IT for government and public sector

Microsoft files lawsuit to seize domains used by Russian spooks

Microsoft has been given permission to seize multiple domains used by the Russian state threat actor Star Blizzard as part of a coordinated disruption effort undertaken ahead of the US elections Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SOC teams falling out of love with threat detection tools

Security operations centre practitioners are fed up of being flooded with pointless alerts and many no longer have much confidence in their threat detection tools, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Local councils need ‘better support’ to buy AI responsibly

The Ada Lovelace Institute says there is lack of adequate support on how councils can safely and responsibly procure artificial intelligence systems in the public interest Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Once more it's deja vu all over again in digital government

When you write about government IT for as long as Computer Weekly has – which is pretty much as long as “government IT” has been a thing – it’s hard not to get a sense of what can most accurately ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Rise of the cyber clones: When seeing isn’t believing

It is frighteningly easy to clone someone else's identity using readily-available artificial intelligence tools Continue Reading

By

• Jake Moore, ESET

DSIT launches digital government panel

The panel, which is being co-chaired by Martha Lane Fox and Paul Willmott, will help government create a 10-year vision for a ‘digital centre’ Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Post Office and Fujitsu: from blood brothers to bad blood

Former Post Office chief transformation officer’s evidence to the public inquiry reveals organisation’s strained relationship with main IT supplier Fujitsu Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Detective behind ‘unlawful’ surveillance blamed Catholics for ‘perverse’ court decisions

A former detective claimed Irish judges were ‘sectarians in robes’ after a court found police had unlawfully arrested journalists who produced a film exposing collusion with paramilitary murderers Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Post Office spending £80,000+ a week on engineers who can’t work, as IT project burns cash

Revelation is latest evidence of the Post Office’s struggles to replace Fujitsu’s controversial Horizon software used in branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Detective reported journalist’s lawyers to regulator in ‘unlawful’ PSNI surveillance case

Former Durham detective Darren Ellis told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that he had concerns about lawyers acting for journalists placed under surveillance by Northern Irish police Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Cormac Kehoe

Cyber teams say they can’t keep up with attack volumes

Over 60% of European security pros say their teams are understaffed, and over 50% don’t have enough budget, according to data from ISACA Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The cyber industry needs to accept it can't eliminate risk

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

Investigation finds 'reasonable likelihood' Post Office Capture software caused accounting losses

An independent forensic analysis finds the predecessor to Horizon IT system was also likely to have caused shortfalls for which subpostmasters were blamed, years before the Post Office scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK on high alert over Iranian spear phishing attacks, says NCSC

The NCSC and counterpart agencies in the US have issued a warning over enhanced Iranian spear phishing activity targeting politicians, journalists, activists and others with an interest in Middle Eastern affairs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Defaulting to open: Decoding the (very public) CrowdStrike event

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Elliott Wilkes, ACDS

Cyber companies need a best practice approach to major incidents.

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Andy Bridden and Ashley Barker, PA Consulting

More parallels between Post Office Capture and Horizon scandal revealed

Post Office dramatically increased the number of investigations into subpostmasters after Capture Software was introduced Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Subpostmasters living years with disputed but unresolved debts to the Post Office, inquiry told

Continued errors with the Horizon system mean subpostmasters have unresolved account shortfalls hanging over them for years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government plans reverse pitch events to drive digital change

The government will hold three events for startups to showcase and collaborate with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice to solve key problems faced by the departments Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How data literacy for all can accelerate the UK’s tech revolution

The ODI’s director of global policy and corporate affairs attends the Labour Conference and concludes that upskilling people in data and digital can deliver economic growth and prosperous communities Continue Reading

By

• Emma Thwaites

Fujitsu accused of ‘paying lip service’ to Post Office scandal victims

Victims of the Horizon scandal believe Fujitsu’s offer of support to be a 'box-ticking' exercise with no commitments, nine months after seemingly heartfelt pledges Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office IT procurement mess saw £35m spent on air conditioner, says board member

Post Office IT procurement mistakes have wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers money, non-executive board member tells public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Unique malware sample volumes seen surging

BlackBerry’s latest ‘Global threat intelligence’ report details a surge in unique malware samples as threat actors ramp up the pace of targeted attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to respond when your cyber company becomes the story

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Stephen McDermid

Post Office IT department’s focus on chasing a discount meant botched procurement

Post Office IT team and executives slammed for rushing into tech hardware purchase while eyeing a discount Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Win back lost trust by working smarter

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Fujitsu faces financial challenges, with doubts over its commitment to righting Post Office wrongs

Fujitsu worker tells Computer Weekly that firm only cares about shareholders and not subpostmaster suffering Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office eVisa scheme is ‘broken’, says Open Rights Group

Digital rights campaigners say the Home Office’s plan to make its new electronic Visa scheme a real-time online-only process is part and parcel of the 'hostile environment' around immigration status Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Gartner: Mitigating security threats in AI agents

Agents represent a step-change in the use of artificial intelligence in the enterprise - as attendees at Salesforce's annual conference saw first hand this month - but do not come without their risks Continue Reading

By

• Avivah Litan, Gartner

UK, US and Canada to collaborate on AI and cyber security

International collaboration agreement will see the governments of Canada, the UK and the US work together to research, evaluate and test new defence technologies Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UN body urges ‘globally inclusive and distributed’ AI governance

A United Nations body set up to investigate the international governance of AI says the nature of how the technology currently operates requires a global approach to regulation that prioritises equity and inclusion Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CrowdStrike incident shows we need to rethink cyber

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panel considers incident response in the wake of the July CrowdStrike incident, sharing their views on what CrowdStrike got wrong, what it did right, and next steps Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Post Office scandal victim becomes first to receive £600,000 under new redress scheme

The compensation payment raises hopes that other wrongly convicted subpostmasters will receive payments far more quickly under new scheme Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government on the hunt for science and tech leaders

The prime minister’s Council for Science and Technology is looking for 10 members to join the council, which advises government on science and technology issues Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Labour and digital government - how's it going so far?

As the Labour Party shifts focus from Westminster to Liverpool for its first annual conference in charge of the UK government for 15 years, MPs and members will no doubt take time to reflect on ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Dreamforce 24: Salesforce taps Nvidia to power Agentforce

At Dreamforce in San Francisco, Salesforce and Nvidia detail some of the tech that will power the software giant's newly launched Agentforce service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Europol provides detail on Ghost encrypted comms platform takedown

Law enforcement bodies from across the world have revealed how they collaborated to bring down encrypted network Ghost and the new ways of working that have been established with Europol at the centre Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Public digital transformation will be challenged by austerity

Public sector and IT industry figures gathered at TechUK’s 10th annual Building the Smarter State event discussed how Labour’s ‘mission-driven’ policy approach can drive digital transformation efforts in the context of fresh austerity measures Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Dreamforce 2024: Salesforce calls on customers to flesh out AI vision

A stream of customers helped Salesforce make the case for its Agentforce artificial intelligence offering on the opening day of the annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police make arrests after hacking Ghost encrypted comms app

An international police operation has penetrated an end-to-end encrypted communications service allegedly used by organised criminals in Australia, Ireland, Sweden and Italy Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Fujitsu loses £50m in sales after Post Office scandal furore

Supplier of the controversial Horizon IT system has been hit by public outrage after the Post Office scandal became mainstream news Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Will autonomous weapons make humans passive participants in war?

Experts warn the emergence and adoption of AI-powered military systems may eventually push battlefield decision-making beyond the limits of human cognition Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Hiebert, Computer Weekly

Mid and South Essex deploys shared care record

The shared care record is live across the region’s NHS providers, allowing them to share patient information from GPs, hospitals, and mental health and community services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Municipal makeover: Indian cities embrace cutting-edge tech

From AI-powered stray dog management to blockchain-secured building permission certificates, municipal corporations across India are ditching outdated processes for digital tools Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

Teenager arrested in TfL cyber attack investigation

New security measures following the cyber attack, which took down some of TfL’s services, have led to delays in contactless roll-out Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Lord introduces bill to regulate public sector AI and automation

A private members’ bill seeking to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated technologies throughout the public sector has been brought to Parliament Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Data sharing for immigration raids ferments hostility to migrants

Data sharing between public and private bodies for the purposes of carrying out immigration raids helps to prop up the UK’s hostile environment by instilling an atmosphere of fear and deterring migrants from accessing public services Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government receives report on second controversial Post Office IT system

Former subpostmasters suffered as a result of unexplained accounting shortfalls which they believe were caused by errors in Post Office Capture software, used before the controversial Horizon system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Keir Starmer vows to create a ‘digital NHS’ following damning Darzi review

The prime minister promises to move from an analogue to a digital NHS after Lord Darzi’s rapid review of the health service found an NHS in disrepair, with outdated IT and low productivity Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mphasis expands UK roots with leap into quantum computing

Indian heritage software development services supplier opens London hub to help customers integrate the latest technologies into their business plans Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Why the government should still bet on DSIT’s five key technologies

When the Conservative government launched the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, it identified five key technologies for UK investment. The new Labour government must continue this plan Continue Reading

By

• Laura Foster, TechUK

UK and others sign first ‘binding’ treaty on AI and human rights

The UK, US and EU have all signed a treaty from the Council of Europe that aims to mitigate the threat AI poses to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, but commentators say it lacks enforcement mechanisms and creates loopholes Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

HMRC could lose millions in unpaid tax as non-compliant umbrella enters pre-pack administration

HMRC looks set to miss out on millions of pounds in unpaid tax it is owed by a non-compliant umbrella company that slipped into administration, prompting renewed calls for the sector to be regulated Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Under-pressure Post Office botches hardware procurement in project to replace error-prone system

Pressured decision-making caused mistakes in the Post Office project to replace the system at the heart of national scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fujitsu cuts annual staff pay rise as Post Office scandal bites

UK staff morale is at an all-time low as Japanese IT giant deals with the backlash from its involvement in the Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ada Lovelace Institute warns NHS against deploying genomics AI

A report has found that widespread use of artificial intelligence-powered genomic health prediction in the NHS could lead to privacy and ethical issues, discrimination and dependency on the private sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Post Office scandal victims given route to appeal unfair financial settlements

Subpostmasters who feel they received inadequate financial redress in the Horizon Shortfalls Scheme can appeal the settlements through a new independent process Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Developing nations need the UN cyber crime treaty to pass

The UN cyber crime treaty is flawed but represents a move in the right direction for developing nations seeking greater digital sovereignty Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Hiebert, Computer Weekly

China dominates AI and advanced analytics research

Research looking at each country’s AI contribution, based on the quantity and quality of researchers papers published, shows China is leading the way Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NCSC and allies call out Russia's Unit 29155 over cyber warfare

The NCSC and counterpart agencies from the US and other countries have exposed a long-running campaign of Russian cyber espionage and warfare conducted by GRU Unit 29155 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ongoing TfL cyber attack takes out Dial-a-Ride service

The Dial-a-Ride assisted transit service for disabled people had to temporarily suspend part of its operations as Transport for London deals with an ongoing cyber attack, but the service has now been recovered Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government plans for NHS Digital Health Check roll-out

The digital health check, originally planned to be deployed in spring 2024, will be piloted at three local authorities, covering 130,000 people Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Building the next generation of digital public services

The UK's plans for the digital transformation of public services have lost their way - making it even harder to engage with government digitally. Other countries are showing us there is a better solution Continue Reading

By

• Richard Pope

Canadian arrested by France after cooperating with US on Sky ECC cryptophone investigation

Thomas Herdman, who faces charges in France over his involvement in distributing Sky ECC encrypted phones, was arrested by French police despite agreeing to cooperate with US law enforcement Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Morgan Ayre

Retailers question using live facial recognition for shoplifting

Retailers praise benefits of retrospective over live facial recognition in dealing with shoplifting, but stress there are ongoing concerns around the ethical, legal and safety implications of using the technology in stores Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Post Office and Fujitsu malevolence and incompetence means huge final taxpayers’ bill

The human tragedy caused by the Post Office scandal cannot be measured, but the total financial cost will be well beyond the £1bn set aside by the government Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech secretary pledges to ‘rewire Whitehall’ and plug the digital gap

Secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, promises to drive innovation through the NHS, champion AI safety and ensure government harnesses the power of digital Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Transport for London hit by cyber attack

London’s transport network provider TfL experiences cyber security incident, but reassures customers there is no impact on services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Police Digital Service staff arrests: Everything you need to know

In July 2024, details emerged that two employees working for the Police Digital Service had been arrested on suspicion of bribery, fraud and misconduct in public office. Here’s everything we know about the story so far Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK and Ukraine digital trade deal comes into force

The UK eases access to the deep tech startup community in Ukraine through digital-only agreement Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government funds research to tackle extreme weather

Researchers will use data gathered from monitoring rivers, weather conditions and ground water saturation to improve flood and drought defences Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government renews hunt for UKRI CEO

Two senior innovation roles are up for grabs as government looks for a CEO to lead UK Research and Innovation, as well as a new executive chair of Innovate UK Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under formal investigation, released on bail

European Commission confirms it has powers to place Telegram under ‘direct supervision’ if it meets the threshold for regulation under the Digital Services Act Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Iranian APT caught acting as access broker for ransomware crews

Members of Iran-backed Pioneer Kitten APT appear to be trying to supplement their pay packets by helping Russian-speaking ransomware gangs to access their victims in exchange for a cut of the profits Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber law reform should be top of Labour's policy list

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Craig Watt

Met Police deploy LFR in Lewisham without community input

The Met’s latest live facial recognition deployment in Catford has raised concerns over the lack of community engagement around the police force’s use of the controversial technology Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Governments looking to "small IT” for greater project success

Governments should invest in smaller pilots, hypothesis testing and co-development with vendors before committing to large production rollouts to avoid project failures Continue Reading

By

• Arthur Mickoleit

A coherent Labour cyber strategy depends on consistency

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Aled Lloyd Owen

Iranian APT Peach Sandstorm teases new Tickler malware

Peach Sandstorm, an Iranian state threat actor, has developed a dangerous new malware strain that forms a key element of a rapidly evolving attack sequence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global cyber spend to rise 15% in 2025, pushed along by AI

Security spending will increase at pace in 2025, with artificial intelligence, cloud and consultancy services all pushing outlay to new highs, according to Gartner Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Updating taxation: Can AI and data analysis help with HMRC’s human resources problem?

HMRC resources are currently thinly spread in the aftermath of Covid and Brexit. Could automating systems using generative AI help HMRC’s digital transformation? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Cambridge Enterprise saves big with Keepit SaaS backup

University innovation body avoids hardware spend and saves management time as it switches from tape to cloud-to-cloud backup, instant recovery and decades-long retention from Keepit Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Telegram founder Pavel Durov questioned over cyber crime charges

Billionaire founder of Telegram accused of failing to co-operate with law enforcement requests for lawful interception Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government commits to £4m data and AI package for education

Plans include a £3m data store for education data, £1m catalyst fund for new AI tools, and a commitment to publish an AI safety framework Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Extending zero-trust principles to endpoints

By combining zero-trust principles with other security strategies and continuously monitoring and improving their security posture, organisations can effectively mitigate risks and protect their resources, says Gartner's Nikul Patel Continue Reading

By

• Nikul Patel

The US courts may have thrown a wrench into cyber regulation

A recent decision by the US Supreme Court to overrule the longstanding Chevron Deference has serious implications for global cyber security regulation Continue Reading

By

• Brian Arnold

Public education on security must be a top priority for Labour

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Computer simulations show Swedish fusion initiative could have global impact

The only nuclear fusion initiative in the Nordics, Novatron, believes it has a lot to offer on the global scale Continue Reading

By

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

New Qilin tactics a ‘bonus multiplier’ for ransomware chaos

Sophos X-Ops caught the Qilin ransomware gang stealing credentials stored by victims' employees in Google Chrome, heralding further cyber attacks and breaches down the line. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police Digital Service taps up former biometrics commissioner as interim CEO

The Police Digital Service has confirmed the appointment of an interim chief executive Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DHSC should have dedicated digital records unit, says Tony Blair Institute

The digital health record unit would drive creation and implementation of electronic patient records to deliver health and care improvements and ensure the NHS is ready for the era of artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Post Office Horizon crash disconnected branches from datacentre

The Post Office has apologised to subpostmasters affected by a major IT outage, which stopped them from doing business Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

From manifesto to material: What No. 10 needs to make reality

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

ICO launches privacy notice tool for SMEs

ICO tool designed to make it easier for small businesses and sole traders operating online to create bespoke data privacy notices for compliance purposes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Phishing links becoming bigger threat than email attachments

Phishing techniques are evolving away from malicious email attachments, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office systems crash hits 'collapsing' Horizon system

Thousands of subpostmasters were unable to log into the controversial Horizon IT system at the start of business Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Helsinki braced for elevated cyber attacks

The City of Helsinki is increasing its collaboration with cyber security and crime investigators following a major attack on its systems Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

How might the UK's cyber landscape change under Labour?

With Labour returning to 10 Downing Street after 14 years, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank panellists share advice and wish lists for the new government Continue Reading

By

• Dhairya Mehta and Cate Pye

NHS England plans EPR for prisons and detention centres

The government is looking to procure an electronic patient record system with the aim of improving health records access for individuals in the justice system Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Campaigners criticise Starmer post-riot public surveillance plans

A UK government programme to expand police facial recognition and information sharing after racist riots is attracting criticism from campaigners for exploiting the far-right unrest to generally crack down on protest and increase surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor