IT for government and public sector

Russian IT sector faces unprecedented crisis

The Russian IT sector faces a major crisis as IT professionals and businesses flee the country after its invasion of Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly correspondent

Online Safety Bill introduced in Parliament

The government has introduced its long-awaited Online Safety Bill in Parliament, alongside new criminal offences and sanctions for tech company execs Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Two men convicted after using EncroChat cryptophones to plot killing

Evidence from the encrypted phone network EncroChat led to the conviction of two men for conspiracy to murder Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UCL report projects 5,500 ‘open data’ jobs in Newham by 2035

Report from University College London’s Institute for Global Prosperity says London borough is ‘uniquely placed to seize the data opportunity’ Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Keiron Holyome

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Supreme Court refuses Julian Assange extradition appeal

The case will be referred to the home secretary Priti Patel to make a decision. The WikiLeaks founder has yet to say whether he will file further appeals Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Ukraine: Cyber warfare and IT industry boycott of Russia – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Alex Scroxton joins the team to discuss the cyber war dimension of the conflict arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the IT industry’s response to Putin’s war Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

By

• Nicholas Fearn

‘Technical issues’ leave Post Office branches with ATM cash discrepancies

Discrepancies of up to £2,000 reported after an ‘IT change’ impacted more than 200 Post Office branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Majority of UK adults support legal right to disconnect

The introduction of ‘right to disconnect’ legislation to stop employees having to engage in work-related electronic communications outside their normal hours remains popular in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Police EncroChat cryptophone hacking implant did not work properly and frequently failed

Surveillance operation against EncroChat encrypted phone network had repeated technical failures Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government launches outcome of digital ID consultation

Government document includes the launch of the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes, and a pledge that ID cards will not be introduced Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Petra Wenham

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI assistant Bürokratt to reduce bureaucracy in Estonian government

 Continue Reading

Government to force tech firms to stop fraudsters using their platforms for scams

Changes to legislation will make social media and search engine firms responsible for preventing fraudsters using their platforms to commit crimes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Paid-for advertising measures included in Online Safety Bill

New measures to deal with fraudulent paid-for advertising have been included in the government’s draft Online Safety Bill, marking the fourth extension in two months Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Strategic Review of Policing: Police tech needs better ethical scrutiny

The Strategic Review of Policing confirms the central role that tech will be playing going forward, but warns of the need for greater ethical scrutiny to ensure public trust Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Subpostmasters won their David and Goliath battle, but initial goal still not reached

Despite exposing the Post Office Horizon scandal, Alan Bates, the former subpostmaster who drove the campaign for the truth, says the goal of repaying people what they lost has not yet been achieved Continue Reading

By

• Alan Bates

Horizon inquiry hearing sheds light on subpostmaster federation’s role in hushing up IT problems

A National Federation for Subpostmasters official had huge unexplained loss written off by Post Office despite many in the same position being convicted for crimes they didn't commit Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government publishes update on plan to tackle legacy IT

A Cabinet Office report outlines progress around areas such as new structures and leadership to address the issue of legacy IT Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NAO report praises NHS for data and digital leadership in Covid-19 vaccine roll-out

The £5.6bn programme has delivered value for money to date – and ‘creative’ use of data despite complexities was among the factors that led to successful delivery, says report Continue Reading

Using technology to protect human rights

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate how technology is being used to tackle human rights abuses worldwide. We offer a step-by-step guide to disaster recovery in the cloud era. And we examine the vital, and successful, role of digital and data in the UK Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Ukraine joins Nato cyber knowledge hub

Ukraine is to become a contributing participant in Nato’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scrapping NHS Digital a backward step for patient data rights

Former NHS Digital chair Kingsley Manning has spoken out over proposals to fold NHS Digital into NHS England, saying that more oversight is needed to safeguard patient data in light of recent events Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Assessing the aims of the Government Cyber Security Strategy

The clear aims of the Government Cyber Security Strategy are welcome, but are they realistic or achievable? Continue Reading

By

• Laura Marsden and Chris Goslin

Universities need better protection from email-based cyber attacks

The need to educate university staff and students on avoiding email-based cyber attacks is more acute than ever, says Proofpoint’s Adenike Cosgrove Continue Reading

