News

IT for government and public sector

November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12
Hacking attempts to top one billion in Q4, predicts NCC Group

One billion hacking attempts will be made globally in the final quarter of 2012, according to information assurance firm NCC Group
November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12
Software issues risk delaying Universal Credit by one year, according to reports

The IT underpinning the government’s flagship £2.2bn Universal Credit programme is again being called into question
November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12
Twitter apologises for unnecessary hacking warnings

Twitter has apologised after telling members their accounts had been hacked and forcing them to reset their passwords
November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12
Stuxnet hit Chevron’s systems, the energy giant admits

US energy giant Chevron has revealed that it was hit by the Stuxnet virus in 2010

November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12
Government departments get go-ahead to use iPhones for sensitive data

Government departments have been given the go-ahead to use iPhones to send and receive sensitive emails
November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12
Police arrest man for DDoS attacks on Theresa May sites

Police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a cyber attack on websites connected to home secretary Theresa May
November 06, 2012 06 Nov'12
Universal Credit programme director Malcolm Whitehouse steps down

Malcolm Whitehouse, programme director for the government's £2.2bn Universal Credit project, has stepped down
November 01, 2012 01 Nov'12
Parliamentary committee joins criticism of draft communications data bill

Home secretary Theresa May faced stern criticism before a Parliamentary committee hearing evidence on the Draft Communications Data Bill
October 31, 2012 31 Oct'12
Government dips toe in water for single ERP

The government is to test the feasibility of moving to a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform across Whitehall
October 31, 2012 31 Oct'12
Apple squashes BlackBerry as Brent Borough deploys iPads

Brent Borough Council replaces BlackBerry and deploys MobileIron to securely manage almost 3,000 iPads and iPhones

October 31, 2012 31 Oct'12
Free mobile apps a threat to privacy, study finds

Free mobile apps pose a serious threat to privacy because of their ability to capture large amounts of user information
October 30, 2012 30 Oct'12
IT security budgets mismatched to hacker targets, study shows

IT security budgets are not being used to provide defence technologies in some areas most likely to be targeted by hackers, a study shows
October 29, 2012 29 Oct'12
Cheshire Constabulary polices network with SolarWinds

Police force in Cheshire uses SolarWinds’ infrastructure monitoring tools to keep its IT out of trouble
October 26, 2012 26 Oct'12
ACPO use online crime reporting company

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and charity Crimestoppers is using online self-reporting platform Facewatch, designed to reduce low-level crime.
October 25, 2012 25 Oct'12
Government expected to unveil eight IDA suppliers for online services

The government is to announce suppliers – including PayPal, BT and the Post Office – to provide identity assurance (IDA) for online public services
October 25, 2012 25 Oct'12
ICO hits Stoke-on-Trent City Council with £120,000 fine

Stoke City Council has breached the Data Protection Act, for the second time in two years, after details of a child protection legal case were emailed to the wrong person.
October 25, 2012 25 Oct'12
UK public sector contracts keep Atos Origin Q3 results buoyant

Large public sector contracts buoy IT services company Atos Origin, which has reported double-digit growth in the UK for its third quarter
October 23, 2012 23 Oct'12
CSC struggling to make a profit from Royal Mail outsourcing deal

CSC has stemmed losses in its 10-year outsourcing deal with Royal Mail through job cuts, tax breaks and relief payments, according to accounts
October 17, 2012 17 Oct'12
The Government Digital Service (GDS) launches Gov.uk website

Gov.uk is intended to become a single domain for online public services replacing hundreds of departmental sites
October 16, 2012 16 Oct'12
Theresa May: Hacker Gary McKinnon to stay in UK

Hacker Gary McKinnon will stay in UK, home secretary Theresa May has told MPs
October 16, 2012 16 Oct'12
Organisations need alternative data protection as security models fail

Organisations' security models are failing - so could it be time to adopt an intelligence-led approach to data protection and fighting cyber crime?
October 16, 2012 16 Oct'12
Home secretary Theresa May rules on hacker Gary McKinnon’s US extradition

Home secretary Theresa May is to rule on self-confessed computer hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US
October 11, 2012 11 Oct'12
RSA Europe: Thousands of unprotected virtual servers exposed to the web

Organisations are failing to protect data in virtual environments, says Jason Hart, vice-president cloud solutions, SafeNet
October 11, 2012 11 Oct'12
Patchy uptake hinders Public Service Network roll-out

Key players involved in deploying the Public Service Network (PSN) say progress is being made, but different approaches are slowing it down
October 11, 2012 11 Oct'12
RSA Europe: Security concerns whole supply chain, says Misha Glenny

Targeted attacks affect the whole supply chain, not just big corporations, author Misha Glenny tells RSA Conference Europe 2012 attendees
October 10, 2012 10 Oct'12
RSA Europe: Cloud key to future information security, says Qualys

Cloud computing is an opportunity information security professionals should not miss, says Philippe Courtot, CEO of security firm Qualys
October 10, 2012 10 Oct'12
DWP to announce identity assurance suppliers

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is to announce the first providers in the government’s identity assurance (IDA) scheme at the end of October
October 09, 2012 09 Oct'12
Telefónica launches business to sell mobile data

O2 parent company Telefónica is to offer user data from customer's mobile phones to organisations who want to analyse customer activity
October 03, 2012 03 Oct'12
4G victory was technical, not political

Speedy execution of the digital television switchover and clearing of spectrum improved the 4G timetable, not negotiations by central government
October 03, 2012 03 Oct'12
UKtech50 2012: Who are the most influential people in UK IT?

Computer Weekly is this week launching the third UKtech50, our annual definitive list of the real movers and shakers in UK IT
October 02, 2012 02 Oct'12
HMRC deploys Becrypt off-the-shelf encryption

HMRC will use Becrypt Disk protect, which has recently been certified under the government’s Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) Scheme.
October 02, 2012 02 Oct'12
Hackers target White House military network

Hackers using computers in China have infiltrated an “unclassified” network in the US White House, believed to be used for issuing nuclear commands.
September 27, 2012 27 Sep'12
EC sets out strategy for EU cloud data and standards

The European Commission (EC) has unveiled a strategy for standards and a legal framework for cloud computing in European Union (EU) states
September 27, 2012 27 Sep'12
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam hackers launch cyber attack on US bank Wells Fargo

A hacker group connected to Hamas says it attacked US bank Wells Fargo in reaction to the video 'Innocence of Muslims' posted on YouTube
September 26, 2012 26 Sep'12
HMRC becomes first major department to use G-Cloud

HMRC is the first major government department to procure through the G-Cloud in a deal with Skyscape for centralised data storage.
September 25, 2012 25 Sep'12
How agile is Universal Credit?

The DWP claims the IT for its flagship Universal Credit project is developed using agile principles. But how agile is a seven-year £2.2bn project?
September 25, 2012 25 Sep'12
Security concerns hold back mobile banking adoption

More than two-thirds of smartphone owners have not yet adopted mobile banking apps because of security concerns, a survey has revealed
September 21, 2012 21 Sep'12
UK faces BlackBerry outage again

People in the UK, Middle East and Europe are again facing disruption to the BlackBerry email messaging service
September 21, 2012 21 Sep'12
Suffolk County Council rolls out app design tool in schools

Suffolk County Council is to roll out an app development tool that will enable students across the region to design their own smartphone apps
September 21, 2012 21 Sep'12
Microsoft wins third German patent victory over Google Motorola technology

Microsoft has won a third victory in Germany over Google's Motorola unit in the ongoing patent wars between the two companies
September 20, 2012 20 Sep'12
Ten cities receive £114m for 100Mbps broadband infrastructure

Ten cities in the UK are to receive £114m government funding for broadband infrastructure of 80-100Mbps and wireless internet access
September 19, 2012 19 Sep'12
Government spends £638m on universal credit IT, says minister Mark Hoban

Government has spent £638m on universal credit IT, with £441m going on design and development, employment minister Mark Hoban reveals
September 18, 2012 18 Sep'12
Government plans for 200 digital managers

Government may appoint 200 digital managers to work across Whitehall departments as part of its transition to transactional digital services
September 18, 2012 18 Sep'12
Microsoft investigates IE zero-day flaw

Microsoft says it is investigating reports of a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, and 9
September 17, 2012 17 Sep'12
Fujitsu blacklisting part of tighter government policy

Government policy flags up suppliers that perform poorly but, with so few, how far can government practically address failed outsourcing contracts?
September 17, 2012 17 Sep'12
DWP hits back at criticism over Universal Credit IT systems

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has hit back at calls to delay its flagship Universal Credit scheme because of IT concerns
September 17, 2012 17 Sep'12
IT security awareness needs to be company-wide, says (ISC)²

Information security awareness needs to be more robust, started as early as possible, continually reinforced and organisation-wide, says Julie Peeler, director, (ISC)² Foundation
September 14, 2012 14 Sep'12
GOV.UK to replace Directgov in October

Government information services website Directgov is to be replaced by GOV.UK from 17 October
September 13, 2012 13 Sep'12
Government launches £3.8m cyber security institute

The government has ramped up moves to tackle growing cyber security threats by launching a £3.8m research institute.
September 12, 2012 12 Sep'12
Salford City Council offers cloud service to local businesses

Salford City Council is to offer private cloud service to local businesses through a partnership with ANS Group