News
IT for government and public sector
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June 25, 2024
25
Jun'24
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange freed from prison
A deal reached with US authorities will end the WikiLeaks founder’s years-long legal saga, setting him free if he pleads guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge
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June 25, 2024
25
Jun'24
Numbers prove former subpostmaster federation boss’s ignorance over Post Office scandal
George Thomson is ignoring the numbers when he downplays subpostmaster prosecutions based on Horizon data
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June 24, 2024
24
Jun'24
Sellafield pleads guilty to criminal charges over cyber security
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority-backed organisation Sellafield Ltd pleads guilty to criminal charges brought over significant cyber security failings that could have compromised sensitive nuclear information
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June 24, 2024
24
Jun'24
Buckinghamshire Council drives efficiencies with Microsoft Copilot
With local government facing a funding crisis, Buckinghamshire Council hopes artificial intelligence can boost efficiency and reduce outgoings
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June 24, 2024
24
Jun'24
Metropolitan Police could investigate one of its own staff in Post Office probe
Former Post Office investigator deleted references to software errors in a witness statement from Fujitsu’s Gareth Jenkins during the wrongful prosecution of a subpostmaster
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June 21, 2024
21
Jun'24
Sellafield whistleblower ordered to pay costs after email tampering claims
A former consultant at Sellafield has been ordered to pay costs for having ‘acted unreasonably’ in claiming the nuclear facility tampered with metadata in letters used against her in court
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June 21, 2024
21
Jun'24
Qilin ransomware gang publishes stolen NHS data online
The ransomware gang behind a major cyber attack on NHS supplier Synnovis has published a 400GB trove of private healthcare data online
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June 21, 2024
21
Jun'24
ICO police cloud guidance released under FOI
Long-awaited guidance from the UK data regulator on police cloud deployments highlights some potential data transfer mechanisms it thinks can clear up ongoing legal issues, but tells forces it’s up to them to decide if the measures would work
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June 20, 2024
20
Jun'24
Sir Alan Bates hits out at Post Office ‘incompetence’ after data breach
Victims of the scandal react with anger at news the Post Office published a document containing their names and addresses on its website
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June 20, 2024
20
Jun'24
Post Office and Fujitsu had tense relationship, but were joined at hip when protecting their brands
Problems in the roll-out of Horizon Online in 2010 created a tense relationship between the Post Office and Fujitsu
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June 19, 2024
19
Jun'24
Post Office Horizon system investigators were blocked and threatened as they witnessed cover-up
Independent investigators who put Post Office and its Horizon system under spotlight faced aggression as they witnessed cover-up
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June 19, 2024
19
Jun'24
Microsoft admits no guarantee of sovereignty for UK policing data
Documents show Microsoft’s lawyers admitted to Scottish policing bodies that the company cannot guarantee sensitive law enforcement data will remain in the UK, despite long-standing public claims to the contrary
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June 18, 2024
18
Jun'24
General election 2024: The Green Party promises Digital Bill of Rights
The Green Party manifesto contains several tech nuggets, including a bill to ensure independent regulation of social media platforms, increase R&D investment and a cautious regulatory approach to AI pledges
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June 17, 2024
17
Jun'24
Once ridiculed Post Office scandal campaigner Alan Bates receives knighthood
Campaigner for justice, once labelled a ‘nutter’ and a ‘thief’, knighted for his work to expose the Post Office scandal
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June 14, 2024
14
Jun'24
Post Office scandal victims in Scotland have convictions quashed
Scotland follows England, Wales and Northern Ireland in exonerating wrongfully convicted subpostmasters en masse
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June 13, 2024
13
Jun'24
General election 2024: Labour promises to boost digital infrastructure
The Labour Party manifesto for the UK general election promises a new industrial strategy and an overhaul of planning rules to help support the digital and tech sector
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June 13, 2024
13
Jun'24
AI’s environmental cost could outweigh sustainability benefits
Artificial intelligence can help organisations manage and mitigate their environmental impacts in a number of ways, but the highly polluting nature of the technology could outweigh its other sustainability benefits if not dealt with
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June 13, 2024
13
Jun'24
Black Basta ransomware crew may be exploiting Microsoft zero-day
A Microsoft vulnerability that was addressed without fanfare in March may in fact have been exploited as a zero-day by the notorious Black Basta ransomware gang, threat hunters warn
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June 13, 2024
13
Jun'24
Q&A: Adalbjorn Thorolfsson on IT project management in Iceland
With a small, but very sophisticated population, Iceland has unique ways of keeping up with the rest of the world in the IT sector. Adalbjorn Thorolfsson, president of the Icelandic Project Management Association, describes some lessons for the rest...
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June 12, 2024
12
Jun'24
IT witness was hidden away from Post Office court battle, but supported it from shadows
Former Fujitsu chief architect provided evidence support to Post Office witnesses in High Court battle despite being unfit to provide it directly
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June 11, 2024
11
Jun'24
Pure Storage hit by Snowflake credential hackers
Pure Storage emerges as the latest victim of a fast-spreading breach of Snowflake customers targeting users with lax credential security measures in place
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June 11, 2024
11
Jun'24
General election 2024: Conservative manifesto promises to continue tech policies
The Conservative Party manifesto contains little by way of new commitments for tech and digital, but lays out plans to continue existing policies and promises made under the last government
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June 11, 2024
11
Jun'24
More than 160 Snowflake customers hit in targeted data theft spree
Mandiant reports that more than 160 Snowflake customers have been hit in a broad data theft and extortion campaign targeting organisations that have failed to pay proper attention to securing valuable credentials
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June 11, 2024
11
Jun'24
Nuclear waste body cuts energy use by 20% as Pure replaces HPE
French nuclear waste agency Andra has cut storage energy use by 20% and strengthened its disaster recovery capabilities by deploying Pure Storage and 10-year controller upgrades
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June 10, 2024
10
Jun'24
General election 2024: Liberal Democrats thread digital commitments throughout manifesto
The Lib Dems have promised a new industrial strategy and emphasised the importance of the digital sector, skills and regulating AI, as they lay out plans for the UK general election
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June 10, 2024
10
Jun'24
NHS blood stocks running low after ransomware attack
The NHS is appealing for people with O Positive and O Negative blood types to come forward to donate as hospitals in London struggle to keep critical services running after ransomware attack
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June 10, 2024
10
Jun'24
AI firms can’t be trusted to voluntarily share risk information
Workers at frontier AI firms have warned that their employers – including OpenAI, DeepMind and Anthropic – can’t be trusted to voluntarily share information about their systems capabilities and risks with governments or civil society
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June 10, 2024
10
Jun'24
Post Office Capture software training deficit echoes systemic Horizon problems
Post Office branch managers have told Computer Weekly they had no training on how to use Capture software, which pre-dated Horizon
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June 07, 2024
07
Jun'24
Northern Irish police used covert powers to monitor over 300 journalists
PSNI publishes report on police surveillance of journalists and lawyers, but Northern Ireland’s Policing Board says it does not give the assurances needed
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June 07, 2024
07
Jun'24
DDoS gang threatens to disrupt European elections
Russian hacktivists are threatening to disrupt the European Parliament elections, while the BBC reports on new deepfake threats to the UK’s electoral process
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June 07, 2024
07
Jun'24
Bitdefender makes MDR services free to NHS bodies hit by Qilin
Bitdefender offers NHS bodies affected by a major cyber incident free access to its product suite, as the health service continues to deal with the impact of the Qilin ransomware attack on partner Synnovis
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June 07, 2024
07
Jun'24
Fujitsu had Post Office ‘over a barrel’, inquiry told
Post Office scandal inquiry hears how board member believed Fujitsu was exploiting the Post Office
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June 06, 2024
06
Jun'24
Mystery Post Office software developer revealed in 1995 Horizon project document
Capture software was used by about 2,000 subpostmasters in the 1990s, with allegations that errors in the software caused account shortfalls
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June 05, 2024
05
Jun'24
Post Office chair was aware of Horizon concerns from day one but failed to act
Almost immediately after joining the Post Office, Alice Perkins was told about software problems and was concerned about an imbalance of power in the Post Office’s relationship with Fujitsu
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June 05, 2024
05
Jun'24
Qilin ransomware gang likely behind crippling NHS attack
Security experts investigating a major cyber attack on an NHS partner that has caused frontline services across South London to grind to a halt say the Qilin ransomware gang appears to be the culprit
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June 05, 2024
05
Jun'24
Subpostmasters consider legal action against government in pursuit of financial redress
Campaigner says former subpostmasters may have to resort to legal action in pursuit of the money they are owed
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June 04, 2024
04
Jun'24
NHS services at major London hospitals disrupted by cyber attack
A major cyber attack at NHS services provider Synnovis is disrupting frontline care at hospitals across London
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June 04, 2024
04
Jun'24
Russia used fake AI Tom Cruise in Olympic disinformation campaign
Microsoft threat researchers report a surge in Russian disinformation campaigns targeting the 2024 Summer Olympics, including AI-enhanced propaganda
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June 04, 2024
04
Jun'24
Post Office bosses misled subpostmasters a day before IT project problems were exposed
Subpostmasters were reassured by Post Office executives that the Horizon replacement project was satisfactory the day before Computer Weekly reported news to the contrary
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
Police chief commissions ‘independent review’ of surveillance against journalists and lawyers
PNSI chief constable appoints lawyer to conduct review into police phone surveillance of journalists, lawyers and NGOs
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
97 FTSE 100 firms exposed to supply chain breaches
Between March 2023 and March 2024, 97 out of 100 companies on the UK’s FTSE 100 list were put at risk of compromise following supply chain breaches at third-party suppliers
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
AI Seoul Summit review
Dozens of governments and tech companies attending the second global AI Safety Summit have committed themselves to the safe and inclusive development of the technology, but questions remain around whether the commitments made go far enough
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
Uktech50 2024: The longlist of the UK’s influential tech leaders
UKtech50 received a record-breaking 434 nominations for the 2024 list. Unfortunately, there wasn’t space for everyone in the top 50, and as you can see for yourself in this year’s longlist, it was a difficult decision for the judges
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
How poor IT project management failed Birmingham Oracle implementation
Birmingham City Council’s Oracle system – the biggest of its kind in Europe – went live in April 2022, resulting in a catastrophic IT failure. We investigate
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June 03, 2024
03
Jun'24
Sellafield local authority slammed over response to North Korean ransomware attack
The local authority for Europe’s biggest nuclear site has been slammed by auditors for its response to a North Korea-linked cyber attack that temporarily crippled its operations
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May 31, 2024
31
May'24
Fujitsu set for further £180m deal as Post Office Horizon replacement delayed
Problems with the Post Office project to replace its controversial Horizon IT system mean Fujitsu is set to receive up to £180m more in taxpayers' cash to support the system for another five years
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May 30, 2024
30
May'24
Post Office Horizon replacement project labelled 'unachievable' as taxpayer bill reaches £1bn
The project to replace the Horizon IT system in Post Office branches is late, over budget and lacking quality – and government auditors sent in to assess a request for £1bn funding say it is currently unachievable
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May 29, 2024
29
May'24
Storebrand divests from IBM over supply of biometrics to Israel
Norwegian asset manager Storebrand’s decision to divest from IBM comes amid growing scrutiny of the role technology companies play in Israel’s human rights abuses
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May 29, 2024
29
May'24
Organisations value digital trust, but aren’t working at it
Three quarters of organisations believe digital trust is relevant to their businesses, yet clear gaps in strategies still seem to persist
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May 29, 2024
29
May'24
Next UK government must be prepared to legislate on AI, say MPs
The House Science, Innovation and Technology Committee says the next government should be ready to legislate on artificial intelligence to plug any regulatory gaps