By

• Adenike Cosgrove

Diversity and inclusion in STEM – data, culture and social benefit

In a recent government Science and Technology Committee meeting, a number of experts shared their opinions on the current barriers to increasing diversity in STEM, as well as ways the sector can move past them Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

SAP and Oracle express solidarity with Ukraine against Russia

SAP and Oracle suspend operations in the Russian Federation after expressing solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the war against it being conducted by Russia Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office warned of software flaw in 2006, but failed to alert subpostmaster network

The Post Office and Fujitsu failed to alert subpostmasters to a software error that caused them to be wrongly blamed for accounting shortfalls Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nato Cyber Security unit tests post-quantum VPN

Nato’s Cyber Security Centre has successfully tested secure communication flows in a post-quantum world using a UK-designed VPN Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

English Channel surveillance used ‘to deter and punish migrants’

Instead of opening safe and legal routes to the UK, the country’s border control ecosystem is deploying surveillance technologies in the English Channel to deter migrant crossings, it is claimed Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

The diarrhoea of a CEO

We wanted to extend our apologies to Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett for our recent criticism of his role in the increasingly exploitative NFT industry, due to him soon after pledging ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ban predictive policing systems in EU AI Act, says civil society

A coalition of civil society groups has called on European lawmakers to use the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act as an opportunity to ban predictive policing systems Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Workplace surveillance ‘spiralling out of control’, says TUC

Trade union body pushes for workers to be consulted on the implementation of new technologies at work, warning that invasive surveillance practices are getting out of hand Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK Treasury publishes consultation on online sales tax

Online sales tax debate focuses on assessing options to “rebalance” taxation of the retail sector Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sajid Javid outlines NHS tech targets

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid announces priorities around digital transformation in the health service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government set to backtrack on untenable position on subpostmaster compensation

The government looks set to backtrack on its previous stance and outline a means of providing fair compensation to a group of Post Office Horizon scandal victims so far left out of compensation schemes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

At last, the world is listening to the Horizon victims - the Post Office must finally listen, too

We are only two weeks into the statutory inquiry examining the Post Office IT scandal – two weeks of what is likely to be a year-long process – and already what we’ve learned is only compounding ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NAO report praises NHS for data and digital leadership in Covid-19 vaccine roll-out

The £5.6bn programme has delivered value for money to date – and ‘creative’ use of data despite complexities was among the factors that led to successful delivery, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Paid-for advertising still not covered in Online Safety Bill

Consumer group Which? calls again for government to include measures against scam paid-for advertising in the Online Safety Bill Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

European Commission opens path to a Data Act to stoke digital economy

The European Commission has published a proposal for a Data Act that it hopes will stoke a digital economy, in part by unlocking IoT and other ‘industrial data’ Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police forces ‘must’ do data protection due diligence checks before using PDS-backed AWS cloud

Police forces across England and Wales are being reminded not to overlook their data protection-related compliance responsibilities when making use of the Police Digital Service’s Amazon-powered cloud platform Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech acquisition to be major priority for UK police

Policing minister cites technology as major focus for future of UK police, in comments made ahead of the publication of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Helsinki shares its plans to bridge post-Covid learning gap with the rest of the world

Finnish capital is calling on global education systems to embrace technology as a facilitator of research, ideas and knowledge-sharing, not just as a new way to deliver classes Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Gartner: Public sector must target disjointed IT strategy

The pandemic showed how quickly public sector IT can deliver technology to support essential services – now it is time to fix scalability Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Horizon inquiry questioning raises hopes of fair compensation for victims so far left out

Post Office Horizon scandal victims left out of current compensation schemes have had their hopes raised that the statutory public inquiry is seriously addressing their demands for fair financial redress Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Sweden completes phase two of e-krona pilot

Sweden’s central bank is well into its second year of testing a new digital currency, but so far, no firm decision has been made by the government to adopt it Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

UK joins US in pinning Ukraine DDoS attacks on Russia

A series of DDoS attacks on Ukrainian defence and banking organisations last week is now being firmly attributed to Russian action Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Storage and 5G: Big impacts likely as wide-area topologies evolve

Enterprise 5G will boost the need for storage generally. It will also push capacity needs closer to the edge and create new locations for processing and storage Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Technology is the key to the door of levelling up the UK

We finally have a better idea of what the government’s ‘levelling-up’ policy means in practice – but national progress on digital adoption will be a key measure of its success Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The British people are waking up to the scandal that happened under their noses

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have been suffering in silence for many years, but the current public inquiry is giving them a voice, and people are listening Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Helsinki helps lay the groundwork for cities to take on healthcare drones

Finnish capital is part of a pan-EU project to introduce drone technology into emergency medical services Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

MPs demand urgent compensation for Post Office scandal victim group

MPs have called for the government to urgently provide fair compensation to a group of victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal who have so far been left out of compensation schemes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DWP data sharing pilot aims for single source of the truth

A pilot to share labour data across government departments aims to develop a safe framework for collaboration and to improve policy-making Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DDoS attacks hit Ukrainian defence ministry and banks

A further wave of cyber attacks has taken place against targets in Ukraine amid heightened tension in the region Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic countries lack a unified approach to AI

Nordic countries need to work together on a pan-regional artificial intelligence strategy Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Australian public sector facing transformation challenges

Public sector organisations in Australia are facing organisational and technological challenges in driving back-office innovation and digital-first strategies, new study finds Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government publishes plans to improve health and social care integration

A white paper outlines measures including digital care records under move to help individuals receive “better, more joined-up care” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lords to scrutinise UK plans to become a science and tech ‘superpower’

House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry will investigate the government’s strategy to advance its science and tech ambitions, how it will be delivered and its feasibility Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The birth of Estonia’s digital civil servant

As Estonia finalises the initial version of its government services digital assistant for launch later this year, the man heading the project describes the birth of Bürokratt and beyond Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hackney Council could be forced to answer questions about IT security training after Psya ransomware

Council is negotiating with the information commissioner after refusing to reply to questions under the Freedom of Information Act about staff IT and security training during the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK government starts search for new chief digital officer

£190,000 job will lead digital, data and technology policy across Whitehall, in charge of the 200-strong Central Digital and Data Office Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

IR35 reforms: HMRC slammed for ‘over-collecting tax’ from non-compliant public sector bodies

HMRC has moved to play down claims it is collecting more tax than it is due when tackling non-compliance with the IR35 reforms in the public sector Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How diplomatic immunity silenced the prosecutor who coordinated Sweden’s EncroChat probe

Defence lawyers claim Swedish court decision not to hear evidence from a Swedish prosecutor leaves important legal questions unanswered over international police operation to hack EncroChat cryptophone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Interview: Eddie Copeland, director, London Office of Technology and Innovation

The leader of the London Office of Technology and Innovation discusses local government’s response to the pandemic and its priorities for collaborative work around data and innovation in 2022 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Gemma Moore

Government earmarks £23m for 2,000 AI scholarships in England

The DCMS has confirmed £23m government funding for 2,000 scholarships in England for AI and data science Masters degree conversion courses Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Minister defends digital economy legislation before Lords

A digital minister has said that the UK’s forthcoming digital markets legislation is ‘superior’ to similar efforts in the EU, but could not commit to a specific time frame for when it will be introduced to Parliament Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data strategy highlights geospatial data challenges

A new assessment discusses the importance of data sharing, a lack of standards and the skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech companies risk being compelled by law to protect children, says online safety expert

John Carr, a child safety campaigner backing a government-funded campaign on the dangers of end-to-end encryption to children, says tech companies have no choice but to act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Post Office scandal victims to tell their stories in public

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are due to tell their devastating stories to the statutory inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Log4Shell, Ukraine and umbrella firm cyber attacks – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Alex Scroxton joins the team to discuss the Log4j vulnerability and Russian pressure on Ukraine. Also discussed are cyber attacks on umbrella companies, neuro-diversity and junk in space Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Porn sites will be legally required to verify users’ ages

Porn sites could be legally obliged to verify that their users are 18 or over under proposed online safety rules, in UK government’s second attempt to prevent children from accessing pornography online Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor