IT operations management and IT support

NCSC shares cyber guidance for large infrastructure builds

Balfour Beatty and McAlpine are among the large construction firms to have input into latest NCSC guidance for ensuring the security of major infrastructure projects 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

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

Ukraine war drives DDoS attack volumes ever higher

There has been a boom in distributed denial-of-service attacks in the first six months of 2022, according to a report, with Russia’s war on Ukraine helping to drive activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security 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

Microsoft doles out $13.7m in bug bounties

Microsoft’s Bug Bounty programme has paid a total of $13.7m to more than 300 researchers in almost 50 countries Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online Safety Bill ‘not fit for purpose’, say tech experts

IT specialists lack confidence that legislation compelling tech firms to tackle online harms will work as intended, with only a small minority believing ‘harmful but legal’ content can be effectively and proportionately policed by internet platforms Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Researcher finds 10 vulnerabilities in Cisco firewalls

At Black Hat USA, Rapid7 researchers report on 10 security issues in popular Cisco firewall products, many of which do not yet have patches Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS may take a month to recover from supply chain attack

Ransomware attack victim Advanced warns its NHS customers they could be waiting until early September to fully recover their operations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security 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

‘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

Icelandic datacentres may lead the way to green IT

Iceland may soon become even more attractive to companies wanting to minimise their carbon footprint while using high-performance computing services Continue Reading

By

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

Internet giants in favour as Ireland tightens rules on datacentres

Irish premier Michael Martin has insisted its temporary squeeze on datacentre construction is not a moratorium on the industry Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Podcast: How storage AIOps is revolutionising hybrid cloud ops

We talk to Tintri about storage and AIOps, which is the application of AI and machine learning-based software to monitor storage infrastructure to be able to detect patterns and predict failure, the need to upgrade, and so on Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

SBRC to administer NCSC training across Scotland

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre has been awarded a £500,000 contract to extend cyber resilience training across more than 250 at-risk organisations 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

Financial Ombudsman Service mining for gold in cloud HR and finance

The Financial Ombudsman Service is reaping the benefits of the cloud-based human resources and finance system it implemented last year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Shipyard workers don smart glasses in 5G testbed

Shipyard workers at Singapore’s Keppel Offshore and Marine can view work instructions on their smart glasses, pull out real-time data about their equipment and receive remote guidance in a range of operational tasks Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

New EU due diligence law needs amending to stop tech sector abuse

European corporate due diligence directive seeking to transform how companies approach their human rights and environmental risk is welcome, but without further changes, it will fail to effectively curb tech firms’ harmful practices, claims international non-profit Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

DrayTek patches SOHO router bug that left thousands exposed

Network hardware supplier has fixed an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability in multiple routers in its Vigor line, after being alerted by Trellix researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How worsening economic climate impacts IT spending

As inflation rises, purse strings are tightening at the tech giants, which will have a material impact on chipmakers and providers of IT equipment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

Ex-youth footballers kick-start cyber careers

New programme aims to find fresh careers for former youth footballers in cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Home Office selects CGI as strategic delivery partner

IT services supplier will act as strategic delivery partner for the Home Office’s plans to modernise and join up UK law enforcement’s digital capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics 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

Microsoft anticipates $3.3bn savings by extending server life

Thanks to new software tools and better hardware, Microsoft plans to upgrade servers and network equipment every six years Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing 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

NCSC seeks community input for Cyber Advisor service

The NCSC is proposing to establish a new Cyber Advisor service to train up experts in security guidance, and is inviting interested parties to come forward Continue Reading

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

SSEN partners with Icebreaker One to break energy data silos

Better access to, and sharing of, energy data will help direct the installation of new electric vehicle charging points, as well as help network operators to better understand the electricity grid’s capacity for the introduction of more renewables Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics 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

Estonia calls on tech experts to develop its Siri-like civil servant

Estonian government opens up applications to tech experts across the world, offering them the chance to work on a world first for digital government services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Starling Bank withdraws application for licence in Ireland

App-based bank decides against completing its application for a banking licence in Ireland after concluding it did not offer enough value Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Barnet Council to bring work outsourced to Capita back in-house by 2026

London borough is bringing swathes of outsourced services back in-house next year, with more to follow by 2026 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

MPs slam FCSA for declining to answer questions on umbrella companies withholding holiday pay

Freelance and Contractor Services Association under fire from MPs for declining to answer questions about the umbrella companies that make up its membership and their stance on ensuring contractors receive their holiday pay entitlements Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

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

Data and tech platforms helping finance regulator spot problems earlier

The UK financial services regulator is increasingly using data platforms to proactively regulate the finance sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

Videogame maker Bandai Namco confirms cyber attack

Bandai Namco, developer of videogames including Pac-Man, Tekken and Dark Souls, has broken days of silence to confirm it has been hit by a cyber attack 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

Enterprise employees worry that poor collaboration tools result in lost revenue

Survey shows firms are facing a collaboration crisis, with failure to adjust to new hybrid and remote work costing them revenue and stunting business growth Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Gartner: Software sales defy economic outlook

With spending on IT going up, there is no better time to be a head of IT as software drives new revenue-making opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing 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

Goldman Sachs hires Google incubator founder

Bank recruits co-founder of Google’s incubator as it continues to transform its business through digital technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO calls for review into government use of private email and WhatsApp messages

Information Commissioner’s Office reprimands Department of Health and Social Care after ministers and officials conducted government business on their own email accounts and messaging apps Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Is time running out for legacy payments technology used by banks?

The company bringing Google-like processing to core banking for banks has added the same proposition in payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

SMEs lagging on multifactor authentication

Only 46% of small business owners say they have implemented multifactor authentication, and just 13% mandate its use, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber insurance: An effective use of your scant security budget?

The ISF’s Paul Watts asks if cyber insurance is a must-have item, an expensive luxury, or the emperor’s new clothes Continue Reading

By

• Paul Watts, Information Security Forum

Stop telling clients to pay ransomware gangs, solicitors told

The NCSC and the ICO are calling on solicitors to help tackle the rising number of ransomware payments being made, and to stop giving erroneous advice to victims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sweden and GDPR – four years on

Swedish data protection coordinator talks to Computer Weekly four years into the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

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

Microsoft appears to reverse VBA macro-blocking

Microsoft quietly reverses VBA macro-blocking across its Office portfolio in a move that has left security experts puzzled Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lots to consider when buying cyber insurance, so do your homework

When considering implementing a cyber insurance policy, due diligence should be your watchword, says Paddy Francis of Airbus CyberSecurity Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

MI5, FBI chiefs warn of Chinese cyber espionage threat

In a joint appearance in London, MI5 director general Ken McCallum and FBI director Chris Wray warn of the growing threat posed by the Chinese government to UK and US interests Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Cyber insurance – A nice safety blanket, but don’t count on it

In the second instalment of this month’s Security Think Tank, Mike Gillespie argues that cyber insurance should be thought of like car insurance – you don’t start driving recklessly because you’re covered Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Most APAC banks to spend more on cloud this year

More than nine in 10 banks across Asia-Pacific are increasing their cloud spending in 2022 after years of hesitation due to initial regulatory hurdles Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Legacy UK customs system stops accepting registration requests

HMRC closes new applications to legacy customs system as its shutdown nears Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Prepare for long-term cyber threat from Ukraine war, says NCSC

The NCSC has published refreshed guidance on cyber preparedness as the war on Ukraine continues, urging organisations to pay attention to the state of their security teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Netherlands’ AMdEX seeks to democratise the internet

Last year, five Dutch organisations launched an initiative to set up the Amsterdam Data Exchange to simplify data sharing and help democratise the internet Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

NCSC CEO: Why we should run towards crises to elevate cyber security

National Cyber Security Centre CEO Lindy Cameron, the 2022 Computer Weekly UKtech50 Most Influential Person in UK IT, reflects on a career immersed in crisis management, and how she is using this to elevate cyber security standards across the country Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Subpostmaster campaigning forces government to set up compensation scheme and make interim payments

Subpostmaster campaign group is a step closer to achieving what it was originally set up to do as government launches compensation scheme for its members who did not receive fair payouts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government sets NHS digital transformation plan

The government expects to save billions of pounds and improve patient outcomes through digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Russia-aligned hacktivists behind Lithuania DDoS attack

Killnet hacktivist collective targeted Lithuania with distributed denial of service attacks after its government angered the Kremlin Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Executive interview: Chris Conradi, chief digital officer, FSN Capital

Chris Conradi is taking his learnings at Google into the private equity industry at Norway’s FSN Capital Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The cyber security impact of Operation Russia by Anonymous

The campaign against the Russian government by Anonymous surprised many with the depth and scale of the cyber attacks. What can we learn from this online war? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

US cyber agency in fresh warning over Log4Shell risk to VMware

Many VMware Horizon and UAG servers remain defenceless against Log4Shell, and organisations continue to fall victim to the vulnerability Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Assessment and knowledge: Your key tools to secure suppliers

There is no silver bullet that will resolve all the issues arising from today’s interconnected businesses and complex supply chains, but there are some key tools at your disposal Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Morris, Turnkey Consulting

Ukraine cyber agency enlists Radware to protect government networks

Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection is using Radware cloud DDoS protection and web application firewall services to protect the government from persistent Russian attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

What the world can learn from Saudi Arabia’s fight against industrial control system attacks

Iran learned from attacks on its infrastructure and unleashed similar malware on Saudi Arabia. The world has now gained valuable lessons from the Saudi response Continue Reading

By

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

Security Think Tank: Supply chain security demands systematic approach

Supply chain security measures need to be systematic and assessed so as to minimise the complexity and cost to the business Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

PagerDuty expands Japan presence with joint venture

PagerDuty forms joint venture with Japan Cloud and is eyeing business from financial, telecoms and e-commerce companies as it seeks to grow its footprint in Japan Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NatWest files under whistleblower’s bed contain live customer data

Former Royal Bank of Scotland worker wants bank to take back customer files and provide an ‘adequate receipt’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How TDCX is building a people-centric business

Every digital tool deployed by the Singapore-based services firm is aimed at augmenting the performance and experience of its employees, says TDCX’s group CIO, Byron Fernandez Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Balanced approach can detangle supply chain complexity

Achieving an appropriate balance between people, processes and technology can help to detangle the complexities of the supply chain and create better security practices Continue Reading

By

• Francesca Williamson, Information Security Forum

Post Office IT investigator to be released from confidentiality obligations for inquiry

Forensic accounting firm that ‘knows where the bodies are buried’ will be released from confidentiality obligations by the Post Office to give evidence to public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CNI leaders’ attitude to ransomware lackadaisical at best

A survey of security decision-makers in sectors regarded as critical national infrastructure reveals a disappointing attitude to ransomware threats Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Supply chain security goes deep – forget this at your peril

It may have hit the headlines as an IT issue, but supply chain security goes far deeper into an organisation than just technology Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Dreams come true – how data and communication saved a failing company

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the former CEO of bed retailer Dreams explains how digital, data and communication helped turn round a failing company. The UK government has a new digital strategy – but it all seems rather familiar. And we talk to the tech firms trialling a four-day working week. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Lords move to protect cyber researchers from prosecution

A cross-party group in the House of Lords has proposed an amendment to the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill that would address concerns about security researchers or ethical hackers being prosecuted in the course of their work Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Complex Russian cyber threat requires we go back to basics

The situation in Russia is anything but simple, but it is the fundamentals of cyber security hygiene that pose the best defence against the country’s digital threat, as Mandiant’s Jamie Collier explains Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Minister says compensation offer to 555 subpostmasters close

Government minister says an announcement on subpostmaster compensation could be made within weeks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

British businesses to recognise Google skills certificates

Google training programmes are being made available to more people in the UK as part of an initiative from the supplier and major UK businesses Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech sector sustainability efforts need full ecosystem approach

Reorienting the tech sector around collaboration rather than competition and reassessing the industry’s conventional wisdom around economic growth is essential to improving sustainability on the timescale needed, London Tech Week attendees are told Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Fintech firm chooses Salesforce software to support growth

Revolut is to use Saleasforce software to support sales and marketing as part of its expansion plans Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Finnish recruiter says cultural fit is the key ingredient for executive positions

Job skills are important, but a good match of personality traits is a better predictor of long-term success in a company Continue Reading

By

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

Office 365 loophole may give ransomware an easy shot at your files

Researchers at Proofpoint have discovered potentially dangerous Microsoft Office 365 functionality that they believe may give ransomware a clear shot at files stored on SharePoint and OneDrive Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Best practices for boosting supply chain security

In a highly connected world, managing the supply chain landscape requires an adaptation of the ‘traditional’ approach to managing cyber risk Continue Reading

By

• Carl Nightingale

$2k to access your organisation on the dark web

Dark web brokers will sell access to company networks and systems for an average of $2,000 to $4,000 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Patch Tuesday dogged by concerns over Microsoft vulnerability response

The last Patch Tuesday in its current form is overshadowed by persistent concerns about how Microsoft deals with vulnerability disclosure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Virgin Money slashes loan application time through fintech

Business loan application process at Virgin Money cut from days to minutes through fintech platform Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK tech job opportunities at 10-year high

Rapid adoption of digital technology, along with the sector’s growing success, has driven tech hiring to heights not seen since the London Olympics Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor