IT for government and public sector

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

Nvidia’s Arm deal is dead

‘Significant regulatory challenges’ have prevented Nvidia in its $31bn attempt to purchase chipmaker Arm Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The UK-Australia FTA shows the UK means business on digital trade policy

The new free-trade agreement with Australia could be setting the precedents for what a modern digital trade policy will look like for the UK Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Global IT companies ready to fight for Russian market

International IT firms have begun the process of complying with the latest regulations imposed on them by the Russian government Continue Reading

By

• Eugene Gerden

Met police deploy facial recognition in Westminster

Police facial recognition deployment resulted in four arrests, but questions remain about the necessity, proportionality and legality of the technology’s use Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber attacks on European oil facilities spreading

Following a cyber attack on distribution facilities in Germany, more incidents have been reported in Belgium and the Netherlands, but it is too early to necessarily draw a link between them Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EC proposes new directive to improve gig economy work conditions

Gig economy workers in Europe could be entitled to more rights and better workplace protections under a directive proposed by the European Commission Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cack-handed government compensation scheme prolongs suffering of Horizon scandal victims

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are being denied the millions of pounds they are owed as the government delays compensation resolution Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

French Supreme Court raises constitutional questions over EncroChat hacking secrecy

Conseil Constitutionnel to decide whether ‘defence secrecy’ over state EncroChat cryptophone hacking breaches French constitution Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Australia’s cloud market tipped to surpass $14bn in 2025

The growth will be led by growing demand for software-as-a-service offerings as Aussie firms look to tap cloud services in their digital transformation efforts Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

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

By

• Merry Song, Turnkey Consulting

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reforms needed to tackle economic crime, says Treasury Committee

The Treasury Committee is disappointed at progress towards tackling economic crime and fraud in both the online and offline worlds, and is calling for more action Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs call on government to ‘push harder’ and ‘act faster’ amid online fraud epidemic

MPs on the Treasury Committee want the government to act quickly to reduce the amount of money being stolen through online fraud Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

British Council data exposed by third-party cyber failure

The British Council entrusted confidential data on its students to a third-party and was let down Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Nicholas Fearn

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency appoints first CEO

The government has named the first CEO of the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Met Police faces legal action over Gangs Matrix

Campaign group Liberty is taking legal action against the Met over its use of the Gangs Matrix, claiming it is driven by racial stereotypes and disproportionately affects people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK has record year for tech IPOs in 2021

Tech companies represented 29% of all UK initial public offerings last year, raising a record $6.6bn Continue Reading

Data on children of armed forces personnel exposed in breach

Data on 4,142 children of serving armed forces personnel was exposed in a data breach at the Ministry of Defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How apprenticeships are helping bridge the digital skills gap

Apprenticeships are not only for young people – they can help make IT departments more diverse and inclusive, as well as plugging skills gaps, as DWP Digital has proved Continue Reading

By

• Richard McHugh

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

By

• Paddy Francis

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust advances digital-first strategy

Trust is making progress with its 10-year plan, centred around an electronic patient records system Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Tom Everard

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Demands on Fujitsu to contribute to £1bn Horizon scandal compensation costs

Fujitsu cannot hide away as taxpayers pick up the bill for the Post Office scandal triggered by its IT system, say peers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Essentials programme gets biggest update since launch

NCSC implements a thorough revision of its Cyber Essentials scheme to reflect the changing security landscape Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK launches international data transfer council

Businesses, academics and trade bodies convene to help the UK seize data-sharing opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Subpostmaster campaign group to meet government over unfair compensation settlement

A group of subpostmasters excluded from fair compensation in the Horizon scandal is to meet government department to discuss their demands Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Socitm outlines public sector digital trends for 2022

Report identifies the key areas of focus for technology decision-makers in government in the months ahead, across areas from cyber and data to digital identity and 5G Continue Reading

MPs say Online Safety Bill fails to tackle full range of harms

A DCMS select committee has warned that the Online Safety Bill should be expanded to cover more types of harmful content, such as child abuse material designed to circumvent content removal Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can ask Supreme Court to hear extradition appeal

Senior judges said today that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can petition the Supreme Court to decide whether to hear an appeal against his extradition to the US Continue Reading

Object storage: How research institute got 850TB for €150,000

French scientific research institute had its budgets cut and to meet the new cost constraints, it settled on Swarm software-defined object storage from DataCore Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Outdated systems core to DWP £1bn pension underpayment blunders

Old software is among the main reasons behind the pension errors affecting 134,000 people, says a House of Commons committee report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

ICO criticises government-backed campaign to delay end-to-end encryption

Data protection watchdog warns that delaying end-to-end encryption will put children at risk Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

MoJ faces ICO enforcement over subject access requests backlog

Ministry of Justice receives enforcement notice from information commissioner over ‘substantial’ backlog of subject access requests described as being of ‘significant concern’ Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government ‘has nothing against’ paying 555 subpostmasters fair compensation

Government officials are open to finding a way to properly compensate victims of the Horizon scandal without setting a dangerous legal precedent Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Data of 515,000 vulnerable people stolen in Red Cross attack

The International Committee of the Red Cross is probing a cyber attack that has already seen the personal data of hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people compromised Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK SMEs to receive tech skills and software boost

A new government scheme aimed at helping businesses improve their productivity and sales online has opened for applications Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government funds charity campaign to warn big tech over the risks of encryption to children

Barnardo’s and other charities begin a government-backed PR campaign to warn of the dangers end-to-end encryption poses to child safety, which has been criticised as being ‘one-sided’ Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Content removal will not stop misinformation, says Royal Society

Censorship of scientific misinformation online could exacerbate feelings of distrust, so government should look at information literacy and funding fact checkers instead, says report Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government widens subpostmaster miscarriage of justice compensation

Government changes its position in billion-pound Horizon scandal compensation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Test police algorithms in court rather than legislate, Lords told

Police algorithms and their impacts should be tested and challenged in court, rather than controlled by new laws, says policing minister Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

‘Russian-backed’ hackers defaced Ukrainian websites as cover for dangerous malware attack

Kiev claims that a hacking group in Belarus – a close ally of Russia – was responsible for hacking Ukrainian government websites amid threats of military action Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Nato offers tech support after 'massive cyber attack' hits Ukraine

Speculation mounts that Russia is behind a cyber attack which defaced Ukrainian government websites amid growing international tension Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Socitm outlines public sector digital trends for 2022

Report identifies the key areas of focus for technology decision-makers in government in the months ahead, across areas from cyber and data to digital identity and 5G Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office received £1bn taxpayer subsidy last year as part of IT scandal compensation

The Post Office has received over £1bn in taxpayer subsidies for its Horizon scandal compensation scheme Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Councillors refuse public release of IT audit of Hackney Psya ransomware attack

Hackney councillors claim an IT audit report is exempt for disclosure as it relates to action taken in relation to the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NCSC sounds alarm over Russia-backed hacks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre joins US calls to be wary of Russian state interference in critical national infrastructure IT systems Continue Reading

ICO investigates police use of app to covertly record calls from mobile phones

Surrey and Sussex police forces call in regulators after 1,000 police officers downloaded an app to covertly record phone calls on police-issued mobile phones Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

MEPs demand EU probe into Pegasus spyware abuse

A group of European Parliament Members has called for an EU-wide investigation into NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware after it emerged EU member states may have used it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government bodies challenged on secure identity

Public sector bodies in the UK recognise secure identity and access management as critical to the roll-out of digital services, but face challenges in addressing this Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government backs Turing Institute in bid to set global AI technical standards

The DCMS has announced an AI Standards Hub, comprising The Alan Turing Institute, the National Physical Laboratory and the British Standards Institution to set a global bar for AI technical standards Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Macquarie joins NSW government’s cloud supplier panel

New South Wales state agencies will be able to access Macquarie’s sovereign cyber expertise and secure cloud, network and datacentre services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Almost half of Log4j downloads still dangerously exposed

Whether by error or design is unclear, but a great many IT teams are still exposing themselves by downloading outdated, insecure versions of Apache Log4j Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office can’t access records of all money paid to it by victims of the Horizon scandal

A parliamentary select committee was told that the Post Office is unable to access information to accurately calculate compensation for some Horizon scandal victims Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHS England urged to produce tech roadmap to cope with pandemic backlog

Tech can help to ease the pressure on the health and care system, but basic infrastructure is lacking, a House of Commons report has found Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Companies propose scanning content pre-encryption to fight CSAM

Firms working on the UK government’s Safety Tech Challenge have suggested that scanning content before encryption will help prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material – but privacy concerns remain Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber security failure one of biggest risks facing countries and businesses, warns WEF

Cyber risks are among the top five risks facing organisations and governments over the next two to five years. Digital inequality and the over-crowding of space with communication satellites present further risks  Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Public sector IT and communications spend down 4% last year

Public sector spending on IT and communications was down in 2021, but some departments bucked the trend with major investments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ministry of Justice caught up in multiple cyber incidents

Besides multiple disclosed data breaches, department was also affected by two ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs call for fair compensation for excluded victims of Post Office scandal

Almost 100 MPs have backed a call for the government to reverse its decision to exclude 555 subpostmasters from fair compensation for their suffering and losses as a result of the Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New supercomputer opens doors for researchers in Sweden

More than twice as powerful as its predecessor, a new supercomputer ushers in new opportunities for researchers who rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

By

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

How far has Saudi Arabia come with open data?

While clearly on the right path, Saudi Arabia still has a lot to do before it reaps the full benefits of open data Continue Reading

By

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

Government cans electronic monitoring overhaul

Nearly £100m of taxpayer money has been spent in tech that will not result in future benefits, according to the Ministry of Justice's annual accounts report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Google buys Siemplify in first phase of cyber investment

Once integrated into Google Cloud, Siemplify’s platform will serve as the basis for deeper security development at Google Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS App exceeds 22 million user mark

Boosted by Covid-19 pass functionality, the NHS App is one of the most downloaded apps in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top 10 Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcasts of 2021

The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast team began the year discussing the online fallout from the storming of the White House and finished it discussing IT and climate change, touching on bees and datacentres along the way Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Top 10 Post Office Horizon stories of 2021

The past 12 months have seen some of the biggest landmarks in the unravelling of the Post Office Horizon scandal. Computer Weekly takes a look at a selection of key articles in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 information management stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 information management stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications