogged by implementation challenges
IT leaders are keen to invest in zero-trust, but face issues around a lack of expertise, and selling the concept into the C-suite Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Feb 2022
What neurodivergent people really think of working in cyber security
Many firms are filling cyber security skills gaps by hiring neurodivergent talent – but more support is needed for neurodivergent cyber security professionals, writes autistic tech journalist Nicholas Fearn Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2022
Saudi Arabia to invest billions of dollars in technology and startups
Saudi Arabia announces $6.4bn investment in its tech sector as part of plans to diversify its economy Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2022
Check Point buys Spectral to safeguard cloud development
Check Point’s latest acquisition of Israel-based startup Spectral expands its developer-centric security toolset Continue Reading
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Opinion
31 Jan 2022
Understand your cyber training ‘need’ before committing to a programme
In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training-as-a-service? Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2022
Cyber skills gap affecting data privacy practice, finds ISACA
Organisations are struggling to fill both legal and technical privacy roles, with potentially damaging consequences, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2022
CISOs must get out in front of Ukraine cyber crisis, says NCSC
The National Cyber Security Centre is urging UK organisations to take steps to bolster their cyber security resilience in response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2022
Novel phishing campaign highlights need for MFA, says Microsoft
Microsoft details a new multi-stage phishing campaign that only affects victims without multifactor authentication in place Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2022
Nightmare Log4Shell scenario averted by prompt, professional action
Prompt and professional community response to the Log4Shell disclosure means the dangerous and widespread vulnerability has not been exploited to the extent many had feared Continue Reading
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Opinion
27 Jan 2022
Security Think Tank: Focus on ‘nudging’ to build effective cyber training
In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training-as-a-service? Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2022
More intel emerges on WhisperGate malware that hit Ukraine
Security experts have been poring over the WhisperGate malware with which alleged Russia-backed entities targeted Ukrainian government websites Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2022
PwnKit bug endangers Linux distributions worldwide
Qualys researchers share intel on a memory corruption vulnerability in a program installed by default on every major Linux distribution Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2022
Prepare, but don’t panic, over supposed Russian cyber threat
A fresh alert from the US Department of Homeland Security may have IT security teams jumpy over the possibility that their organisations could be targeted by Russian state actors Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2022
MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows advances in malicious implants
MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows evident technical improvements over others, making it a more dangerous threat to organisations. It is being used by Chinese state-backed actors Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2022
Delayed pay: Umbrella company cyber attacks disrupt salary payments to thousands of contractors
Thousands of contractors across the UK are anxiously waiting to see if their payroll cycles will be disrupted for a second week, after two of the umbrella industry's biggest players were targeted by cyber criminals Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2022
Danish digitisation partnership delivers plan to government
Public-private collaboration submits plan setting out “how Denmark can take advantage of the opportunities presented by digitisation moving forward into the future” Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2022
Twelve million jobs to be lost to automation in Europe by 2040
Millions of current jobs in Europe will be carried out by robots as software robots automate processes Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2022
Microsoft veteran turns her attention to levelling up IT industry for women
Diversity goes beyond balancing the internal workforce and should include working with partners that also have diversity as a core objective, says Gavriella Schuster Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2022
Microsoft fixes six zero-days in January Patch Tuesday update
A larger than of late Patch Tuesday update from Microsoft comes as defenders continue to grapple with Log4Shell Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2022
Dutch cyber volunteers receive major funding boost
The Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure has received a $100,000 donation to expand the scope of its work Continue Reading