IT for retail and logistics

Post Office warned of Horizon software-induced ‘tragedy’ in 1999

Problems experienced during live trials of the Post Office Horizon system predicted the ‘tragedy’ that unfolded Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How has container security changed since 2020, and have we taken it too far?

While containers are now one of the most popular ways to deploy applications, it is fair to say that the adoption and implementation of security best practice to govern their use has not kept up Continue Reading

By

• Rob Tyler, Turnkey Consulting

Horizon system EPOSS code writers lacked basic programming skills, public inquiry hears

Horizon system code writers lacked basic programming skills, according to the task force set up to investigate reported problems with the controversial software Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

LinkedIn adds new features to safeguard user privacy, security

Social media platform is adding a number of features and systems designed to protect legitimate users from inauthentic profiles and activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reported Horizon errors should have been ‘show-stopper’, public inquiry told

Subpostmasters should have been given the benefit of the doubt over unexplained losses, but were hounded to pay money back, with lives ruined and innocent people prosecuted Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Finnish researchers lay the groundwork for flying drones

A large, sparsely populated country, Finland is preparing for a future where it could rely on flying drone technology Continue Reading

By

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

New minister asked to pause Fujitsu government contracts

Parliamentarians keep focus on Fujitsu’s role in the Post Office Horizon scandal with demand for pause on government contracts to the supplier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Apple patches new iPhone zero-day

Apple’s latest patch fixes yet another zero-day, as security issues keep surfacing in its mobile products Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sainsbury’s outsources for cloud-first benefits

Retailer signs multi-year IT services contract with Tata Consultancy Services to support move to cloud-first strategy Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital-first businesses more willing to accept some fraud

Companies founded in the past 20 years appear more willing to accept higher levels of fraudulent activity during the customer onboarding process, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Half of staff might quit after a cyber attack, report says

Findings from a survey of CISOs, IT leaders and staffers reveal how experiencing a cyber incident may take a larger-than-thought toll on employee retention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ukrainian and UK IT sectors to deepen collaboration, partnerships

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, and the IT Ukraine Association have signed an MoU to deepen collaboration between the UK and Ukrainian IT sectors, and champion new partnerships and growth opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber professional shortfall hits 3.4 million

Shortage of cyber security professionals continues to grow and shows no signs of abating, says report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Treat cyber crime as a ‘strategic threat’, UK businesses told

The government’s new National Cyber Advisory Board aims to help elevate cyber discussion and spur action in the business community Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government introduces Electronic Trade Documents Bill

Digital trade documents will be legally recognised as part of plans to reduce paper documents and speed up processing times Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Subpostmaster federation failed its members when they needed it most

A dereliction of duty saw subpostmaster federation ignore its members when IT problems hit and allowed the Post Office destroy their lives Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Mapping the rise in checkout-free shopping

There has been a boom in the number of checkout-free stores globally, but will that growth continue and which retailers are interested? Continue Reading

barcode reader

A barcode reader, also called a price scanner or point-of-sale (POS) scanner, is a hand-held or stationary input device used to capture and read information contained in a barcode. Continue Reading

By

• Katie Terrell Hanna

Office 365 email encryption flaw could pose risk to user privacy

A vulnerability in Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption could leave the contents of emails dangerously exposed, but with no fix coming it’s up to users to decide how at risk they are Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fujitsu to finally face blame for its part in Post Office Horizon scandal

Fujitsu’s part in causing the extreme suffering of subpostmasters will be made clear as the IT supplier begins giving evidence at a statutory inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch influence standards for post-quantum cryptography

Cryptology group at Dutch research institute is involved in the two primary algorithms of the next NIST portfolio comprising four new standards Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Perpetrators of subpostmaster suffering in Horizon scandal must face public inquiry

Victims demand that the perpetrators of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal face the public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC urges organisations to secure supply chains

NCSC’s latest guidance package centres supply chain security, helping medium to large organisations assess and mitigate cyber risks from suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office scandal inquiry restarts with call for a pause amid disclosure controversy

The statutory public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal has begun phase two with a request for an adjournment amid allegations that the Post Office is failing to meet its obligation to disclose all relevant documents Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Online marketplace momentum ushers in new era for retailers

Superdrug is the latest in a growing list of retailers to launch its own online marketplace, joining B&Q, Boots and others in driving a new era for UK retail Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Morrisons joins the fast-growing retail media movement

More retailers are becoming publishers as they realise the potential of their online assets, helping to fuel a new fast-growth segment of digital marketing – and Morrisons is no exception Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Tech Nation and PwC launch joint climate tech accelerator

The Net Zero X programme by Tech Nation and PwC will help climate tech companies to overcome common growth challenges and scale faster Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Putting APIs to work

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at application programming interfaces (APIs) and how they can connect internal and external business processes. We examine the challenges and opportunities of using AI in healthcare. And we find out how retailers are turning to specialist apps to reduce food waste. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Security regulation cuts online payment fraud at 73% of retailers

New online payments security standard, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), sees immediate fall in fraudulent payments to retailers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: Rachel Hilliam, chair, Alliance for Data Science Professionals

Rachel Hilliam talks about the origins, mission and future plans for the Alliance for Data Science Professionals Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

How the pandemic accelerated tech adoption in hospitality

The pandemic led to technology adoption across several sectors, with hospitality being no exception Continue Reading

By

• Glynn Davis

Dr Martens goes feetfirst into cloud-to-cloud backup

Iconic bootmaker laces up for a strategy to move all applications to the cloud, beginning with cloud-to-cloud backup for Microsoft 365 apps plus on-site VMware operations Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

NCSC publishes cyber guidance for retailers

The NCSC has published tailored advice to support online retailers, hospitality providers and utility services in protecting themselves and their customers from cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch student team aims to enable uninterrupted drone cargo delivery

Dutch student team aims to make the world of flying more sustainable by creating a global network of autonomously flying cargo drones that can have their batteries swapped mid-air Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

A gold medal performance for networking

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how the IT team behind the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham delivered a winning performance. We also look at how the centuries-old London insurance market is going digital, thanks to Lloyd’s of London. And we find out how low-cost high street stores succumbed to the inevitable and are going online. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Organisations failing to account for digital trust

The vast majority of businesses are well aware of the importance of digital trust, yet very few have a dedicated staff role responsible for it, report finds Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ex-CISA head Krebs: Disrupt ransomware support networks to win the war

Speaking at an event hosted by data protection specialist Rubrik, former CISA director Chris Krebs calls for the security community to work collectively to kick out the supports from under ransomware gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

US to see huge increase in embedded finance transactions

Retailers and other non-financial businesses are increasingly offering their customers financial services, such as credit and payment options Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CISOs should spend on critical apps, cloud, zero-trust, in 2023

Faced with a global recession next year, security buyers should try to direct investment towards technology that protects customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, say analysts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Out with the old at Asda

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Asda’s CIO, Carl Dawson, about the supermarket’s cloud-oriented renovation of its technology stack. We narrate the security woes at Twitter. And we examine best practices for data backup. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

It’s all systems go for Asda as takeover brings in brand new e-commerce platform

As the IT handover from Walmart looms, Asda CIO Carl Dawson tells Clare McDonald how the business is renewing all of its technology, putting the retailer in the rare position of being able to start from scratch. Continue Reading

UK payments upgrade to add more than £3bn to GDP, but much more on offer

UK GDP will increase when its ageing payments infrastructure is replaced with the latest technology to enable real-time payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Huge leap to contactless payments in past three years

Covid-19 pushes the use of contactless payments for face-to-face transactions to 90% of total Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Police interview Horizon scandal victim in investigation into potential perjury by Fujitsu staff

The Met Police have interviewed a former subpostmaster as part of an investigation into potential perjury by former Fujitsu staff Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Effective DevSecOps requires collaboration

Application security and effective DevSecOps can only be achieved through collaboration with the business – the ultimate goal is to make it safer to do business, which requires considering integrated risk management and identity and access management alongside cyber security and application security Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Morris, Turnkey Consulting

IAM house Okta confirms 0ktapus/Scatter Swine attack

Following last week’s disclosureby Group-IB researchers of a major phishing campaign, Okta has warned its customers to be on their guard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Adaptive RedAlert, Monster ransomwares go cross-platform

Kaspersky researchers have shared new intelligence on two emergent cyber criminal groups that have adapted their ransomwares to target different operating systems at the same time Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security pros fret about stress and promotion over cyber attacks

CIISec’s annual report on the state of the security profession reveals some home truths for security leaders Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LockBit 3.0 cements dominance of ransomware ecosystem

Ransomware attacks were up 47% in July compared with the previous month, according to the latest threat data from NCC Group, with the LockBit family largely to blame Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most CISOs think they’ve been attacked by a nation state

Most organisations have made changes to their cyber strategies and policies following Russia’s invasion, and almost two-thirds suspect they have been directly targeted or impacted by a nation-state cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Kaspersky threat data added to Microsoft Sentinel service

Microsoft and Kaspersky have agreed a collaboration to integrate Kaspersky’s threat data feeds into Microsoft’s cloud-native SIEM/SOAR service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyd’s to end insurance coverage for state cyber attacks

Lloyd’s of London has instructed its members to exclude nation state cyber attacks from insurance policies beginning in 2023, saying they pose unacceptable levels of risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cozy Bear targets MS 365 environments with new tactics

Cozy Bear, or APT29, is trying out new tricks as it seeks access to its targets’ Microsoft 365 environments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Growing MFA use spurs ‘pass-the-cookie’ attacks

The exploitation of stolen session cookies by cyber criminals is once again back on the agenda, thanks to the growing popularity of multifactor authentication tools Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

It takes a breach to force boards to take notice of cyber, says UK government

Too often, it takes a major incident for business leadership to pay attention to cyber issues, according to a government-commissioned study of victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Older customers prefer phone calls to chatbots

Businesses are increasingly adopting customer-facing digital technologies, but the older generation are not so keen to embrace tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Why organisations need to harmonise their CIO and CISO roles

Unless properly managed, conflicting responsibilities between the chief information officer and the chief information security officer can cause project delays and budget overruns, says Netskope’s Mike Anderson Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

UK Amazon workers stage series of wildcat strikes over pay offers

Amazon warehouse workers across the UK have organised a series of spontaneous strike actions after the e-commerce giant’s management offered them pay rises between 35p and 50p Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Online retail sales see year-on-year drop of 2.3% in July 2022

Despite another year-on-year drop in online retail sales in July, the fall is smaller than those seen in previous months of 2022 as online sales decline slows Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Microsoft fixes two-year-old MSDT vulnerability in August update

August’s Patch Tuesday drop fixes more than 120 CVEs, including another MSDT RCE zero-day that is being actively exploited. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Waterstones’ supply chain disrupted in Blue Yonder implementation

Bookseller Waterstones is recovering from the effects of a Blue Yonder implementation that has seen authors and readers up in arms Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

‘Coopetition’ a growing trend among ransomware gangs

Sophos shares data from its new X-Ops unit at Black Hat in Las Vegas, revealing a growing number of ransomware victims being attacked by multiple gangs at the same time Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spyware activity particularly impactful in July

After a quiet June, vulnerability exploitation ramped up in July, with intrusions linked to spyware seeing unusually high volumes of activity, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT Sustainability Think Tank: How collaboration and partnerships enable a circular economy

It takes a village to build a credible and robust IT sustainability strategy, so who should enterprise leaders be collaborating with to make their organisation’s green IT goals a reality? Continue Reading

By

• Katy Medlock

Retail’s IT talent search intensifies

Retailers from different sectors are on the hunt to fill similar IT job roles, but are all finding different ways to source the sought-after talent. Continue Reading

How to create a datacentre capacity plan

In this week’s Computer Weekly, planning datacentre capacity is a growing challenge – we ask the experts for the latest best practice. Victims of the Post Office IT scandal explain why they think they were targeted for speaking out. And we look at the digital skills gap in retail and find out how employers can source talent. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Mapping out the rise in checkout-free shopping

There has been a boom in the number of checkout-free stores globally, but will that growth continue and which retailers are interested? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Austrian data firm accused of selling malware, conducting cyber attacks

Microsoft has accused DSIRF, an Austrian data services firm, of involvement in a string of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC startups scheme turns focus to operational technology, SME security

NCSC for Startups initiative turns its focus to supporting innovation around securing operational technology and addressing the challenges facing small businesses Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals pivot away from macros as Microsoft changes bite

As Microsoft resumes blocking macros by default in its Office application suite, reversing a temporary reversal, analysis from Proofpoint suggests the action has had a remarkable effect Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Teams in Grenoble work on 6G breakthrough technology

Even as 5G networks are being rolled out, new requirements are driving scientists, and engineers in Europe are back to the lab to start developing 6G Continue Reading

By

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

Ocado revenue drops despite distribution centre successes

Ocado has spent the past six months rolling out new customer fulfilment centres and signing partners for its smart platform, but the cost-of-living crisis still sees revenue taking a hit Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Consumers left out of pocket as security costs soar

As the average cost of a security incident reaches an all-time high of nearly $4.5m, an IBM Security study reveals how these costs are being passed on to ordinary people Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retail software firm PrestaShop warns users about SQL injection attacks

Open source e-commerce platform PrestaShop warns thousands of small retailers that their customers’ credit card details may be at risk of compromise Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security training ‘boring’ and largely ignored

Two-thirds of employees don’t bother to pay attention to cyber security training – and the fault does not lie with them Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t rely on insurance alone

Cyber insurance is a useful addition to the cyber protection toolbox. However, it cannot be regarded as a replacement for the controls that should be in operation, says Turnkey Consulting’s Tom Venables Continue Reading

By

• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

No More Ransom initiative helps 1.5 million people in six years

One and a half million people have now taken advantage of free ransomware decryption tools offered by a joint European project Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office attacked subpostmasters who questioned Horizon, say victims

When the Post Office’s lie about the Horizon system failed to silence subpostmaster critics, it took more extreme measures, say victims of the scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ducktail infostealer targets Facebook Business users

Newly uncovered Ducktail operation targets individuals with access to Facebook Business service and tries to steal their accounts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Six more subpostmaster convictions overturned in Horizon scandal

More former subpostmasters have their wrongful convictions for theft and fraud overturned in the Court of Appeal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Latest Atlassian Confluence vulnerability raises concerns

CVE-2022-26138 is the second major vulnerability disclosure made for Atlassian’s Confluence collaboration platform in recent months Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Why you need to protect abandoned digital assets

The war in Ukraine and subsequent boycott of Russia resulted in a swathe of digital infrastructure being abandoned, becoming a potential vulnerability for many organisations, says Cyberpion’s Ran Nahmias Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Russia could become the world’s largest market for illegal IT

Russia could become the biggest market for illegal IT equipment as companies try to get round sanctions imposed on the country Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly correspondent

LinkedIn most impersonated brand in phishing attacks

Social network LinkedIn, along with Microsoft and DHL, are just some of the brands that are most frequently imitated by cyber criminals conducting phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Buy ‘plug-n-play’ malware for the price of a pint of beer

Three-quarters of malwares and almost 90% of exploits retail on the dark web for about £8.40 or less, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital drives workplace trends in the Nordics

Workplaces are rapidly changing in Nordic countries, driven by digital technologies such as artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

(ISC)² expands entry-level cyber programme after UK success

Flush with success from a UK certification programme, reaching 100k in the UK, (ISC)² now wants to provide free security certification to a million people worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cato aims to bust cyber myths as it extends network protections

Cato Networks is beefing up its platform’s security features with ransomware and data loss protections, and the firm’s security strategy lead Etay Maor is using the occasion – and his unique access to billions of data points from the firm’s network – to explode some cyber myths Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why digital identity is central to the future of retail

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post Ian Lowe, director of industry solutions for EMEA at Okta, discussed the role that identity will play in a digital-first retail future. Even before the ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

European IT services see bumper quarter, but signs of slowing emerge

Spending on IT and BPO services in Europe saw significant growth in the past quarter, but there are signs of a slowdown Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US cyber agency CISA to open London office

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has chosen London to host its first office outside America Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Oracle payroll system causes underpayment of Next staff

Oracle’s payroll HR software module seems to be at the root of a systematic underpayment of staff at retailer Next Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Log4Shell on its way to becoming ‘endemic’

US government report concludes that, like Covid, Log4Shell will be with us for a long time to come Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global IT services market shows signs of slowing

Spending on IT and business process services could be set to reduce over the coming months as the latest ISG figures show early signs of decline Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO wants to ‘empower people through information’

Information Commissioner’s Office sets out commitment to safeguard the information rights of the most vulnerable people in UK society Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Slippery phish wriggles around MFA protections, says Microsoft

Microsoft’s threat researchers share details of a phishing campaign that hit 10,000 organisations, against which standard multifactor authentication provides little defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

July Patch Tuesday brings more than 80 fixes, one zero-day

While some admins can put their feet up and let Windows Autopatch do the hard work of updating their Microsoft estates, for the rest of us, the Patch Tuesday bandwagon keeps on keeping on Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MaliBot Android malware spreading fast, says Check Point

The MaliBot malware is becoming a persistent and widespread problem, and Android users should be on their guard, says Check Point Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft Windows Autopatch now generally available

Microsoft customers with Windows Enterprise E3 and E5 licences can now take full advantage of its new automated patching service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft VBA macro block will return

Microsoft provides more details about its sudden decision to rollback a landmark security policy, and reassures users it is a temporary measure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor