IT for government and public sector

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

By

• Petra Wenham

Post Office scandal victim calls for government’s role in silencing victims to be investigated

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal in Scotland raise further questions about Post Office and government conduct Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

(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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Controversial Post Office IT system to be replaced by 2025

Work is ongoing by the Post Office to replace the controversial Horizon retail and accounting system used in nearly 12,000 branches Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Smart traffic management offers greater emissions control

Juniper Research has predicted that CO2 emissions could be slashed if governments fully deploy smart traffic management systems Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Pro-competition data sharing will not include users’ personal info, says minister

UK government proposals to improve competition in digital markets by making tech giants share data with smaller firms will not include consumers’ personal information, says digital minister Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government levelling up bill promotes open data-based digital planning

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech includes proposals for digital planning powers to be given to local government in England and Wales, based on open data Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Mind the gap: public and private sector disparity in cybersecurity

Amidst increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks and a constantly shifting threat landscape, cyber security partnerships across the private and public sector are essential in tackling these threats. ... Continue Reading

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• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DWP partners with AI-powered career and job services

Partnership involves a trial to see how well artificial intelligence can be used to help job seekers find work more quickly Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

EU plans to police child abuse raise fresh fears over encryption and privacy rights

Draft regulation unveiled today will require internet and messaging firms to use algorithms to identify grooming and child abuse or face heavy fines Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CCRC to contact 88 more former subpostmasters with potentially wrongful convictions

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is to contact 88 more potentially wrongfully convicted Post Office workers Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

‘Spy cops’ inquiry delves into police relationship with MI5

There was ‘no filter’ on the information that undercover police officers were collecting on activists throughout the 1970s, despite senior managers and officials involved in directing the surveillance questioning the appropriateness of the information gathering and sharing Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office scandal inquiry chair brings forward urgent compensation hearings

The chair of the Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry has brought forward hearings about compensation as victims warn that at this rate “people will die” before they get anything Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The spies who hack you – the growing threat of spyware

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after 10 Downing Street was hit by a spyware attack, fears about targeted mobile phone hacks are increasing. Our salary survey highlights the diversity challenge in IT, with men’s support for women in IT declining. And we look at how datacentre heat reuse can help reduce carbon emissions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

DWP Digital sets out three-year plan to improve data sharing and cut legacy

In response to the pandemic, the government department aims to improve collaboration and develop a reference architecture Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Post Office scandal victims in Scotland to tell their stories, raising questions of law

Inquiry into Post Office scandal moves to Scotland, with differences in English and Scottish law raising further serious questions about subpostmaster prosecutions Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Malaysian government inks agreement with Google Cloud

The cloud framework agreement with Google will make it easier for Malaysia’s public sector agencies to access Google Cloud services through a single government contract Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK digital markets regulator to be given statutory powers

Digital Markets Unit will be put on statutory footing by UK government to ensure technology giants do not abuse market power, but announcement comes with no clear indication of when legislation will be introduced Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

IT infrastructure used to launch DDoS attack on Russian targets

Organisations could unwittingly be participating in hostile activity against the Russian government as compromised IT infrastructure is used without their knowledge to launch denial of service attacks Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Disaster recovery is an essential service for EDF with Phenix-IT

EDF has built disaster recovery tracking, planning and testing software on a six-month upgrade cycle based on governance, risk and compliance functionality in Mega’s Hopex platform Continue Reading

By

• Alain Clapaud
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Five companies join NCSC for Startups to deal with ransomware

The NCSC has invited five startups to join the NCSC for Startups programme to develop tech that can help deal with the threat of ransomware Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Judicial intervention 'inevitable' as Post Office compensation valuation falls short

Lawyer negotiating compensation for victims of Post Office scandal says the two sides are 'poles apart' on valuations Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office scandal CEO could be stripped of CBE

Honours Forfeiture Committee to review Paula Vennells’ CBE in the light of Post Office scandal Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Electric vehicle transition comes with uneven costs

Governments, car makers and tech companies are promoting electric vehicles, but are they considering the uneven social and environmental costs from extracting the critical minerals needed to make batteries? Continue Reading

By

• Patrick Elliot

Totting up a decade of ones and zeros at the ODI

As the Open Data Institute turns 10, managing director Louise Burke reflects on its first decade and what comes next Continue Reading

By

• Louise Burke

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK regulators seek input on algorithmic processing and auditing

Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum is inviting views on how the four UK watchdogs involved should approach regulating algorithms, following its publication of discussion papers and a 2022 workplan Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Sanders calls on Biden to cut off federal contracts with Amazon

In an open letter, senator Bernie Sanders urges the US president to fulfil a campaign promise to stop union-busting companies from winning federal government contracts Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Russia plumbs new depths in cyber war on Ukraine

Microsoft details cyber attacks on Ukrainian civilian communications, nuclear safety authorities, and the exploitation of the destruction of Mariupol in a phishing campaign Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scotland’s tech sector recovers pre-pandemic verve

According to ScotlandIS research, the Scottish technology sector has recovered pre-pandemic levels of growth, and cyber security emerged as the hottest growth area from the industry body’s annual report Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Kim Loohuis

Police question former Fujitsu worker again in Post Office scandal perjury investigation

Police have interviewed a former Fujitsu employee for the third time in the investigation into potential perjury during trials of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Did HMRC really 'lock taxpayers out' from their online accounts?

Did HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) really “lock taxpayers out” from their online accounts, as The Guardian has claimed? It’s a situation that arose from a predictable and – according to HMRC – ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Majority of workers using umbrella companies see no benefits

Research from trade body for independent professionals finds that most self-employed workers operating through an umbrella company think there are no advantages to the arrangement Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government appoints head of technology transfer unit

Government announces a CEO to lead its initiatives around commercialising its knowledge assets Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office scandal victims still waiting for compensation a year after convictions overturned

Former subpostmasters at the centre of one of biggest miscarriage of justice in modern history are still waiting for compensation a year after their wrongful convictions were overturned Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

EU lawmakers propose limited ban on predictive policing systems

MEPs’ joint report on European Artificial Intelligence Act sets out limited ban on predictive policing systems alongside a raft of further amendments to improve redress mechanisms and extend the list of AI systems deemed high-risk Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Five Eyes in new Russia cyber warning

Latest cross-body alert warns of Russian threat to utilities and other core elements of national infrastructure Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European cities moving fast to change business of parking

German cities are using the latest smart parking technology to reduce traffic and car pollution while collecting more fees for parking Continue Reading

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• Gordon Feller

Dutch schools struggle with digitisation

Now is the time for schools in the Netherlands to determine how the opportunities of distance and digital learning resources can be made to work and how the risks involved can be mitigated Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

More Scottish subpostmaster conviction reviews expected as part of Post Office scandal

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission expects more subpostmasters with potential wrongful convictions to come forward Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home secretary Priti Patel to decide whether to extradite Assange

Home secretary will decide in four weeks whether to approve Julian Assange’s extradition to the US, where he faces espionage and hacking charges Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NSO Group faces court action after Pegasus spyware used against targets in UK

Three human rights activists whose phones were targeted by spyware traced to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have begun legal action against both countries and Israel’s NSO Group Technologies Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Financial Ombudsman Service chooses TCS as digital transformation partner

Tata Consultancy Services will build and implement key systems as part the Financial Ombudsman Service’s digital transformation Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ODI data literacy report laments technical skills inflation in government data strategy

An Open Data Institute report on data literacy and UK government data strategy sees a lack of clarity in definition, fragmentation of responsibility, and a disconnect between government and citizens Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Lack of expertise hurting UK government’s cyber preparedness

UK government bodies and critical infrastructure owners cite a lack of staff resources, and internal and external expertise, as hampering factors when it comes to cyber readiness, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zhadnost DDoS botnet deployed against Finland

A coordinated DDoS attack hit two government ministries in Finland at the same time as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a virtual address to the Finnish parliament Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government agrees bulk surveillance powers fail to protect journalists and sources

Campaign group Liberty to launch legal appeal that will call for journalists to receive stronger legal protections from state surveillance Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI researcher says police tech suppliers are hostile to transparency

Expert witness in Lords police tech inquiry welcomes committee’s findings but questions whether its recommendations on how to end the ‘Wild West’ of police artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies in the UK would be implemented Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Border IT system fixed after 10-day outage

Post-Brexit border IT system failure fixed after going down at the start of April, allowing traders to once again file customs documents electronically rather than by hand Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

EncroChat: France says ‘defence secrecy’ in police surveillance operations is constitutional

Constitutional court finds that invoking ‘defence secrecy’ to withhold information about the state hacking of EncroChat cryptophones is constitutional. Defence lawyers now head for the supreme court Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Goldacre review outlines recommendations on safer use of health data

The findings of an investigation into use of health data for research and analysis includes a number of proposals to improve innovation in the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Online Safety Bill: Collaborating to make the internet safer for all

The UK government's plan to regulate the internet and social media includes some positive and progressive measures – but by working with industry, a lot more could be achieved Continue Reading

By

• Martin Wilson

MPs and editors sound alarm over threat to Freedom of Information

Government secrecy and trend for departments to block Freedom of Information requests pose a long-term risk to accountability Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Amazon workers defeat company to form first US union

Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, have successfully formed the first union at the company, with organisers pledging to help their colleagues across the US do the same Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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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• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

How data sharing and collaboration can solve great challenges

Daniel Hirst and Arjan Dhaliwal from Ordnance Survey argue for the value of data sharing, collaboration and data skills enhancement to address social, ecological economic problems Continue Reading

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• Daniel Hirst and Arjan Dhaliwal

Secrecy over police EncroChat hacking is unconstitutional, defence lawyers tell top French court

France’s constitutional court, the Conseil Constitutionnel, has heard arguments that the use of ‘defence secrecy’ to withhold information about police surveillance operations breaches the French constitution Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UCL and AWS team up for health tech-focused startup accelerator

AWS is lending its cloud expertise to UCL’s startup accelerator programme, which is geared towards helping health and education organisations address global health issues Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Fujitsu bags £430m government contracts despite rising cost of Post Office Horizon scandal

Fujitsu has won two huge government IT contracts, worth over £400m, while taxpayers face footing the massive bill for the Post Office scandal caused by its software Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Mark Ballard

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TechUK calls on government to seize post-Brexit data opportunities

Ahead of the government’s reply to its late 2021 consultation about proposed post-Brexit reforms to the data protection regime, TechUK has published a paper declaring six data governance principles Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

EU Act ‘must empower those affected by AI systems to take action’

Ada Lovelace Institute publishes recommendations on how European institutions can improve the Artificial Intelligence Act by establishing a ‘comprehensive remedies framework’ around those affected by the deployment of AI systems Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Global upheaval shows cyber security isn’t good enough, says GCHQ director

Generational global upheaval has laid bare significant gaps in national cyber strategies, GCHQ chief Jeremy Fleming has said in a speech Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Compensation goal finally in sight for 555 Post Office scandal victims

The subpostmaster campaign group which exposed the Post Office Horizon scandal could be close to achieving the objective it was established for, with fair compensation for its members in sight Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Why diversity in AI remains a challenge and how to fix it

With artificial intelligence set for a global economic explosion, its development must put diversity at its core to avoid discriminating systems Continue Reading

By

• Shawn Tan

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Overhaul of UK police tech needed to prevent abuse

Lords inquiry finds UK police are deploying artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies without a thorough examination of their efficacy or outcomes, and are essentially ‘making it up as they go along’ Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK tech ecosystem reaches $1tn valuation

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted massive investment in the UK’s digital companies, which are collectively valued at $1tn Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spring Statement lays the foundation for a make-or-break Budget for business in the autumn

The tech sector has welcomed much of the chancellor’s latest financial plans, but says there is more to do if technology is to achieve its full potential for driving economic growth Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Cabinet Office publishes playbook with rules for government digital projects

Digital, Data and Technology guide outlines measures supporting overhaul intended to “get things right at the start” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

IT professionals wary of government campaign to limit end-to-end encryption

Members of the Chartered Institute of IT, the professional body for technology professionals in the UK, warn against limiting end-to-end encryption Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Sajid Javid pushes digitisation of social care records

Health secretary wants 80% of providers to abandon paper-based records by 2024 ahead of broader plans for digital health and care Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

European Commission proposes new cyber security regulations

New cyber and information security regulations have been proposed by the European Commission to create a minimum set of standards in both areas Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

London police arrest seven in connection to Lapsus$

Seven people arrested by London police over cyber attacks carried out by Lapsus$ group, which is responsible for a number of recent, high profile attacks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NHS advances digital trials with high-tech mobile health clinic

The NHS’ Find and Treat van uses tech tools including artificial intelligence software and a tele radiology network to care for vulnerable, high-risk Londoners Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

CW Innovation Awards: Transforming Australia’s national assessment programme

Education Services Australia has transformed the country’s national assessment programme through an online platform that has enabled teachers to design adaptive tests and improved student engagement Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK government promises high-speed internet for all schools by 2025

Hot on the heels of announcing upgrades to UK mobile networks in hard-to-reach places, and as part of its latest plans to roll out gigabit broadband across the country, government turns connectivity focus on educational establishments Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Spring Statement: Chancellor expands R&D tax relief to cloud computing and storage

Rishi Sunak announces further measures intended to improve innnovation and tech-enabled productivity in UK businesses Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Chinese state media use Facebook to push pro-Russia disinformation on Ukraine war

Facebook owner Meta accused of failing to follow its own policies by not disclosing how Chinese state media were targeting Facebook users with ‘propaganda’ ads about the conflict in Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Biden issues warning about Russian cyber attacks

President Biden has said that US companies running critical infrastructure should immediately harden their defences in anticipation of potential cyber attacks from Russia Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor