News

IT for government and public sector

• February 06, 2013 06 Feb'13

  HMRC doubles in-house software development team

  HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is doubling its software development team to 600 to reduce reliance on large outsourcers, says CIO Mark Hall

• February 06, 2013 06 Feb'13

  Twitter strengthens login security after hacker attack

  Days after a hacking attack, it has emerged that Twitter plans to strengthen its login security with two-factor authentication

• February 06, 2013 06 Feb'13

  Raspberry Pi Model A computer goes on sale for £16

  The latest version of the small single-board Raspberry Pi computer – Model A – has gone on sale in Europe at just £16

• February 06, 2013 06 Feb'13

  Snooping bill needs more work, say MPs

  The government’s proposed Communications Data Bill needs more work, says a report from the cross-party intelligence and security committee

• February 06, 2013 06 Feb'13

  HMRC to roll out 7,000 mobile devices including iPads

  HMRC is to roll-out 7,000 consumer devices, including MacBooks and iPads, as part of a move toward mobile working.

• February 04, 2013 04 Feb'13

  Beebus virus targets aerospace and defence

  Security researchers have discovered a new threat that targets companies in the aerospace and defence industries

• February 04, 2013 04 Feb'13

  Controversial Cornwall outsourcing plan faces more challenges

  The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust has pulled out of a shared services programme

• February 04, 2013 04 Feb'13

  HTC forecasts sales decline for sixth consecutive quarter

  Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC has forecast a sales decline for the sixth consecutive quarter in the face of competition from rivals

• February 04, 2013 04 Feb'13

  Oracle rushes out another Java update

  Oracle has rushed out another security update for Java in the wake of a flawed update released in January

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  Ofcom launches consultation on liberalising 4G spectrum

  Vodafone and 3 have asked Ofcom to allow 4G connectivity across their existing spectrum

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  Leading companies adopt new security tools

  The actual number of cyber attacks on businesses is probably five times greater than the number being reported, says RSA

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  Government reviews data security rules to widen device clearance

  The government has re-categorised data security to widen the range of devices beyond Blackberry cleared to handle government data

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  Google just meets EU competition commissioner’s deadline

  Google has submitted last-minute proposals to address the EC’s concerns over alleged abuse of its dominant market position

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  University shuns HP array features for SIOS host-based replication

  Nottingham university deploys SIOS host-based replication in £500k HP shared storage project across two mirrored sites to provide 2,000 research staff with 0.5PB capacity

• February 01, 2013 01 Feb'13

  Chinese hackers hit Wall Street Journal and New York Times

  The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times claim hackers have infiltrated their systems to monitor the newspapers' coverage of China.

• January 31, 2013 31 Jan'13

  Former US cyber czar Howard Schmidt tells business not to wait for government

  Private business must not wait for government but take the initiative in addressing cyber threats, says former US cyber czar Howard Schmidt

• January 31, 2013 31 Jan'13

  Kaspersky calls for international cooperation on cyber security

  Governments must understand that cyber weapons are extremely dangerous and have to agree not to use them

• January 31, 2013 31 Jan'13

  Petition against £1bn Barnet Council outsourcing tops 8,000 signatures

  A petition calling for a public referendum on Barnet Council’s planned outsourcing project – One Barnet – has reached over 8,000 signatures

• January 30, 2013 30 Jan'13

  Students flock to study computer science degrees

  The number of prospective students seeking to study computer science has increased by 12.3% to 86,294, according to UCAS

• January 30, 2013 30 Jan'13

  Three police forces backtrack on IT outsourcing plans

  Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police have changed their minds and decided not to outsource services, including HR, to G4S

• January 30, 2013 30 Jan'13

  Barnet Council outsourcing plan faces prospect of judicial review

  Resident Maria Nash challenges Barnet Council’s plan to outsource services – One Barnet – which could now face a judicial review

• January 29, 2013 29 Jan'13

  Google funds 15,000 Raspberry Pi computers to schools

  Google is to fund 15,000 Raspberry Pi microcomputers to school children around the UK

• January 29, 2013 29 Jan'13

  Brighton and East Sussex councils sign £20m PSN deal

  Brighton and East Sussex councils have signed a £20m deal for a public services network expected to save £2m over seven years

• January 29, 2013 29 Jan'13

  Data protection tops 2013 UK security priorities

  Data protection is the top security priority for more than half of UK organisations in 2013, a survey has revealed

• January 29, 2013 29 Jan'13

  Motion sensors could unlock smartphones, say researchers

  Smartphone motion sensors could prove a security vulnerability in helping criminals work out locking codes, say US security researchers

• January 28, 2013 28 Jan'13

  Why has NAC, like DLP, failed to take off?

  Why are organisations not investing in systems that are designed to keep malicious actors out of their networks?

• January 28, 2013 28 Jan'13

  Fife council signs £26m deal with Capgemini

  Fife Council has signed a four-year IT partnership with Capgemini worth up £26m

• January 28, 2013 28 Jan'13

  US military plans major boost for cyber force

  The US plans a substantial expansion for its cyber security force, increasing the headcount from 900 to 4,900 in the next few years

• January 28, 2013 28 Jan'13

  Anonymous hackers hijack US agency website

  Anonymous hackers embed a video statement on a US government agency website in response to the death of digital activist Aaron Swartz

• January 28, 2013 28 Jan'13

  Google could face UK legal action for secret iPhone tracking

  Ten million UK iPhone users could have grounds to sue Google for circumventing Apple security settings to monitor web browsing habits

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  EC calls for action on cyber strategy at WEF meeting

  EC has called on leaders attending the World Economic Forum meeting to establish strategies to cope with and respond to cyber attacks

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  Government launches online property finder service

  The government has launched a property finder website as part of its move to save £1.8bn in property rationalisation

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  Encryption is safe bet, says SafeNet

  Encryption is the only thing that can give peace of mind to CIOs and CISOs, says Dave Hansen, president and CEO of security firm SafeNet

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  UK signs up to WEF cyber resilience plan

  The UK has signed the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) new set of principles on cyber resilience

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  ICO wins round one of penalty challenge, but can it win round two?

  The ICO has won the first appeal against a fine issued to an NHS Trust, but a second could pose a greater challenge

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  Civil service lacks the skills to become digital, says NAO

  The civil service currently lacks the skills it needs to deliver a modern, digital government, the National Audit Office has said

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  Two jailed in the UK for Anonymous cyber attacks

  Two men who carried out cyber attacks as part of the Anonymous hacktivist collective have been sentenced to jail terms in the UK

• January 25, 2013 25 Jan'13

  Microsoft profits and shares dip despite record revenues from Windows 8

  Microsoft’s share price slips after it reports a drop in profits, despite record revenues boosted by Windows 8 operating system (OS) sales

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  Ed Vaizey launches Fast Start scheme to accelerate broadband roll-out

  Communications minister Ed Vaizey has launched the Fast Start initiative to accelerate broadband roll-out, with Norfolk slated for the pilot scheme

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  Councils opt for Microsoft CRMs

  Huntingdonshire District Council has rolled out a Microsoft Dynamics CRM in a move it expects will save £200,000 over the next five years

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  Chris Chant calls for government IT heads to step down

  Outspoken former government IT reformer Chris Chant has called for the resignation of the Cabinet Office's Stephen Kelly and Bill Crothers

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  ICO hits Sony with £250,000 data breach penalty

  The Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has fined Sony Computer Entertainment Europe £250,000 for breaching the Data Protection Act

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  US charges three Europeans for cyber theft

  US authorities have arrested and charged three European men with creating and distributing a computer virus

• January 24, 2013 24 Jan'13

  Government requests for user data increasing, says Google

  The rise in government requests for users’ data continued in the second half of 2012, Google has revealed in its latest Transparency Report

• January 23, 2013 23 Jan'13

  Interview: Cabinet Office chief operating officer Stephen Kelly

  On the changing nature of IT leadership, the role of the CTO in providing future vision and why government needs 'audacious speed' in its delivery of IT.

• January 23, 2013 23 Jan'13

  Vaizey promises ‘mechanisms’ to meet spectrum needs

  Ed Vaizey says 4G roll-out is not enough and more spectrum must be freed up to support UK businesses

• January 23, 2013 23 Jan'13

  Unified Communications boosts Horndean College

  The Hampshire school uses Siemens Enterprise Communications kit to cut costs and provide better services to staff and students

• January 23, 2013 23 Jan'13

  Millions could be affected by Twitter bug, says Cesar Cerrudo

  A Twitter flaw allows third-party applications to access the direct messages of users who sign in to apps using Twitter accounts

• January 23, 2013 23 Jan'13

  Government reforms save £316m in IT, confirms NAO

  Government reforms cut IT spending by £316m in 2012, the National Audit Office (NAO) has confirmed

• January 22, 2013 22 Jan'13

  Defra plans £80m agile CAP system

  The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is planning a single integrated £80m Common Agricultural Policy system

• January 22, 2013 22 Jan'13

  Why has DLP never taken off?

  Why is data loss prevention (DLP) technology not being adopted if it provides the very protection most businesses need?

• January 22, 2013 22 Jan'13

  ID theft biggest fraud threat, says Cifas

  The fraudulent use of stolen or fictitious identity details is the biggest fraud threat, according to the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, Cifas

• January 22, 2013 22 Jan'13

  Proposed EU data breach laws will require proactive security

  Proposed European Union data breach notification laws will require proactive network security, says security management firm LogRhythm

• January 22, 2013 22 Jan'13

  City of London School wins National Cipher Challenge

  A team from City of London School has triumphed over 724 other UK schools to win the 11th National Cipher Challenge

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  GDS must not become an outlier, warns Martha Lane Fox

  The Government Digital Service (GDS) must not remain an outlier to the way the public sector delivers online services, says Martha Lane Fox

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  UK citizens unwilling to embrace big data

  The public sector could improve services by imitating the private sector’s use of big data, but citizens are overwhelmingly against the idea

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  Cyber Security Challenge UK announces first University Challenge

  Four leading UK universities for Computer Science are taking part in a code-breaking competition as part of Cyber Security Challenge UK 2013

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  Half of UK youngsters get no online safety training, study shows

  Millions of UK youngsters are missing out on crucial online safety training, a study has shown

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  Google proposes alternative to passwords

  Google hopes to lead the scrapping of passwords by proposing what the company claims will be a more secure online authentication method

• January 21, 2013 21 Jan'13

  US general warns of Iran’s growing cyber capability

  Iran’s cyber soldiers are going to be a force to be reckoned with, the head of the US military cyber operations has warned

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  NHS trust opts for HP active-active no-SSD tier SAN deployment

  Brighton NHS trust chooses HP private cloud instead of Dell servers and storage, and revamps IT and disaster recovery with active-active LeftHand SANs and no SSD tier

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  Red October exploits patched Excel and Word flaws, experts say

  The 'Red October' malware campaign uses patched Microsoft Excel and Word flaws to infect victims' computers, reveals analysis from Kaspersky

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  G-Cloud powers Huddle’s public sector sales growth

  Cloud collaboration firm Huddle saw its public sector sales double to 30% of all revenues this year due to uptake generated through the CloudStore

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  Businesses finally see ROI for IT security

  IT security is increasingly being regarded as an integral part of business operations, a survey has revealed

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  RSA identifies 'bouncer' phishing attack

  A phishing scam that behaves like a nightclub bouncer is among a new breed of phishing attacks, say security researchers

• January 18, 2013 18 Jan'13

  Intel’s business hit by falling PC sales in 2012

  Chip maker Intel has reported fourth quarter net income of $2.47bn, down 27% compared with the same period a year ago

• January 17, 2013 17 Jan'13

  Government releases cost metrics on biggest public transactions

  The government has released data on the cost of its highest transactional public services, as part of moves to measure the progress of its ‘digital by default’ agenda

• January 17, 2013 17 Jan'13

  Met Police to equip officers with 30,000 mobile devices

  The Metropolitan Police wants to roll out 30,000 mobile and tablet devices to officers this year to give better information on the beat

• January 17, 2013 17 Jan'13

  Government CIO Andy Nelson tipped for DWP CIO

  Government chief information officer Andy Nelson has been tipped as the next CIO at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

• January 17, 2013 17 Jan'13

  Malware hits US power plants

  Malware infected two US power plants via corrupted USB sticks in recent months, the US Cyber Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) has revealed

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Post Office wants to get to bottom of IT system allegations

  A system that set out to modernise the Post Office in 1996 is under the spotlight after claims that Horizon accounting system is error prone

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Poor connectivity is biggest barrier to NHS mobile working

  Poor connectivity has been outlined as the biggest barrier to mobile working in the NHS, according to a study from the Department of Health

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Cloud security key to BYOD, (ISC)2 study shows

  (ISC)2 says businesses welcome bring your own device (BYOD) policies for cost savings and user experience, but need the right security skills

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Cambridgeshire County Council rolls out BYOD for 4,500 users

  Cambridgeshire County Council is to roll out a mobile phone 'bring your own device’ (BYOD) scheme for its 4,500 users

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Hunt wants paperless NHS by 2018

  The NHS plans to go paperless by 2018, health secretary Jeremy Hunt will announce

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Huge botnet infecting smartphones in China

  Security researchers say a huge botnet is running on the smartphones of more than a million mobiles in China

• January 16, 2013 16 Jan'13

  Campaigners oppose Nominet plans for secure .uk domain

  Digital rights campaigners have criticised Nominet's plans to create a secure .uk domain, saying it will create a monopoly of trust in UK domains

• January 15, 2013 15 Jan'13

  UK office workers swamped with phishing emails, study finds

  UK office workers are being swamped with phishing emails, a study from training firm PhishMe has revealed

• January 15, 2013 15 Jan'13

  Security firm Secarma recovers data from drives bought on eBay

  Formatting hard drives does not delete data, security firm Secarma has warned after recovering data from recycled drives bought on eBay

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Researchers uncover advanced cyber espionage campaign

  An elusive cyber espionage campaign has been targeting diplomatic, governmental and scientific research organisations for several years, analysis by Kaspersky Lab has revealed

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Welsh government invests £39m in school broadband

  The Learning in Digital Wales Grant will support government efforts to bring online learning tools to pupils across Wales

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Why e-petitions wouldn't have happened with a system integrator

  The speed at which e-petitions was developed wouldn’t have been possible with a system integrator, says Peter Herlihy from the GDS

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  UK hackers admit stealing Michael Jackson tracks from Sony

  Two UK men have avoided jail by admitting breaking into servers at Sony Music and downloading Michael Jackson's 50,000-track back catalogue

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  G-Cloud procurement launches latest tendering process

  Government has launched the next iteration of the G-Cloud procurement process, with the framework expected to go live at the end of March

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Anonymous uses Aaron Swartz suicide to call for copyright reform

  At least two MIT websites have been replaced with a political message in memory of digital activist and pioneer Aaron Swartz, who hanged himself

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Post Office announces amnesty for Horizon evidence

  The Post Office is calling for evidence from people who have used the Horizon IT system which some have blamed for accounting discrepancies

• January 14, 2013 14 Jan'13

  Oracle rushes out patches for Java zero days

  Oracle has released two out-of-band security updates for the latest zero day vulnerabilities in Java

• January 11, 2013 11 Jan'13

  Schools to save £10m in Microsoft licensing costs, claims DfE

  An updated agreement between Microsoft and the Department for Education means UK schools will benefit from new licensing discounts

• January 11, 2013 11 Jan'13

  European Cybercrime Centre opens in The Hague

  Cecilia Malmström, EU commissioner for home affairs, has opened the European Cybercrime Centre (EC³) at Europol in The Hague

• January 11, 2013 11 Jan'13

  Disable Java to protect from latest zero-day

  Security researchers are warning of a zero-day vulnerability in all versions of Java, including the latest Java 7 update 10

• January 11, 2013 11 Jan'13

  Google faces tough EU stance, says Joaquin Almunia

  Google faces a tougher stance on market position abuse in Europe than in the US, says EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Government extends employer £1,500 apprenticeship grant for further 12 months

  Government and National Apprenticeship Service extend AGE 16-24 grant for further 12 months

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Ruby on Rails flaws expose thousands of websites to attack

  More than 240,000 websites that use Ruby on Rails web applications are at risk of being exploited by attackers

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Fashion Retail Academy boosts Wi-Fi with Networks First

  The Fashion Retail Academy (FRA) has worked with Networks First to bring improved Wi-Fi connectivity to its staff and students

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Software piracy international in scope, says Fast

  The scale of software piracy is both international in scope and military in its execution, says the Federation Against Software Theft (Fast)

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Software development key reason for £468m MoD overspend, says NAO

  Software development problems have been cited as a key reason for forecast overspend of £468m at the Ministry of Defence over the past year

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Drive-by and XXS attacks will increase in 2013 – but why?

  Drive-by download and cross-site scripting attacks (XSS) will remain top hacking methods in 2013. But what is their enduring appeal for hackers?

• January 10, 2013 10 Jan'13

  Internet firms concerned over EU data protection proposals

  Internet firms such as Facebook may have to get permission to use data if the EU adopts proposals giving users more control over personal data

• January 09, 2013 09 Jan'13

  IT contractors seek to fill skills gap left by public sector cuts

  IT contractors are increasingly confident about job opportunities in the public sector due to reductions in the civil service's head count, finds research

• January 09, 2013 09 Jan'13

  EC welcomes reports on proposed data protection reform

  The European Commission (EC) has welcomed support for data protection laws by rapporteurs of two European parliamentary committees