IT management

Europe’s controversial digital vision for the next decade

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the European Parliament’s digital vision for the next decade, including controversial plans for a regional internet. GDPR is two years old – we find out how well the law is working. And we look at how the coronavirus crisis is affecting digital skills recruitment and training. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Banking trojans roar back to prominence in May

Check Point sees an upswing in malicious activity around a number of classic banking trojan malware variants Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK quantum technology projects get a £70m boost

Government is funding 38 projects, one-third of which are focused on quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why UK needs independent oversight body for contact-tracing app

The public needs and deserves clarity, and not just assurances, over the UK’s Covid-19 contact-tracing app Continue Reading

By

• Dan Cooper  

Gartner: CIOs should start preparing for coronavirus recovery cost cutting

To recover from the Covid-19 lockdown, businesses will need to cut costs. In doing so, Gartner urges CIOs to look at value and cost optimisation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NatWest develops behavioural biometrics as additional authentication

Bank is working with Visa to develop behavioural biometrics technology as an extra layer of invisible authentication Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Accessories store Claire’s hit by Magecart credit card fraudsters

Attackers gained access to retailer’s website as long ago as March Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Blow to government review of Post Office scandal as key forensic accountants refuse to support it

The government’s proposed review of the Post Office IT scandal has received a further setback as forensic accountants join subpostmasters in refusing to back it Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dealing in data

Lessons learned from pandemic data reporting will help forge new analytics techniques to improve data quality Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NHS email service users ensnared in phishing attack

More than 100 accounts on the NHSmail service were affected by attack, but health service says no patient data was accessed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Salisbury becomes UK’s first city to go fully full-fibre

Politicians and broadband provision unit urge homes and businesses to switch to a new ultra-fast and ultra-reliable broadband network Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Santander to recruit 3,000 more IT staff

Spanish bank to recruit a further 3,000 tech staff globally to accelerate its digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fake contact-tracing apps delivering banking trojans

Spoof government coronavirus apps are popping up all over the world, says the Anomali Threat Research team Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK to boost data science efforts in citizen services

Government Digital Service launches Data Labs to enhance services with tools such as artificial intelligence and natural language processing Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Minister downgrades status of UK contact-tracing app from vital to ‘cherry on cake’

Scientists warn of fundamental flaws of Bluetooth technology in proximity measurement function of much-delayed app Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Cloud storage on-site hardware: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

We look at the big three cloud vendors’ on-site offerings: AWS’s Outposts, Gateway and Snow hardware, Azure’s Stack and Arc appliances, and Google Cloud’s software-defined Anthos Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Twitter kills thousands of misinformation accounts

The accounts were linked to the governments of China, Russia and Turkey, and engaged in systematic operations against pro-democracy activists, political opponents and dissidents Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Too many data sources and too little consistency

One of the biggest concerns that businesses have about their data is its quality, and quality of data is a governance issue Continue Reading

By

• Rachel Roumeliotis

Subpostmasters will not cooperate with government review into IT scandal

A group of subpostmasters who suffered at the hands of the Post Office’s error-prone IT system refuse to participate in a government review into the scandal, describing it as a sham Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Coronavirus outbreak will speed up enterprise automation

Forrester calls for enterprises to automate with empathy as they deploy an increasing range of intelligent technologies to reduce their dependence on human labour Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Tech firms respond to Nordic government calls

Nordic firms are working with tech suppliers to help them get back up and running after Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Amazon bans police use of its facial-recognition technology for a year

Tech giant claims it has been an advocate for stronger government regulation on the ethical use of facial recognition Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government lays out future trade plan for UK tech

Measures aim to create jobs and increase technology exports, as well as encouraging international investments into the UK Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Coronavirus: Bungled British response leads to rise in security risks

Covid-19 cyber security threats are evolving over the course of the pandemic, becoming more targeted to virus hotspots such as the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data insights will define post-coronavirus city planning

Who would have imagined that in 2020, the majority of people would work remotely and buy online? Cities are going to have to change how they are set up Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CISOs buying into unified security proposition

The time is right for all-in-one security solutions, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Europe: 5G rush in Russia

Russian mobile operators are pooling their resources to help them overcome the technical challenges of creating 5G networks. Also read why Swedbank is rebuilding its anti-money laundering systems, and how a public-private partnership in the Netherlands is combating business email compromise fraud. Continue Reading

Anger as government launches ‘pathetic’ and ‘pointless’ review of Horizon scandal

The government has been accused of launching a review that fails in getting to the bottom of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The importance of data accuracy in the fight against Covid-19

With the right data, individuals and organisations can make the most informed decisions to keep people safer through the coronavirus pandemic and restart the economy at the right time and place Continue Reading

By

• Stan Christiaens

Security Think Tank: Container security starts with good DevOps practice

Adopting containers promises great organisational efficiency advantages, but the fast-evolving technology can be problematic for security teams. What do CISOs need to know to safeguard containers? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Government to fund nine advanced security projects

Nine academic projects have been selected to receive a share of a £10m funding pot as they develop advanced cyber security solutions using prototype chipsets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IBM divests from facial-recognition market

IBM’s CEO writes to US congress about decision to stop using and selling facial-recognition technology, and says we should re-evaluate whether it should be sold to law enforcement agencies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK tech professionals feel impact of lockdown easing

Mental health concerns increase, with a possible negative effect on the quality of work, as companies get ready to return to the office, study shows Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

CogX 2020: Matt Hancock on tech during Covid-19

Health secretary Matt Hancock says technology companies have been vital in dealing with the pandemic, and praises UK for testing more people “than almost anywhere in the world.” Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CogX 2020: Rethinking technological innovation

Innovation processes and relationships must be fundamentally restructured to bring in more stakeholders, and spread the benefits of technological change as far as possible Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Decade-old vulnerability among 129 Patch Tuesday fixes

A 10 year-old bug in Windows Group Policies could easily enable attackers to gain highly privileged user status on target systems, opening the doors to a wave of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Container security is evolving, so must CISOs

Adopting containers promises great organisational efficiency advantages, but the fast-evolving technology can be problematic for security teams. What do CISOs need to know to safeguard containers? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Virtual GP practice accidentally exposes patient video calls

A small number of users of Babylon’s GP at Hand service were briefly able to view other patients’ video GP consultations thanks to a bug in a new software feature Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: How to go back to the office safely and securely

Security teams should be used to supporting remote workers effectively by now, but what’s going to happen when people start returning to their offices? We look at the risks and how to address them. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nasty surprises lurking in furloughed employees’ inboxes

Research conducted by KnowBe4 points to a looming email security problem as furloughed employees head back to work Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Danske Bank to make permanent changes to working practices

Danske Bank has seen the value of remote working during the unplanned proof of concept triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CaixaBank introduces facial recognition ATMs

Spanish bank broadens its use of facial recognition technology on cash machines Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

6G, European internet, censorship: EU Parliament sets out vision for digital services

Research outlines trends for the coming decade and an action plan with some controversial recommendations to inform the decisions of policymakers around the upcoming Digital Services Act Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

What are the risks of canceling an ERP project?

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many business and technology leaders are deciding whether to cancel or pause an ERP implementation. Here are some risks to factor into the decision. Continue Reading

By

• Eric St-Jean

Honda investigates suspected Snake ransomware attack

Attack disrupts global operations at carmaker, with assembly lines falling silent and sales suspended Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security needs more women role models, says report

A report compiled by security assurance organisation Crest highlights the progress made on gender diversity in cyber security, and offers pointers for next steps Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AS Roma to develop video tracking with Acronis AI expertise

Italian football club will get variable-price ticketing using artificial intelligence expertise to develop systems. It has also deployed Acronis cloud backup Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Bankers say artificial intelligence will separate winners and losers

The application of artificial intelligence at banks will be the difference between the ones that succeed and the ones that fail in the coming years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government publishes artificial intelligence procurement guidance

A document has been published outlining the challenges for public sector buyers as well as best practices on procuring AI technology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Poorly-secured AWS buckets used to launch Magecart attacks

Cyber criminals are exploiting misconfigured AWS S3 buckets to run credit card fraud and malvertising campaigns, according to new data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Simon Moorhead of the Rail Delivery Group discusses integration

Train services across the UK are fragmented, with data and systems in silos, which makes it hard to provide a seamless experience for rail users Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How retailers are staying connected during their coronavirus shutdown

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at how the hard-hit retail sector has turned to technology to stay connected with staff during the coronavirus lockdown. Our latest buyer’s guide examines best practice in data quality and how to avoid “garbage in garbage out” syndrome. And we look at how remote working affects software development teams. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Australia’s AGL to move most systems to Azure cloud

Energy supplier is moving more than 200 applications and most systems to Azure in a three-year deal with Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How Malaysia’s Gain Secure stood tall amid Covid-19

Walter Wong, executive director of Gain Secure and former Microsoft employee, talks up how his business is coping during Malaysia’s lockdown Continue Reading

By

• Avanti Kumar

Tear up the rulebook to build a digital new norm

The coronavirus pandemic has become a catalyst, accelerating radical change to how organisations operate. The economic recovery from the lockdown is forcing some to push through changes that they ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Accurate data in, better insights out

The coronavirus pandemic has propelled data into the headlines, but it has also shown the challenges of dealing with incomplete datasets Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nordic CIO interview: Janne Puustinen, Valmet

Janne Puustinen built Finnish industrial technology company Valmet’s entire IT organisation from scratch after a demerger Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Controlling IBM licensing agreement narrative key to success

Take control of the information narrative and unify your messaging strategy through a cross-functional negotiation team for best-in-class enterprise license agreement renewals. Continue Reading

By

• James Alan Miller, Senior Executive Editor

Businesses develop apps quickly to manage disruption of Covid-19

Healthcare companies, insurers, government agencies and big tech companies have used technology from Pegasystems to develop apps to manage the disruption caused by coronavirus Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Police chiefs working with Public Health England on contact-tracing security

Police force representatives are in talks with Public Health England over operational security concerns arising from the NHS Test and Trace coronavirus contact-tracing scheme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Coronavirus: Digital bank Monzo cuts 120 staff

Digital challenger Monzo has announced 120 job cuts as it navigates the current economic slowdown Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CaixiaBank gets ready to modernise IT using IBM Cloud Pak

Spanish bank extends IBM relationship with the roll-out of Cloud Pak to modernise IT, which it says will allow it to innovate in quantum computing and blockchain Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

London Tech Week to go ahead through Zoom

London Tech week will go ahead next week, with the tech industry attending through Zoom Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ministry of Defence forms new cyber security regiment

The 13th Signal Regiment brings together personnel from across the armed forces to provide specialist security services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why GovTech is building its own robotics stack

Singapore’s Government Technology Agency has developed a robotics technology stack that will power robots using capabilities from commercial suppliers and the open source community Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Debbie Forster, most influential woman in UK tech 2019 - winner’s speech

In this video of Computer Weekly’s annual diversity event Debbie Forster, CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, gives her acceptance speech as the 2019 Most Influential Woman in UK Tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Dutch organisations invest heavily in compliance – but in vain

Despite the fact that companies in the Netherlands have invested heavily to comply with GDPR legislation introduced two years ago, 90% of them are still discovering fundamental weaknesses in their IT environment Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Government evades being pinned to a date for online harms legislation

MPs challenge government on online harms bill timetable, but have to settle for “clear assurances” that it will brought to parliament before the end of the session Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Small businesses failing on remote worker protection

Only one-third of people working for small businesses have received any guidance from their employers on how to secure their remote working set-up Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data privacy groups pile in on UK contact-tracing app

UK-based digital privacy and free speech campaigning organisation files complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office about contact-tracing app Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

The Security Interviews: How the BSI protects the IoT from itself

David Mudd of the BSI reveals how a pragmatic and realistic approach to security vulnerabilities underpins its internet of things kitemark, helping give users the confidence to buy smart devices safely Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs' investigation into Post Office Horizon IT scandal bares teeth

Select committee chair writes to former Post Office CEO demanding answers over her role in IT scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Coronavirus: Cyber criminals target laid-off workers

Malicious actors are targeting workers laid-off or furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Four steps to container security best practice

Adopting containers promises great organisational efficiency advantages, but the fast-evolving technology can be problematic for security teams. What do CISOs need to know to safeguard containers? Continue Reading

By

• Alan Taberham and Niall Quinn

Why trust is the new currency

Businesses need to engender trust with customers amid the complexity of digital transactions involving multiple third parties, even as consumers are not fully cognizant of the importance of data privacy Continue Reading

By

• Simon Piff

Malaysian minister backtracks on spectrum allocation decision

Amid reports of a surreptitious decision to allocate spectrum to five Malaysian operators, the communications minister rescinds his own order, calling for a more transparent review of the allocation process Continue Reading

By

• Edwin Yapp

Sodinokibi data auctions highlight changing criminal tactics

The operators of the Sodinokibi ransomware strain are auctioning off swathes of stolen data in an apparent bid to raise cash. What is motivating this new tactic? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lidl Finland speeds up with new local server racks

Lidl brings server racks to its Finnish stores in a bid to improve connectivity and introduce new services to its customers Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Security procurement framework goes live for NHS and public sector

Cyber Security Services Framework, developed by NHS Shared Business Services, has formally launched Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CCRC sends 47 subpostmaster miscarriages of justice for appeal, asks for prosecution powers review

The Criminal Cases Review Commission sends 47 more subpostmaster cases to Court of Appeal and asks government to review private prosecution powers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US senator implores UK legislators to ban Huawei from telecoms networks

US senator tells committee of MPs that deployment of Huawei in UK 5G phone networks would have been the equivalent of allowing Russia to build submarines during the Cold War Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Infosec 2020: Covid-19 an opportunity to change security thinking

The annual Infosecurity Europe is being held virtually this year, and speakers at an online panel session have been considering the impact of the pandemic on security awareness Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Teams and Office 365 connect NHS staff during the lockdown

NHS’s AGEM Commissioning Support Unit has migrated from on-premise SharePoint to Office 365 and is now using Teams Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Aston Martin swaps out legacy antivirus for AI-driven service

Luxury car manufacturer says the advent of artificial intelligence-powered services will revolutionise its security posture Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Keeping IT operations running for remote workers

Measuring employee experience and enabling self-service are some of the ways businesses can manage and empower a remote workforce Continue Reading

By

• Paul Mah

How Australia’s Shockbyte scales with cloud

Australian game server provider Shockbyte uses bare metal servers on the cloud to meet the needs of demanding gaming applications and to grow its global footprint Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government departments could cut payment costs through API deal

The UK government adds fintech to its approved procurement list which promises to cut the costs of receiving payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

A view from the SOC: Maintaining security capabilities during the pandemic

What are the challenges of maintaining security event and incident detection capabilities in these challenging times? Continue Reading

By

• Tom Hawcutt

VMware vulnerability leaves private clouds open to takeover

Ethical hackers from Citadelo uncovered a vulnerability in VMware Cloud Director that left private cloud owners open to takeover Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Covid-19 pandemic accelerates work on NHS App

The coronavirus health crisis has sped up work to integrate online consultations in the NHS App, exceeding roll-out targets and driving uptake Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Digital transformation held back by lack of skilled people

Veeam survey finds digital transformation a hot topic, but 44% of firms are held back by skills shortages. Meanwhile, the cost of downtime is found to be $67,651 per hour for the most important apps Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

NIS security regulations proving effective, but more work to do

The UK’s NIS cyber security and risk regulations are proving somewhat effective, according to a government report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to succeed at site reliability engineering

Adoption of site reliability engineering is growing in Asia-Pacific, but organisations need to have the right organisational structure and culture to succeed Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Subpostmasters to force scrutiny of government’s role in Post Office IT scandal

The government's role in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal could soon be put under the microscope as subpostmasters take their complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Facia recognition suppliers race to identify hidden faces

The number of companies claiming to have developed facial-recognition tools that can identify masked faces has skyrocketed since the start of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading

What will be the IT security priorities of the post-coronavirus world?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with the working world after the pandemic set to be very different, we assess the IT security priorities for the ‘new normal’. Facial recognition firms are racing to identify people wearing face masks. And how did Europe’s telecoms networks cope with the switch to remote working? Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CIO strategies for COVID-19 require new long-term IT planning

CIOs should look beyond the immediate IT requirements created by the COVID-19 outbreak and think about what will be needed in post-pandemic environments. Continue Reading

By

• Craig Stedman, Industry Editor

Employees must be consulted on technologies monitoring the return to work

Experts say the workforce must be ‘in the room’ and given a meaningful say about technologies introduced to monitor their return to work following the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Egypt offers free tech scholarship to 100,000 citizens

Egypt's youths are being offered free training to help them to prepare for the careers of the future Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Privacy campaigners call for radical changes to contact-tracing app

Liberty, Privacy International and the Open Rights Group join calls for the government to either put in place better data protection policies or abandon its Covid-19 contact-tracing app altogether Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor