News

IT strategy

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  Almost half unaware of GP data-sharing plans

  Around half of adults in England – approximately 20 million people – remain unaware of the scope of the NHS GPDPR programme, prompting calls for a public education campaign

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  Top vulnerabilities target perimeter devices

  The most frequently exploited CVEs of the year so far are to be found in perimeter and network access devices, according to a joint advisory from the NCSC and partners

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  COP26 cyber resource hub launched for Glasgow businesses

  New digital information hub for Glasgow business to help organisations keep secure both physically and online ahead of major climate change summit

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  US lawmakers call for probe into ‘arrogant’ spyware firm

  US members of Congress have called for an investigation into NSO Group, the spyware supplier at the centre of a massive surveillance scandal

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  TikTok sets up cyber security hub in Dublin

  Dublin-based cyber centre will oversee the security of TikTok’s users across Europe

• July 26, 2021 26 Jul'21

  Malicious actors turn to obscure programming languages

  Using new, lesser-known or otherwise uncommon programming languages to code new malwares can help skirt cyber defences

• July 26, 2021 26 Jul'21

  No More Ransom initiative saves £850m over five years

  Initiative’s free ransomware decryption tools have been used by more than six million people since 2016

• July 23, 2021 23 Jul'21

  Can India become a global manufacturing hub?

  India can be a major player in the global manufacturing supply chain by shoring up IP protection and tapping opportunities in contract manufacturing and firmware design

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Plans to address legal but harmful content ‘threaten free speech’

  House of Lords report criticises the government’s forthcoming Online Safety Bill for imposing duty of care on tech platforms to deal with ‘legal but harmful’ content, which it says threatens freedom of expression online

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  UK government publishes full Innovation Strategy

  Strategy aims to put the UK at the global forefront of science, research and innovation

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Interview: Sarah Wilkinson, former CEO, NHS Digital

  In her exit interview with Computer Weekly, NHS Digital’s former CEO Sarah Wilkinson talks about the organisation’s transformation over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic, bureaucracy challenges and big wins

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Covid-19 creates opportunity to digitally transform justice system, says TechUK

  The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital in the UK justice system but challenges remain, leaving it ripe for reform with data at its heart, says industry body

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Lords Covid-19 Committee disappointed in government engagement

  Committee is so disappointed in the government’s lack of engagement with its inquiry into the digital impact of the pandemic that it has published a separate report criticising it

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Respect in Security challenges abuse and harassment in cyber

  With around a third of cyber pros saying they have personally experienced harassment at work or online, a new initiative is urging organisations to pledge their support to help free the community from the scourge of abuse. We met its founders

• July 21, 2021 21 Jul'21

  Infosys to open German operation focused on automotive sector

  Infosys is establishing a centre in Germany that will focus on supporting customers in the German automotive sector

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  Government shares vision for digitised energy system as it pursues net-zero emissions target

  Strategy is geared towards readying the UK energy system for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable power through digital transformation

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  NCSC’s Cameron urges deeper cyber alliance-building

  Speaking to an event in Israel, NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron has praised joint UK-Israeli efforts on security collaboration

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  NHS Digital tightens rules for GPDPR data scrape

  The proposed collection of patient data held by GPs will now only commence when three key criteria have been fulfilled, says NHS Digital

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  UK, US confirm Chinese state backed MS Exchange Server attacks

  UK and US governments, alongside the EU and Nato, have formally attributed the March 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks to Chinese state-backed actors

• July 16, 2021 16 Jul'21

  Legacy SonicWall kit exploited in ransom campaign

  Users of older versions of SonicWall Secure Mobile Access 100 and Secure Remote Access products are at risk from a new ransomware campaign

• July 15, 2021 15 Jul'21

  UK workforce needs reskilling for net-zero transition

  Green Jobs Taskforce report looks at how the UK’s workforce can be skilled up to support the transition to net zero

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  UK should set up digital task forces to transform governance

  Commission for Smart Government paper sets out recommendations for how government can use digital technologies to better serve citizens’ needs, and calls for it to set up new digital task forces

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  REvil ransomware crew drops offline, reasons murky

  The REvil ransomware operation appears to have gone dark, but claims about its demise are almost certainly exaggerated

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services

  Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited

  Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  London announces winners of Covid-19 recovery innovation challenge

  The Mayor’s Resilience Fund called for ideas to support businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic, and there are some standout winners

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Regional cyber clusters score £700k of funding

  DCMS has awarded £700,000 of funding to a network of 20 regional cyber clusters

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Modipwn vulnerability puts millions of building systems at risk

  Authentication bypass vulnerability in a Schneider Electric product could lead to device takeover

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Secureworks sets up in EU datacentre for XDR services

  New datacentre location helps Secureworks’ customers meet EU data residency requirements

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  UK Cyber Security Council calls for new push on training

  Too many companies have cut back on security training and development during the pandemic, says UK Cyber Security Council

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  IR35: Contractors demand tax and employment law alignment to protect ‘zero-rights’ workers

  Government is again facing calls to ensure contractors that pay the same amount of tax as permanent employees also receive the same workplace benefits

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Home Office launches three-year digital strategy

  The strategy sets out six principles, aiming to reduce cost and complexity while driving innovation and developing better digital products and services

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  Kaseya VSA services coming online after week-long outage

  Kaseya has successfully deployed a patch to its ransomware-hit VSA product as per a revised schedule, and customers are beginning to come back online

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  How GSK Consumer Healthcare builds out its platform business

  GSK Consumer Healthcare’s products are sold through retailers and chemist shops, and it is now connecting directly with consumers through APIs

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  CIO interview: Claire Dickson, group CIO, DS Smith

  Settling into her new role, Claire Dickson is working with the business to make strategic progress, smart, data-led changes and create a five-year digital strategy

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  PrintNightmare haunts Microsoft as patch may miss mark

  Microsoft dropped an out-of-band patch to fix PrintNightmare, but there are concerns it may not be totally effective. This does not mean it shouldn’t be applied

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  IT and business services spending bounces to new heights

  Second-quarter results reveal IT and business services spending at a new high, in stark contrast to the Covid-19-hit quarter a year ago

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Former Bank of England CIO joins Co-op Group as CTO

  Rob Elsey joins the Co-op Group at a time when the organisation is undergoing major digital transformation

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  How the UK Cyber Security Council plans to professionalise security

  As chair of the new UK Cyber Security Council, Claudia Natanson is in a superb position to develop professional standards in IT security and she intends to fundamentally reimagine what a security job actually is

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims

  Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  About 60 Kaseya customers hit by REvil

  Kaseya has revised upward the number of managed service providers compromised by the REvil ransomware gang in a supply chain attack at the weekend

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Bank of England searches for new CIO amid once-in-a-generation project

  The Bank of England is recruiting a head of IT during a period of major change in its core IT system

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Cyber insurance costs up by a third

  The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  BA reaches settlement in data breach group action

  A group action against BA following its 2018 data breach has been successfully settled

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  REvil crew wants $70m in Kaseya ransomware heist

  Two days after one of the largest ransomware attacks in history by the REvil/Sodinokibi gang, the security community is assessing its next moves, while over 1,000 victims remain in limbo

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  UnaBiz makes foray into Japan

  The Singapore-based IoT technology provider has opened an office in Tokyo to tap the groundswell of IoT deployments in utilities and other sectors

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  CIO interview: Simon McKinnon, chief digital and information officer, DWP

  The Department for Work and Pensions’ CDIO sheds light on its digital ambitions and how it is bringing more digital capability in-house through the integration of Benefits and Pension Digital Technology Services staff

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  Ascendas India Trust to build datacentre near Mumbai

  New datacentre campus near Mumbai will deliver 90MW of power to host technology and cloud suppliers as well as large Indian companies in a fast-growing market

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  UK needs legislation with specific focus on biometric technologies

  The UK’s former biometrics commissioner has told MPs that Parliament should explicitly legislate on the use of biometric technologies so it is clear to both police and private companies which uses are acceptable

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

  The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be?

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  NCSC joins US authorities to expose Russian brute force campaign

  A joint attribution by the British and American authorities accuses Russia’s GRU intelligence services of conducting a campaign of brute force attacks on enterprise and cloud environments

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  UK government issues “safety by design” guidance for tech firms

  The guidance is designed to help technology companies embed safer design for users into their services in anticipation of the Online Safety Bill becoming law

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

  Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack

• June 30, 2021 30 Jun'21

  REvil affiliates offer hefty ransom discounts, data reveals

  REvil or Sodinokibi ransomware activity is higher than ever, but its success appears to be relative, with some affiliates prepared to dramatically cut their prices

• June 30, 2021 30 Jun'21

  Putting cloud repatriation into perspective

  Moving public cloud workloads back on-premise is among the decisions that organisations have to make as they straddle between public and private cloud environments

• June 29, 2021 29 Jun'21

  UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

  Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

  RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  UK’s FCA bans crypto exchange Binance as crackdown spreads

  Ban on Binance Markets comes amid a wider global crackdown on the largely unregulated global market for cryptocurrencies and related assets.

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  Windows 11: It’s more than a repositioned Start button

  Microsoft has tried to grab the headlines with the latest incarnation of its desktop operating system, sporting a repositioned Start button and updated icons

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

  Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  Anglesey schools offline after cyber attack

  Isle of Anglesey County Council is investigating a cyber attack that has forced it to shut down systems at all five secondary schools on the island

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  AWS launches bug-busting programme for developers

  Amazon Web Services is inviting customers to probe their code for software bugs and vulnerabilities using its CodeGuru console

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  France TV repatriates backup and archive from public cloud

  France Télévisions Publicité couldn’t always get to critical data, so decided to repatriate backup and archiving from the cloud to on-site locations, with help from a managed service

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Google hands third-party cookies a stay of execution

  Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox initiative – which will see third-party cookies phased out in the Chrome web browser – has been pushed back to 2023

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  NCSC recognises cyber degree apprenticeships for the first time

  Addition of new cyber courses to National Cyber Security Centre’s accredited list will supposedly help students make better choices and help universities get more funding

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Revealed: Crypto platform’s role in Cl0p ransomware raid

  Crypto infrastructure provider Binance provided assistance to law enforcement after finding its exchange was being used by cyber criminals to launder their ransomware profits

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  (ISC)² makes ransomware education course free through 31 July

  Cyber security association is making its Professional Development Institute course on ransomware free to the general public until the end of July

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Vodafone confirms European datacentres will be powered by 100% green energy by July 2021

  Telco giant claims it is on course to hit an important milestone in its latest sustainability push, with its entire European operations set to be 100% renewably powered by 1 July

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Make ransomware payments illegal, say 79% of cyber pros

  Report produced for MSSP Talion claims overwhelming support for the criminalisation of ransomware payments

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  City of York picks Barracuda Networks for data protection

  York Council needed to refresh its backup service to bring new security protections after it went ‘all-in’ on Microsoft Office 365

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  European Union to set up new cyber response unit

  Proposed Joint Cyber Unit will tackle a rising number of serious incidents impacting public services, businesses and citizens of the EU

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  Time to patch increases significantly during pandemic

  New data from US-based endpoint management specialist Automox reveals some of the challenges security teams face in keeping up with endpoint security

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  UK councils reported over 700 data breaches to ICO in 2020

  Data disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act reveals an estimated 700 data breaches were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office by local councils last year

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  SonicWall sees 226.3 million ransomware attack attempts this year

  SonicWall detected 226.3 million attempted ransomware attacks between January and May 2021, more than double the number seen in the same period last year

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  Cloudflare announces new integrations with Microsoft, others

  New security integrations with Microsoft Azure Sentinel, Splunk, Datadog and Sumo Logic will supposedly make it easier for users to analyse network security data

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  UK SMEs lack capacity to fend off cyber attacks

  Three-quarters of UK SME leaders would not have sufficient capacity or expertise to deal with a cyber attack, according to a report

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  Opera house shuns cloud for Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure

  The Royal Opera House considered moving all its infrastructure to the cloud, but a hybrid setup with Nutanix and Rubrik hyper-converged infrastructure came in 35% cheaper

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  Parliamentary devices left in taxis, buses, trains and pubs

  Nearly 100 devices belonging to parliamentary staffers, including MPs and peers, were lost or stolen over the course of 2019 and 2020

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

  The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

  Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  Biden tackles Putin on ransomware at Geneva summit

  Discussions between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin on cyber crime appear to have been somewhat positive, but the path ahead remains unclear

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Organisations cannot rely on cyber insurance to cover losses

  Ransomware attacks have become a big driver of cyber insurance claims, but insurance must not be relied upon as a failsafe, says a report

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

  Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  Privacy pro salaries rise throughout pandemic, but at a cost

  Data from the IAPP’s latest salary survey reveals some insight into how the pandemic impacted the privacy profession

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  Ransomware most insidious cyber threat facing UK

  NCSC CEO urges organisations to do more to prepare for ransomware attacks

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  The Security Interviews: How to build a government model to ‘hack for good’

  Kyle Hanslovan started Huntress to give back after a career in the intelligence sector. After US authorities took action to help people hit by the Microsoft Exchange attacks, we discussed how governments can ‘hack for good’

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  Evidence emerges of new digital divide in UK connectivity

  Study shows extent to which online connectivity impacts quality of life but reveals that renters are nearly twice as likely to describe their connection as only average or unreliable, compared with home owners

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  CMA secures commitments from Google on future of cookies

  The Competition and Markets Authority is opening a consultation on commitments offered to it by Google to ensure its Privacy Sandbox proposals do not harm digital advertising markets

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

  Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  Central government spent £4.4bn on IT in 2020

  Tussell report finds that central government increased tech spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, and HM Revenue and Customs is the biggest spender

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  Risk data shows UK energy sector most vulnerable to cyber attack

  New report compiled by insurance firm Hiscox reveals the state of cyber preparedness in the UK and beyond

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  BEIS confirms rogue umbrellas will be covered by single enforcement body’s clampdown powers

  Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy moves to clarify that rogue umbrella firms will be in-scope of its soon-to-be-created single enforcement body, which will focus on protecting workers’ rights

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Unit 42 warns of emergent Prometheus ransomware

  Palo Alto’s Unit 42 shares intel on the emergent Prometheus ransomware gang, with apparent links to the Thanos crew

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Google plots a course to address AI in manufacturing

  Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to change every industry – Google has set its sights on manufacturing

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  RSA spins out fraud and risk unit as Outseer

  RSA Security is transitioning its fraud and risk intelligence work into a new business to be called Outseer

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  BBVA to cut 3,000 jobs in Spain as digital technology transforms industry

  Spanish bank is the latest to announce swingeing branch and job cuts amid increased digital competition

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Microsoft fixes seven zero-days on its Patch Tuesday rounds

  Fixes for six actively-exploited – and one yet-to-be-exploited – zero-day bugs are released in the June 2021 Patch Tuesday update

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Colonial Pipeline ransom seizure is a win, but don’t relax yet

  The security community is enthusiastic about the US authorities’ recovery of a significant part of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware payment, but this positivity should perhaps be somewhat tempered

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  Cohesity brings DataProtect backup-as-a-service to Europe via AWS

  Scale-out backup appliance pioneer adds backup-as-a-service from a virtual machine on customer premises

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  We Open Tech community supports non-binary and trans security pros

  New tech community established to advocate for the interests of non-binary people, trans and cis women, trans men, and other marginalised genders in security