News

IT for government and public sector

• October 29, 2013 29 Oct'13

  Most businesses need to transform IT security, says RSA

  No modern network or IT system can withstand the onslaught of a skilled adversary, given focus and time, says Amit Yoran, general manager of RSA

• October 29, 2013 29 Oct'13

  G-Cloud raises the ceiling again for government IT procurement

  The fourth version of of G-Cloud - G4 - has gone live, aiming to provide more SMEs a chance to win government IT contracts

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  US and Canada follow UK initiative on Open Data

  The US and Canada are planning to emulate the work of the UK’s Open Data Institute (ODI), created by Tim Berners Lee

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  British man arrested over hacking into US military systems

  The UK's National Crime Agency has arrested a 28-year-old British man on suspicion of hacking into US military and government systems

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  CIO Interview: Ann-Marie Rafferty, head of IT, Access, on partnership models

  Ann-Marie Rafferty, who heads up IT for the partnership between Serco and Glasgow council, discusses strategic frameworks

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  Analysis: What’s PCI DSS V3.0 all about?

  The latest version of PCI DSS is due for publication on 7 November, but what can merchants expect?

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  Loughborough University implements 400 virtual desktops

  Loughborough University has cut maintenance costs and enabled a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scheme for academics with virtual desktops.

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  Latest version of PCI DSS reaches final stages

  Around 500 global stakeholders are to meet this week to give the final community feedback on the next version of PCI DSS

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  End in sight for sub-postmaster claims against Post Office's Horizon accounting system

  Sub-postmasters' claims of errors made by the Horizon accounting system could be completed in three months

• October 28, 2013 28 Oct'13

  Cyber attack shuts down Israeli toll road tunnel

  A cyber attack has shut down a major link in Israel's national road network, experts claim

• October 25, 2013 25 Oct'13

  Home Office awards £621m contracts for visa application services

  The Home Office has awarded two contracts equating to £621m for managing visa applications

• October 25, 2013 25 Oct'13

  Official PHP website confirms server compromise

  The official website for the PHP scripting language has confirmed that hackers compromised two of its servers

• October 25, 2013 25 Oct'13

  Three quarters of UK homes can access superfast broadband

  A report from telecoms regulator Ofcom claims three in four homes can now access superfast internet connections and adoption of the technology is on the rise

• October 25, 2013 25 Oct'13

  BT and Whitehall tell council to keep BDUK postcodes quiet

  BT and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told Cumbria County Council to keep BDUK roll-out locations secret

• October 25, 2013 25 Oct'13

  Microsoft shares up on strong Q3 results

  Microsoft shares rose 6% on third quarter earnings of $5.2bn, a 17% increase compared with the same period the year before

• October 24, 2013 24 Oct'13

  Legacy IT preventing councils from delivering better digital services

  Local authorities are being held back by their legacy IT systems from delivering improved and cost-effective digital services

• October 24, 2013 24 Oct'13

  Thales launches critical infrastructure cyber security lab

  Thales has set up a cyber security lab dedicated to help improve the security of critical national infrastructure, government and business

• October 24, 2013 24 Oct'13

  London costs force Tech City startups to look elsewhere

  Technology SMEs struggle to grow in London and are looking to other less expensive hubs and cities to start up their businesses

• October 24, 2013 24 Oct'13

  Naming authority Icann announces internet domains in Arabic, Chinese and Cyrillic

  Internet naming authority Icann has announced four non-Latin generic top-level domains in Arabic, Chinese and Cyrillic scripts

• October 24, 2013 24 Oct'13

  Facebook to trial warnings for extreme content

  Facebook is to trial warning messages on extreme content after an outcry over its decision to lift a ban on beheading videos

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  Information sharing key to security, say European experts

  Faster threat information sharing is essential in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks, say European experts

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  MEPs call for suspension of EU-US bank data deal in response to NSA snooping

  Members of the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for the suspenion of the EU’s Terrorist Finance Tracking Program agreement with the US

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  Security finally able to enable business, says Voltage

  New security technologies are finally making it easier for security to enable the business and drive value, says Voltage Security

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  Time to review cyber trust, says ICSPA

  The world needs to reset the clock on trust after Snowden's revelations on US internet surveillance, says ICSPA

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  US publishes draft cyber security framework

  The US has published a draft framework of voluntary cyber security standards aimed at reducing risks to critical national infrastructure

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  Google to release two-factor security token

  Google is planning a two-factor authentication token, the firm’s principal engineer has confirmed

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  The commercial reality of Huawei’s trust issues

  The Chinese firm is working tirelessly to tell the world it can be trusted but, the US remains unwilling to budge

• October 22, 2013 22 Oct'13

  IT security a new challenge post Snowden, ISSE conference told

  Business is facing a new challenge in securing data in a post Edward Snowden era, ISSE 2013 conference told

• October 22, 2013 22 Oct'13

  Computer science needs business and people skills, says professor

  Universities need to broaden teaching of computer science if the mismatch between graduate skills and business IT requirements grows.

• October 22, 2013 22 Oct'13

  MEPs vote to tighten data protection rules after internet surveillance revelations

  MEPs want internet companies to personally inform European citizens of any requests to transfer their data outside the EU

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  Manchester’s Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust streamlines IT with private cloud

  Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is implementing a private cloud to improve IT efficiency for the organisation’s 8,800 staff members

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  NCA begins major cyber recruitment campaign

  The UK’s new National Crime Agency (NCA) has begun a major recruitment drive for cyber crime fighters and intelligence officers

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  UK must legislate on critical cyber security, says ViaSat

  The UK must set rules for the cyber security of critical national infrastructure, says chief of communications firm ViaSat UK

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  Job growth in UK technology sector storms ahead, says report

  Job growth in the UK technology sector has outperformed the rest of the UK private sector over the past ten years

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  Microsoft withdraws faulty Windows RT 8.1 update for Surface tablets

  Microsoft has widthdrawn its Windows 8.1 update for Surface RT tablets after some users reported system crashes

• October 21, 2013 21 Oct'13

  China no longer top source of cyber attacks

  Indonesia has overtaken China as the top source of cyber attacks, according to a report by Akamai

• October 18, 2013 18 Oct'13

  US researchers find 25 security vulnerabilities in SCADA systems

  US researchers have identified 25 zero-day vulnerabilities in industrial control SCADA software from 20 suppliers that is used to control critical infrastructure systems

• October 18, 2013 18 Oct'13

  Huawei denies government influence and calls for cyber security standards

  Huawei has reiterated denials of government influence and called for common international cyber security standards

• October 18, 2013 18 Oct'13

  High-growth companies selected for government Future Fifty programme

  The first high-growth UK companies have been chosen for the government’s Future Fifty fast-track programme.

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Government overhauls security classification to fit digital age

  In its first overhaul since World War II the government is consolidating six security bands to three with a system deemed more appropriate in the digital age.

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Government ups teaching bursaries for tech graduates

  Schools minister David Laws says more bursaries and scholarships will be provided to attract top graduates in computing, maths, physics and chemistry into teaching

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  New tech a top security challenge, says Isaca CEO

  A top challenge facing information security professionals is the multiple points of entry created by new technologies, says Ron Hale, acting CEO of Isaca

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  The challenges of using mobile devices in the public sector

  The government is allowing the public sector to implement BYOD schemes, but the guidelines are limiting and challenges still remain

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  UK calls for open internet to spur economic growth

  The UK has called for an open and borderless internet at the opening ceremony of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 in South Korea

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  DDoS attacks more than treble in the past year, report reveals

  The number of DDoS attacks over 20Gbps so far this year is more than three times greater than for the whole of 2012 data shows

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Spanish bank La Caixa looks to startups for innovation

  La Caixa is looking for ways to innovate in an increasingly competitive environment, and is turning to startups for new and niche technologies

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Mobile payments set to take Europe by storm

  Benjami Puigdevall Esteve, head of electronic channels at the Spanish bank La Caixa believes Spain will lead the way with NFC payments in 2014, with hopes that the trend will also take hold of the rest of Europe.

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Dexter payment card malware variant hits South Africa

  The Dexter payment card skimming malware discovered last year has resurfaced in South Africa, resulting in millions of pounds lost to fraud

• October 16, 2013 16 Oct'13

  Enterprises struggle with security challenge of BYOD, study shows

  Organisations are struggling to solve the security problems created by personal devices accessing corporate data, a study has revealed

• October 16, 2013 16 Oct'13

  Government organisations will eliminate CIO or digital chief, says Gartner

  Nearly two-thirds of government organisations will get rid of the CIO or chief digital officer role to eliminate overlap, says Gartner

• October 16, 2013 16 Oct'13

  Neustar to host first DDoS awareness day

  Communications firm Neustar is to host the first international awareness day on distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks

• October 16, 2013 16 Oct'13

  Ofcom seeks bidders for MoD 4G spectrum

  Telecoms regulator Ofcom is given 190MHz of spectrum by the MoD for commercial use, so another auction could be on its way

• October 16, 2013 16 Oct'13

  Intel profits dip as glitch delays Broadwell chip

  Intel profits dipped after it announced that production of its next-generation PC chip, Broadwell, will be delayed by a quarter

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  OFT launches investigation into public sector IT supply

  The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched a formal study into the supply of IT products and services to the public sector

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  The ICO issues BYOD warning after breach

  The ICO is calling on organisations to ensure data protection policies reflect how employees are using personal devices for work

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  UK businesses call for support to close virtual security skills gap

  Most UK businesses want to see virtual security guidelines put in place to help organisations understand best practice

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  D-Link begins fixing router backdoor

  D-Link has begun releasing security patches to close the backdoor discovered on some of its routers

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  BT, GCHQ and NCA set challenge to find UK cyber defenders

  BT, GCHQ and the National Crime Agency (NCA) join forces to test finalists in this year's Cyber Security Challenge UK

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Kevin Cunnington appointed as digital chief at DWP

  The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced Kevin Cunnington as director general for digital transformation

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Italian university reduces costs by 23% with cloud platform

  Italy’s first open university, Marconi University, has launched an IT project to host its e-learning services on a cloud platform

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  McAfee exposes scope of digitally funded crime extends to contract killings

  Virtual currencies are being used for a very wide range of crime – including contract killings – says a report by security firm McAfee

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Scottish Government pilots Windows 8 tablets to improve services

  The Scottish government is piloting how Windows 8 could be used to improve citizen relationship

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Upfront security better and cheaper, says expert

  Businesses can increase data protection and decrease cost by baking in information security from the start of any IT project

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Osborne confirms Chinese investment in Manchester Airport City

  Chancellor George Osborne announces partnership with Chinese industry to bring more than 16,000 jobs to Manchester

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Building railways not broadband is a ‘strategic mistake’

  The chief technology officer for Microsoft in EMEA claims the government is making a mistake investing billions into HS2 rather than broadband infrastructure which could enable more mobile working

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Skype under investigation over link to NSA

  Skype is under investigation by Luxembourg's data protection authorities over links with the NSA's Prism surveillance programme

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Richard Horne joins PwC’s cyber practice

  Richard Horne, former managing director of cyber security at Barclays Bank, is joining PwC's cyber security practice

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Can speech recognition software save the NHS?

  The pathology department at Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust is using voice dictation software from Nuance to streamline tissue sample processing

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Nuance demos virtual healthcare assistant

  Speech software company Nuance has demonstrated how a voice-based user interface could streamline medical consultation

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Facebook will not allow anyone to hide

  Facebook is removing a privacy setting that enabled people to hide their profiles from the social networking site’s search function

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  NCA notches up first phishing conviction

  The National Crime Agency (NCA) Cyber Crime Unit has notched up its first conviction of a phishing offender after an investigation

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Top tech firms plan cross-platform cookie alternatives

  Microsoft, Google and other top tech firms are planning cookie alternatives to improve their ability to track users

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Legitimate users of Tor need not worry, says NCA

  The National Crime Agency (NCA) says criminals cannot hide on the internet, but legitimate business users of anonymity software Tor are safe

• October 10, 2013 10 Oct'13

  Ofcom hikes spectrum licence prices

  Mobile regulator Ofcom more than quadruples the annual fees mobile operators will have to pay for 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands

• October 10, 2013 10 Oct'13

  BIS launches Smart Cities Forum to capitalise on the growing industry

  The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has launched an initiative to help the UK develop smart cities

• October 10, 2013 10 Oct'13

  Google to reward open source security fixes

  Google has announced plans to reward developers for proactive security improvements for select open source projects

• October 10, 2013 10 Oct'13

  Blackhole and Cool exploit kit suspect arrested

  Russian police have arrested a man suspected of creating the Blackhole and Cool exploit kits

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  UK security researcher first to win top Microsoft bounty

  A UK security researcher is the first to win $100,000 in one of three new Microsoft bug bounty programmes

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  Home Office e-borders programme still using pilot IT system from 2004

  Home Office yet to replace sacked Raytheon with new supplier for flagship programme to help protect UK borders

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  NCA investigates “deep web” after UK Silk Road arrests

  The UK National Crime Agency is investigating hidden internet operations after UK Silk Road arrests

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  Pro-Palestinian hacktivists hit security sites

  Pro-Palestinian hacktivists have attacked the websites of two IT security firms and a mobile messaging service

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Rural 10% forced to wait for broadband

  The most rural areas of the UK may have to wait for BT to complete the BDUK broadband roll-out before they get connected

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  UK breaks into ITU’s top 10 for ICT development

  UK takes eighth place in International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) league table for ICT deployments and adoption

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Cyber crimes costs UK businesses average of £3m per year

  Cyber crime costs UK organisations around £3m a year on average a study has revealed

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  FireEye discovers rapidly growing class of mobile threats

  FireEye researchers have discovered a rapidly growing class of mobile threats affecting at least 200 million users

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Foreign Office outsources end-to-end IT management

  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has outsourced the management of its IT services to BAE Systems Detica with targeted IT savings of 40% over the five year agreement

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Microsoft pays out $128K to security bug hunters

  Microsoft has paid out more than $128,000 since introducing bug bounty programmes in June

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Major gaps in enterprise insider threat detection, study shows

  There are major gaps in the ability of large enterprises to detect and address insider threats, a study shows

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Government pledges extra £100m to Enterprise Zones

  Communities secretary Eric Pickles confirms the additional funding to help complete infrastructure projects around the new business hubs

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Big business still struggling with social media, says TCS

  Almost two-thirds of big firms have employees dedicated to using social media, but only 10% report any business benefits

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Driving Standards Agency updates WAN with MDNX

  The government agency has revamped its WAN solution to link its datacentre through the PSN network to its driving test centres across the UK

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  UK National Cyber Crime Unit becomes operational

  The UK's National Cyber Crime Unit has become operational as part of the new National Crime Agency

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Government holds consultation on broadband delivery

  A meeting to tap the industry for its knowledge on broadband delivery is taking place in Whitehall today, but DCMS gives little notice for companies to be prepared

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  RSA Europe 2013 to get practical about big data

  Big data is to dominate the agenda at the RSA Europe Conference 2013 taking place in Amsterdam from 29 – 31 October, but will be more practical than theoretical, says programme chair

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Banks to test cyber defences

  UK banks are to take part in the most extensive cyber threat exercise in two years to test their ability to survive a sustained online attack

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  How London Met improves students’ job prospects with IBM Academic Skills Cloud

  London Metropolitan University's Faculty of Business & Law implemented IBM Academic Skills Cloud to improve the prospects of its students

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Building government IT in Northern Ireland

  Paul Wickens is CEO of Enterprise Shared Services in Northern Ireland's Civil Service, which is applying private sector IT to the government.

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Health trust adopts Tintri hybrid flash storage in VDI rollout

  Northern Ireland health trust chooses Tintri hybrid flash storage to replace HP LeftHand array for 2,000 desktop VDI rollout. Startup chosen ahead of EMC, HP and flash newcomers

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Awareness training not enough, says security researcher

  Cyber security awareness training of employees does not go far enough to be effective, says McAfee research director

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  McAfee Focus 2013: Digitally signed malware a fast-growing threat, say researchers

  Digitally signed malware is a fast-growing threat aimed at bypassing whitelisting and sandboxing, say security researchers