IT management

UK needs legislation with specific focus on biometric technologies

The UK’s former biometrics commissioner has told MPs that Parliament should explicitly legislate on the use of biometric technologies so it is clear to both police and private companies which uses are acceptable Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be? Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC joins US authorities to expose Russian brute force campaign

A joint attribution by the British and American authorities accuses Russia’s GRU intelligence services of conducting a campaign of brute force attacks on enterprise and cloud environments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government issues “safety by design” guidance for tech firms

The guidance is designed to help technology companies embed safer design for users into their services in anticipation of the Online Safety Bill becoming law Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber espionage campaign targeted central Asian states

The Afghan, Kyrgyz and Uzbek governments are all thought to have been targeted by the same APT Continue Reading

Ten more former subpostmasters set to have wrongful convictions overturned

Another 10 subpostmasters are set to have their criminal convictions quashed as part of one of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHS IT fraudster Barry Stannard sentenced to five years in prison

Stannard used his position as head of unified communications at an Essex NHS Trust to cheat the taxpayer of more than £800,000 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nominations open for 2021 Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards

Nominations are now open for this year’s edition of the Unsung Heroes Awards for cyber professionals and educators Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Half of mobile phones sold in the UK at risk of security issues

Lengthy mobile phone contracts leave buyers at risk of their devices losing support for security updates Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

REvil affiliates offer hefty ransom discounts, data reveals

REvil or Sodinokibi ransomware activity is higher than ever, but its success appears to be relative, with some affiliates prepared to dramatically cut their prices Continue Reading

By

• Valéry Rieß-Marchive, Rédacteur en chef
• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

LinkedIn denies exposure of 700 million user records is a data breach

Data relating to 700 million users of the LinkedIn networking platform has appeared for sale, but the firm says it is the victim of data scraping, not a security breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cops seize criminal VPN used by ransomware gangs

A coordinated sting has ended the operations of the DoubleVPN service, the owners of which are accused of harbouring cyber criminal activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post-pandemic recovery drives NHS digitisation

NHS staff see a role for remote healthcare to enable the health service to keep up with increased demands, according to iGov survey Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Clashing agendas, by David Freud - review: How Universal Credit got there in the end

It was nearly 10 years ago, in October 2011, when Computer Weekly first reported on concerns about the IT project behind Universal Credit. That was five months before the new Coalition government’s ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Lakehouse concept aims to merge data lake and data warehouse

Data lakes are big, amorphous and difficult to access, while data warehouses are costly and aimed at structured data. The data lakehouse aims at analytics in an age of unstructured data Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Ethical hacking: What, why, and overcoming concerns

We find out why and how hitting your own business with a cyber attack can help improve security Continue Reading

By

• Declan Doyle

Putting cloud repatriation into perspective

Moving public cloud workloads back on-premise is among the decisions that organisations have to make as they straddle between public and private cloud environments Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Bank branches will be a thing of the past in five years, say bankers

Traditional bank branches are likely to disappear from the high street in the next five years, but banking ecosystems will ensure customer service levels are high, say bankers Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New Nobelium attacks a reminder to attend to cyber basics

A new campaign from the same threat group that broke into SolarWinds serves as a reminder that cyber crime gangs will try to exploit any avenue they can, even if technically unsophisticated Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Covid-19 accelerated cloud investment in the financial world

Cloud computing is no longer a thing of the future for banks that want to remain competitive Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Lempriere

Banking tech fraud: How to trace and recover your money

Even when stolen assets are sent offshore, the special powers of the English civil court system mean all may not be lost Continue Reading

By

• Nathan Capone and Stephen Cartwright

Is the UK government planning to rewrite GDPR?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, a government taskforce on post-Brexit regulations has recommended changes to GDPR in the UK – we examine the implications. The NHS has launched a new data strategy - we look at what it means for your medical records. And we ask how to avoid the performance problems that affect private cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK government announces high-tech lab to boost 5G diversification strategy

As a central pillar of strategy to build a more secure and innovative 5G supply chain, Sonic Labs test facility opens to explore ways of building 5G networks in a ‘simulated’ real-world environment Continue Reading

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• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gartner: IaaS growth boosted during pandemic

Many organisations have had to expand their use of public cloud services during the global crisis Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK’s FCA bans crypto exchange Binance as crackdown spreads

Ban on Binance Markets comes amid a wider global crackdown on the largely unregulated global market for cryptocurrencies and related assets. Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IR35 reforms: HMRC questioned about CEST as tax status of 210,000 contractors left 'undetermined'

Data published by HMRC confirms that the tax authority’s IR35 status checker tool has failed to determined how contractors should be taxed in hundreds of thousands of cases since November 2019 Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

HMRC-branded phishing scams surge despite protections

The number of HMRC-branded phishing scams surged 87% in the past 12 months, according to latest revealed figures Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How CIOs can help their organisations accelerate digital transformation

Companies need to win the trust of their customers to gather the data they need to transform their businesses Continue Reading

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• Dan Higgins, EY

Why data and the pandemic are ripping up paper processes

We explore how the Covid-19 pandemic has forced businesses to rip out traditional paper processes and replace them with end-to-end digitisation Continue Reading

By

• Marc Ambasna-Jones

Universal Credit: What went wrong, and what we learned

The architect of one of the biggest and most controversial government policies – and IT failures – of the past decade gives his inside view of the project, and how Computer Weekly was a thorn in their side Continue Reading

By

• David Freud

Windows 11: It’s more than a repositioned Start button

Microsoft has tried to grab the headlines with the latest incarnation of its desktop operating system, sporting a repositioned Start button and updated icons Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Anglesey schools offline after cyber attack

Isle of Anglesey County Council is investigating a cyber attack that has forced it to shut down systems at all five secondary schools on the island Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CMA to probe Amazon and Google over fake reviews

The CMA has opened an investigation into Amazon and Google over possible breaches of consumer protection law Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brighton tourists charged thousands of pounds for fairground ride after Worldpay glitch

Tourists at a Brighton attraction were overcharged by thousands of pounds due to a glitch at payment processor Worldpay Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AWS launches bug-busting programme for developers

Amazon Web Services is inviting customers to probe their code for software bugs and vulnerabilities using its CodeGuru console Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Important LGBTQ+ figures who shaped tech’s history

As the world celebrates Pride month, we take a deep dive into the lives of some of the people who have shaped the technology we use today, who are also LGBTQ+. Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

France TV repatriates backup and archive from public cloud

France Télévisions Publicité couldn’t always get to critical data, so decided to repatriate backup and archiving from the cloud to on-site locations, with help from a managed service Continue Reading

By

• Alain Clapaud
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK workers demand economic recovery to be built on better internet access

Cisco announces index of broadband services in the UK and reveals lead role in government’s levelling-up initiative designed to help close the digital divide Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Google hands third-party cookies a stay of execution

Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox initiative – which will see third-party cookies phased out in the Chrome web browser – has been pushed back to 2023 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC recognises cyber degree apprenticeships for the first time

Addition of new cyber courses to National Cyber Security Centre’s accredited list will supposedly help students make better choices and help universities get more funding Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Revealed: Crypto platform’s role in Cl0p ransomware raid

Crypto infrastructure provider Binance provided assistance to law enforcement after finding its exchange was being used by cyber criminals to launder their ransomware profits Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online Safety Bill unfit for purpose, says new campaign group

Campaign group set up to oppose Online Safety Bill says the duty of care is too simplistic, cedes too much power to US corporations and will, in practice, privilege the speech of journalists or politicians Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

(ISC)² makes ransomware education course free through 31 July

Cyber security association is making its Professional Development Institute course on ransomware free to the general public until the end of July Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Controversial cyber tycoon John McAfee dead at 75

Founder of the eponymous cyber security firm has committed suicide in a Spanish prison Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Vodafone confirms European datacentres will be powered by 100% green energy by July 2021

Telco giant claims it is on course to hit an important milestone in its latest sustainability push, with its entire European operations set to be 100% renewably powered by 1 July Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Make ransomware payments illegal, say 79% of cyber pros

Report produced for MSSP Talion claims overwhelming support for the criminalisation of ransomware payments Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Salomon selects on-demand GreenLake to support flexible business

Sportswear business Salomon turns to HPE for flexible storage and computer infrastructure to run virtualised and containerised workloads Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

City of York picks Barracuda Networks for data protection

York Council needed to refresh its backup service to bring new security protections after it went ‘all-in’ on Microsoft Office 365 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Thousands of UK IT SMEs in financial distress with 185,000 jobs at risk

Thousand of jobs in the UK IT sector are at risk as nearly 50,000 small businesses find themselves in dire straits financially Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IBM serves more AI power at Wimbledon 2021

The annual Wimbledon tennis championship is an event IBM uses to showcase the insights possible using Watson-based artificial intelligence applications Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

European Union to set up new cyber response unit

Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Bahrain university uses Alexa on campus

University in Bahrain is using Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant to support users of its campus Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Time to patch increases significantly during pandemic

New data from US-based endpoint management specialist Automox reveals some of the challenges security teams face in keeping up with endpoint security Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK councils reported over 700 data breaches to ICO in 2020

Data disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveals an estimated 700 data breaches were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office by local councils last year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Openness can protect Dutch companies against ransomware

Dutch businesses that suffer ransomware attacks need to be more open about it, if this growing problem is to be brought under control Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

SonicWall sees 226.3 million ransomware attack attempts this year

SonicWall detected 226.3 million attempted ransomware attacks between January and May 2021, more than double the number seen in the same period last year Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU regulators call for ban on biometrics in public spaces

European Union’s data protection regulators say facial recognition and other biometric identification technologies present too great a risk to fundamental human rights to be allowed in public spaces Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CDEI: UK public wants clear algorithmic transparency policies

A research exercise by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has found the UK public wants clear, easy-to-understand information about algorithms in use by the public sector Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cloudflare announces new integrations with Microsoft, others

New security integrations with Microsoft Azure Sentinel, Splunk, Datadog and Sumo Logic will supposedly make it easier for users to analyse network security data Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Innova and RISE drive node development in Sweden

Swedish cyber security project, National Node, opens its doors to the country’s security firms Continue Reading

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• Gerard O'Dwyer

European ‘chat control’ plans in the name of ‘child safety’ threaten end-to-end encryption

Proposals by European Commission to search for illegal material could mean the end of private messaging and emails Continue Reading

By

• Patrick Breyer

NHSX policy document focuses on patients and data sharing

Patient privacy and data and code reuse are three of the pillars outlined in the NHSX’s new data strategy for sharing patient data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NSPCC, IWF help under-18s scrub their nude photos from the web

Report Remove tool is designed to be used by under-18s to report nude images or videos of themselves that have appeared online Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Boris Johnson unveils plans for National Science and Technology Council

Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to set up a National Science and Technology Council, which will help the UK realise and maximise the opportunities of scientific and technological breakthroughs Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

GlobalFoundries to open new fab in Singapore

US chip foundry GlobalFoundries is building a $4bn semiconductor fabrication plant in Singapore to expand its manufacturing capacity as chip demand surges worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Europe’s proposed AI regulation falls short on protecting rights

The EC’s proposal for artificial intelligence regulation focuses on creating a risk-based, market-led approach replete with self-assessments, transparency procedures and technical standards, but critics warn it falls short of being able to protect people’s fundamental rights and mitigating the technology’s worst abuses Continue Reading

UK SMEs lack capacity to fend off cyber attacks

Three-quarters of UK SME leaders would not have sufficient capacity or expertise to deal with a cyber attack, according to a report Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

A new three-year plan for digital government

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the new CEO of the Gov-ernment Digital Service, Tom Read, explains his three-year strategy for improving online public services. EU attempts to regulate AI are under fire – we examine the issues. And we find out how Bupa is turning to the cloud to deliver per-sonalised healthcare. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Opera house shuns cloud for Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure

The Royal Opera House considered moving all its infrastructure to the cloud, but a hybrid setup with Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure came in 35% cheaper Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Parliamentary devices left in taxis, buses, trains and pubs

Nearly 100 devices belonging to parliamentary staffers, including MPs and peers, were lost or stolen over the course of 2019 and 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Daniel Duran, CIO, Concha y Toro

Winemaker Concha y Toro’s CIO talks about how to combine 150 years of winemaking tradition with pioneering technology Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

NHSX set to unveil post-Covid data strategy

The smart use of patient data could power new AI-based healthcare systems and speed up the discovery of new treatments Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Post Office pays 400 subpostmasters compensation for losses caused by computer errors

The Post Office has so far compensated 400 subpostmasters who suffered losses because of errors in the organisation’s Horizon computer system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Best practices for secure printing

The reality of a paperless office remains some way off, so printers are here to stay for a while. But their increasingly connected status means securing them should be a priority Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NHS App reaches six million users, thanks to Covid vaccine feature

More than two million new users have downloaded the NHS App since it was updated in May to include Covid-19 vaccination status Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO issues guidance on facial recognition in public spaces

Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Lorca Ignite programme targets breakout cyber talent

Six of the most successful companies to have come through Lorca’s existing accelerators are being inducted into an intensive programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Druva helps Thirteen Group get round Azure data retention limits

Social housing business has migrated to Microsoft Office 365 on Azure, but needed long-term data retention to comply with General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Carnival Cruises hit by fourth cyber incident in a year

Latest data breach at Covid-hit cruise line comes hot on the heels of two recent ransomware attacks and a spring 2020 breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK taskforce calls for cutting GDPR protections

The UK’s Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has recommended scrapping safeguards against automated decision-making contained in the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cyber crooks target Amazon Prime users ahead of retail bonanza

A surge in malicious domain registrations ahead of Amazon Prime Day indicates cyber criminals have set their sights on exploiting vulnerable shoppers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Increasing numbers of Dutch women opt for career in ICT

There’s a shortage of IT professionals in the Netherlands, but the skills gap can be bridged by attracting further women to the sector Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

CIO interview: Warren Breakstone, S&P Global Market Intelligence

S&P’s managing director and chief product officer for data management solutions talks about using data to make better decisions and how to continue innovating in a fast-moving market Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Biden tackles Putin on ransomware at Geneva summit

Discussions between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin on cyber crime appear to have been somewhat positive, but the path ahead remains unclear Continue Reading

Tech features high on McKinsey’s disruption list

The management consulting firm has published a list of innovations that could disrupt business models, with many related to IT Continue Reading

Tech sector trade union campaigns to protect workers’ privacy

A UK-based trade union for technology workers and others employed by tech companies is organising around the issue of worker’s privacy and workplace monitoring Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cl0p ransomware gang clapped in irons, assets seized

Ukrainian police report they have taken down the Cl0p, aka Clop, ransomware operation following a lengthy investigation Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nominate now: Most influential women in UK technology 2021

Computer Weekly is now looking for nominations for its 2021 list of the most influential women in UK technology Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Lack of clarity hinders UK gigabit broadband roll-out

UK’s ability to capitalise on solid current momentum in roll-out of next-generation gigabit broadband is at risk because too few consumers are aware of the technology and its benefits, study warns Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Singapore universities to develop cooling solutions for tropical datacentres

The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University will research on cooling technologies that help to lower the power consumption and carbon footprint of topical datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Competition and Markets Authority turns attention to Google and Apple

Are the two dominant mobile operating system providers anti-competitive? The Competition and Markets Authority shines a spotlight on the two digital giants Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Organisations cannot rely on cyber insurance to cover losses

Ransomware attacks have become a big driver of cyber insurance claims, but insurance must not be relied upon as a failsafe, says a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Privacy pro salaries rise throughout pandemic, but at a cost

Data from the IAPP’s latest salary survey reveals some insight into how the pandemic impacted the privacy profession Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor