News

IT for government and public sector

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Think tank reports lifts lid on police cyber crime training

  UK think tank Parliament Street has lifted the lid on spending by police forces on training staff to deal with cyber crime and recommended greater collaboration in this regard

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Wigan data breaches underline need to share threat intelligence

  Ongoing data breaches experienced by local authorities underline the need for greater sharing of threat intelligence, say security experts

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  NHS wants independent evaluation of GP at Hand service

  The NHS is looking for an organisation to undertake an independent review of the on-demand virtual GP app, allowing patients in London to access GP services using their smartphones

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Southwark brings full-fibre broadband to council estates

  London’s Southwark Council has enlisted Hyperoptic to deliver FTTP broadband services across its housing portfolio

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Russia compromised core router in US energy attacks

  Russian cyber attackers used a compromised core router in a series of attacks on the US energy sector, security researchers have revealed as the UK energy sector is placed on alert

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Employers face hiring crisis as AI replaces mid-skilled jobs

  Artificial intelligence could replace two-thirds of existing jobs within 20 years, and employers will face growing difficulties recruiting skilled staff

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  IT contractors not a risk despite Snowden leaks, GCHQ tells court

  The government argues in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that contractors with systems administration rights to computers holding GCHQ’s most sensitive intelligence pose no more of a security risk than the agency’s employees

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Cyber criminals using complex financial system, study shows

  Cyber criminals are using a combination of new cryptocurrencies, gaming currencies and micro-payments to launder up to $200bn in ill-gotten gains, research has revealed

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Tech won’t solve Brexit UK-Ireland border challenges, say MPs

  There is no evidence of any technical solution “anywhere in the world” that would help avoid physical infrastructure at the UK-Ireland border post-Brexit, according to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Defence industry urges government to relax controls on crypto exports

  Trade body representing defence, aerospace and security companies calls on government to make it easier to export “non-contentious” cryptography to secure organisations against cyber crime

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  US blames Russia for cyber attacks on energy firms

  The US has blamed Russia for a series of attacks on energy sector firms, underlining the need to ensure critical infrastructure IT systems are up to date and secure

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Coders feel responsible for impact of artificial intelligence on society

  The technologists building artificial intelligence algorithms should take responsibility for the technology’s impact on society, a survey finds

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  With auditability, deep learning could revolutionise insurance industry

  The likes of Google may be pushing deep learning in artificial intelligence, but it may not be the best approach for regulated industries

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Online data can be used to create better housing for all, says Resi’s Depledge

  Alex Depledge, CEO of Resi, will speak at Datafest on how online data can open up architecture to more people – but she warns against over-hyping data science

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Non-compliant G-Cloud suppliers escape spend data sharing fines, as MISO revamp gathers pace

  Freedom of Information request reveals G-Cloud providers are not being fined for failing to submit monthly spend data, as the CCS claims success with using other deterrent methods

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Government setting up local planning group to support 5G roll-out

  Digital minister Margot James is building a new initiative to support collaboration on 5G mobile network roll-out at a local level, bringing together councils, landowners and industry to work on planning challenges and policy

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Public sector IT buyers still neglecting to report G-Cloud savings, FoI request reveals

  Computer Weekly has learned that public sector IT buyers are still neglecting to self-report details of the savings they have accrued through using the G-Cloud framework

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Stoke Council picks VX Fiber to light up fibre broadband network

  VX Fiber’s Open Access Platform will allow Stoke-on-Trent council to realise a return on its fibre investment while bringing gigabit broadband services to homes and businesses

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government hands out £95m for local full-fibre broadband

  The government has named the first recipients of a £190m tranche of funding to realise local full-fibre broadband projects

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government ‘unlawfully delegated’ bulk data powers to GCHQ, court hears

  Privacy International urges Britain’s most secret court, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, to rule that the government illegally collected surveillance data from internet and phone companies until at least September 2017

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Hammond delivers tech-positive Spring Statement

  Delivering his Spring Statement, the chancellor bangs the drum for UK tech businesses, confirms £25m for 5G testbeds, allocates full-fibre funding and highlights the need for digital skills

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government pumps £300m into tech and innovation for ageing society

  Business secretary Greg Clark announces plans to use £300m from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for new technology and research, such as artificial intelligence and genome sequencing

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Public sector organisations ill-prepared for GDPR

  Public sector organisations in the UK need to do much more to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation rule on providing information to citizens about details held about them

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Singapore tops global rankings on smart cities

  The city-state of Singapore was lauded for its efforts in tapping the internet of things to improve public infrastructure and services in a global study by Juniper Research

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Digital for rural areas worth up to £26bn to UK economy

  A study commissioned by Amazon has posited that greater use of digital tools and services could be worth between £12bn and £26bn per annum to the UK economy

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Eight new cyber threats a second in Q4 2017, McAfee report reveals

  There was an increase in cyber attacks on healthcare organisations, the use of fileless malware and cryptocurrency mining in the last three months of 2017, with eight new threats a second

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Scottish government to spend £25m to fill 4G coverage gaps

  The Scottish government has announced a £25m programme to infill gaps in 4G mobile network coverage across Scotland

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Politicians need to be more involved in tech, says Sadiq Khan

  Flying the flag for the UK capital at the SXSW festival in Texas, London mayor Sadiq Khan says government should “do more” for technology, as well as mitigate the risks that come with it, and calls on social media firms to take responsibility for ...

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Regulator takes tougher line than expected on surveillance warrants

  The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office has signalled to government that it will take a tough line when scrutinising surveillance warrants under the controversial Investigatory Powers Act

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  UK leads global upward trend in SOC maturity

  The UK is leading the way towards more efficient security operations centres, but many still continue to operate with serious gaps in security, a report reveals

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Government reveals winners of 5G mobile competition

  The government has unveiled the winners of a multimillion-pound competition to create 5G mobile network testbeds around the UK

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Universal Credit project warned over Gov.uk Verify performance in 2015

  Government project management experts warned as long ago as 2015 that a problem with GDS's Verify online identity system could undermine the Universal Credit business plan

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Cooperation and exercises key to cyber defence, says Nato centre

  International cooperation and regular tabletop exercises are essential to ensure effective cyber defence, according to the Nato cyber defence centre

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Cryptojacking cyber criminals up their game

  Cyber criminals hijacking computing resources to mine for cryptocurrencies are raising their efforts to bypass enterprise security controls, researchers have found

• March 08, 2018 08 Mar'18

  DWP to publish key documents on Universal Credit

  The government will finally publish internal assessment reviews of the controversial Universal Credit programme under Freedom of Information laws, after years of refusing to do so

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Government to help cultural sectors take advantage of digital

  Arts and culture organisations will be given help to access new technologies and digital skills as part of a government plan to “support the whole digital culture ecology”

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Cyber security is a team sport, says NCSC

  The UK’s national cyber security agency aims to help organisations understand the need to act collaboratively and collectively against the cyber threat, urging them to raise the bar

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  G-Cloud 10 launch date confirmed for June 2018

  The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) confirms it will start accepting new bids from suppliers wanting to join the tenth iteration of the G-Cloud framework from April 2018, in anticipation of the next version going live in June

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  US defence chiefs cut $1bn cloud contract with AWS partner amid anti-trust complaints

  The US Department of Defense confirms it is revising down the cost and scope of a billion dollar cloud deal awarded to an AWS partner, after critics picked holes in the procurement process

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Essex, Herts Councils expand smart city pilot scheme

  Essex and Hertfordshire County Councils have joined forces to run a number of pilots assessing the socioeconomic benefits of smart city technologies

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Local councils call for government funding for GDPR compliance

  National Association of Local Councils is concerned complying with GDPR puts financial strain on local authorities and calls on government to help with funding

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Microsoft courts US government cloud users with Azure Stack integration promise

  Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to get the US government using its cloud in anger, with the promise of a forthcoming Azure Stack integration and new datacentre regions to house “secret” classified data

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Government aims to complete genome sequencing project by end of 2018

  The government-funded 100,000 Genomes Project, originally due to be completed by the end of 2017, has reached the halfway point and aims to have mapped 100,000 genomes by the end of the year

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Interview: Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands

  West Midlands mayor Andy Street talks about why digital is key to the region’s economic growth, his hunt for a chief digital officer, and the importance of skills and collaboration

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  UK will need data protection agreement with EU as part of Brexit deal, says PM

  Prime minister Theresa May's Brexit speech highlights need for data protection deal with EU, “advanced” border IT systems, and re-confirms UK won’t be part of the EU digital single market

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  New privacy fears as IT challenges delay surveillance oversight body by a year

  IT challenges have delayed government plans for an independent body to authorise requests to access the public’s internet and phone records by nearly a year, raising new legal and privacy concerns

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Contractor confidence in HMRC’s IR35 online assessment tool remains low

  Research suggests contractors still have misgivings about using HM Revenue & Customs' IR35 online assessment tool, one year on from launch

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  NHS to pilot ID verification platform this spring

  NHS roadmap for digital services sets out plans for launching a joined-up NHS app, piloting its citizen ID platform and moving across to the new NHS.uk website

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Security fears delay roll-out of national e-voting system in Finland

  Project enters problem-solving phase to identify advanced, effective and best practice solutions to develop a secure internet-based voting system

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  Salary is not top way to attract cybersec pros, report reveals

  Salary is not the highest priority for cyber security professionals, a report on hiring and retaining top cyber security talent shows

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  Government must rewrite illegal sections of Snoopers’ Charter, court told

  A court has been asked to give ministers until July 2018 to rewrite powers to require phone and internet companies to retain data on the population. The government acknowledges parts of surveillance regime are unlawful

• February 27, 2018 27 Feb'18

  King’s College dumps legacy SAN for Nimble hybrid flash

  Cambridge college triples storage capacity for VMware virtualised environment and adds Veeam backup. Nimble hybrid flash ensures rapid data access with Sata bulk storage behind

• February 27, 2018 27 Feb'18

  Understanding the cyber threat key to UK defence, says NCSC

  Understanding cyber threats is key to defending the UK and ensuring it is a safe place to do business, says the National Cyber Security Centre

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  London councils set aside more than £1.2m for GDPR

  London councils have spent over £1.2m in preparation for new EU data protection laws, a think tank report has revealed

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Surveillance watchdog investigates security risks of GCHQ IT contractors

  The investigatory powers commissioner is reviewing the security arrangements for IT contractors that have access to live computer systems at GCHQ holding highly sensitive records on the UK population

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Cyber criminals catching up with nation state attacks

  The trickle-down effect of advanced “military-grade” tools is seeing the gap between cyber criminal and nation state attack capabilities closing, outpacing many organisations’ defence capabilities

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Estonia wants to introduce special visa for digital nomads

  Baltic state’s next digital development could be a visa targeted at people who work online and are location independent

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Legacy lock-in and lack of skills hamper public sector cloud adoption

  Migrating from legacy lock-in and the ability to manage workloads in cloud infrastructure are among the major challenges that are slowing down public sector cloud adoption

• February 23, 2018 23 Feb'18

  West Midlands Mayor on the hunt for chief digital officer

  The mayor wants to appoint a chief digital officer to drive forward the region’s digital strategy and help West Midlands grow as a leading tech hub

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  Farming gets £90m tech boost

  The government is pushing high tech into agriculture and farming as it fleshes out its Industrial Strategy

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  Emergency Services Network progress ‘deeply unsatisfactory’, says PAC

  A Home Office review of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme will not be finished before the end of July, the Public Accounts Committee has been told

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  MPs run the rule over digital currency to identify risks and opportunities

  MPs are taking a close look at the potential opportunities and risks associated with the UK adoption of cryptocurrencies and the technology that underpins them

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  CityFibre launches consumer broadband partnership in Aberdeen

  CityFibre and Vodafone are preparing to launch a consumer FTTP broadband service in Aberdeen

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  People worried about data security in public sector, survey finds

  Majority of people are concerned with the security of the data they share with public sector organisations, according to a report

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  Economic impact of cyber crime is significant and rising

  Cyber attacks are becoming easier to carry out while defences remain inadequate, study shows

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  VX Fiber brings Swedish open access full-fibre broadband model to UK

  Flush with success in its home market, Swedish open access full-fibre broadband specialist VX Fiber is launching in the UK, with plans to shake up service delivery to users by helping local councils monetise their network assets

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  AI a threat to cyber security, warns report

  Artificial intelligence is being incorporated into a range of cyber security products, but the technology may also introduce new threats, a report warns

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  UAE makes artificial intelligence leap

  The UAE is investing in becoming a global pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence technology in various sectors of its economy

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  Digital economy to make up 60% of APAC’s GDP by 2021

  The surge in GDP contribution will come as more organisations shift from digital transformation initiatives aimed at shoring up productivity towards digital product development

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  4G IoT network may ease aviation sector fears over drone safety

  Vodafone is testing mobile and internet of things network technology to protect commercial aircraft from badly flown drones

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  UK local councils under huge cyber attack pressure

  Investigation underlines importance of security automation and employee awareness training

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  Government must invest in efficient IT to support food trade post-Brexit, say MPs

  Inefficient IT and infrastructure at the border could cause perishable foods to spoil, says committee, which calls for the government to ensure the right IT is in place for prompt export and import

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  CIO interview: Theo Blackwell, London chief digital officer, Mayor of London’s Office

  London CDO Theo Blackwell talks about cross-council collaboration, London’s role as a data-driven city and the importance of ensuring the capital won’t lose out on talent post-Brexit

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  NHS Digital plots Office 365 and NHSmail integration to boost collaboration in healthcare

  NHS Digital outlines delivery timeline for integrating NHSmail with Microsoft Office 365, as it strives to improve collaboration between health and social care stakeholders

• February 20, 2018 20 Feb'18

  CIO interview: Matthew Wallbridge, head of ICT, Croydon Council

  Croydon’s ICT boss talks about why being “good” isn’t good enough and building a new ICT delivery model

• February 19, 2018 19 Feb'18

  Lauri Love can stay in UK: prosecutors will not appeal extradition ruling

  Crown Prosecution Service gives undertaking to Lauri Love that it will not appeal against a court decision not to extradite him to the US – but prosecutors are seeking leave to appeal over part of the court ruling on extradition procedure

• February 19, 2018 19 Feb'18

  Church spires to become mobile coverage hotspots

  Following successful trials in East Anglia, DCMS and Defra plan to encourage rural vicars to host broadband connectivity hotspots in their churches

• February 16, 2018 16 Feb'18

  US sentences two Russians for huge data breaches

  The US has sentenced two Russian cyber criminals who targeted major payment processors, retailers and financial institutions around the world, as the US joins the UK in condemning Russia for the 2017 NotPetya attacks

• February 15, 2018 15 Feb'18

  Briton jailed for two years for product testing for hackers

  A Briton has been jailed for two years for running a product-testing service for hackers

• February 15, 2018 15 Feb'18

  UK Foreign Office minister condemns Russia for NotPetya attacks

  The UK has attributed to Russia the NotPetya malware that caused significant disruption globally, based on an assessment by the NCSC

• February 14, 2018 14 Feb'18

  Cyberthreat 2018 aimed at UK cyber security techies

  Cyberthreat 2018 is aimed at growing the UK’s network of cyber defenders, filling a key gap in the UK cyber security conference calendar and bridging the public-private sector divide

• February 13, 2018 13 Feb'18

  Trust is key to sharing personal data, ODI research finds

  People are more comfortable sharing personal data if they have been told how it will be used, according to the Open Data Institute

• February 13, 2018 13 Feb'18

  Home Office fights terrorist content online with detection tool

  The Home Office has partnered ASI Data Science to create a tool which automatically detects terrorist content on online platforms

• February 12, 2018 12 Feb'18

  Criminals hijack government sites to mine cryptocurrency used to hide wealth

  Europol says criminals are hiding billions in cryptocurrencies, as thousands of government and other websites have reportedly been used to hijack computers to mine more

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Norway’s government backs cyber defence mobilisation

  Norway has accelerated plans to scale up its national security infrastructure against threats emanating from the cyber domain

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Universal Credit business case still not approved as concerns continue over digital service

  MPs reveal internal project reviews that show full business case yet to be approved and ongoing worries over digital system for welfare reform programme

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Interview: Tackling gender diversity could solve the skills gap, says Burbidge

  Tackling the lack of gender diversity in the tech industry could help close the skills gap, but there is a long way to go to solve either, says Eileen Burbidge

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Teenager suspected of crippling Dutch banks with DDoS attacks

  A large distributed denial of service attack on banks and other organisations in the Netherlands, first thought to emanate from Russia, is now thought to have been launched by a local teenager

• February 07, 2018 07 Feb'18

  Government must hurry to recruit digital skills needed for Brexit, says PAC

  Skills required to prepare for leaving the EU are in “short supply” and the government must deal with its capability challenge, says Public Accounts Committee report

• February 07, 2018 07 Feb'18

  UK government orders review of online laws

  The UK Law Commission is to review current legislation on offensive online communications to ensure they are up to date with technology

• February 07, 2018 07 Feb'18

  Dubai transport authority maps city to support autonomous cars

  Dubai’s RTA has enlisted Here Technologies to build a high-definition map of the city to support its goals around self-driving cars

• February 06, 2018 06 Feb'18

  Most NHS trusts have failed their cyber security assessments, NHS Digital admits

  NHS Digital deputy CEO Rob Shaw told Public Accounts Committee all 200 trusts assessed for cyber security, both before and after the WannaCry attack, have failed their assessments

• February 06, 2018 06 Feb'18

  UK risks unemployment rise unless people are reskilled for AI

  The tech industry is optimistic that people will get jobs, but only if they have the right skills – and it looks like the UK is a long way from being artificial intelligence-savvy

• February 06, 2018 06 Feb'18

  UK leads international crackdown on Luminosity spyware

  Law enforcement agencies shut down international support network for a hacking tool that allowed cyber criminals to gain remote control of victims’ computers

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  Lauri Love plans to use ‘internet as a force for good’

  Engineering student Lauri Love says he plans to help businesses fight cyber crime, after the court of appeal ruled that he can be tried in the UK for allegedly hacking US computer systems, rather than face extradition to the US

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  UK economy least likely to grow through AI

  The UK's poor productivity record is unlikely to grow hugely from artificial intelligence helpers that augment human work

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  NCSC shows how first year affected cyber attacks on the UK

  Initiatives by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have detected and prevented millions of online commodity attacks, the agency’s first annual report shows

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  Appeals court rules Lauri Love will not be extradited over US hacking charges

  The lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, says 33-year-old engineering student Lauri Love will not be extradited to the US to face hacking charges, in a landmark legal decision, and the Crown Prosecution Service should bring proceedings against Love in ...

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  NHS WannaCry review highlights need for accountability and skills

  Lessons-learned report on ransomware attack calls for local NHS organisations to put cyber security bosses on their boards and consider suspending IT access to staff who have not completed cyber security training

• February 04, 2018 04 Feb'18

  Government backs national cyber policy and strategy competition

  London is to host a national cyber policy and strategy competition, which has the backing of government, industry and academia