IT for financial services

SLA promises, security realities: Navigating the shared responsibility gap

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how security leaders can help assure access to the new and innovative cloud tech while minimising risk and ensuring they do not fall foul of regulators. Continue Reading

By

• Aditya K Sood, Aryaka

Lloyds Bank to use Workday software to help select staff for redundancy

Lloyds Banking Group will analyse data on HR software to help it select staff for redundancy Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Number of UK banks reporting AI-driven productivity improvements doubles

Survey shows that half of UK banks will increase spending on artificial intelligence as more see AI-related productivity gains Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Bridging the SLA gap: A guide to managing cloud provider risk

The Computer Weekly Security Think Tank considers how security leaders can help assure access to the new and innovative cloud tech while minimising risk and ensuring they do not fall foul of regulators. Continue Reading

By

• John Bruce, Quorum Cyber

Open banking take-up grows by a third

Rising payments are driving the adoption of open banking, with more than 15 million users in July Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Do Fujitsu contracts cross the line?

In this week’s edition of Computer Weekly, we examine the conflict of interest concerns that are growing around the police investigation into Fujitsu’s role in the Post Office scandal, given the firm is a supplier of tech to police forces across the UK. We also catch up with Redwood Bank’s new IT boss, Simon Goodyear, and hear about his plans to eradicate the use of unnecessary Excel spreadsheets within the organisation, as part of a wider revamp of the firm’s digital processes. We also take a closer look at the possibility of the artificial intelligence investment bubble bursting, and the implications that could have on the continued take-up of the technology. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Zopa Bank seeks partners to form AI skills coalition

Survey by Juniper Research and Zopa Bank reveals full return on investment in artificial intelligence over next five years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK cyber security centre helps expose China-based cyber campaign

GCHQ cyber security centre and its international partners release details of malicious cyber activity linked to Chinese businesses Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Incident response planning cuts the risk of claiming on cyber security insurance

Proper attention to incident response planning is emerging as a core cyber control when it comes to reducing the risk of having to claim on cyber security insurance, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware activity levelled off in July, says NCC

Ransomware levels held steady in the month of July, although the risk remained as persistent as ever Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Three new Citrix NetScaler zero-days under active exploitation

Citrix patches three new vulnerabilities in its NetScaler lines warning of active zero-day exploitation by an undisclosed threat actor Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Okta makes AI identity play with Axiom acquisition

Okta says Axiom Security’s technology will reinforce its own offerings in privileged access management, especially when it comes to the growing number of non-human identities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ransomware attack volumes up nearly three times on 2024

During the first six months of 2025, the number of observed and tracked ransomware attacks far outpaced the volume seen in 2024 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Moscow exploiting seven-year-old Cisco flaw, says FBI

US authorities warn of an uptick in state-sponsored exploitation of a seven-year-old vulnerability in Cisco's operating system software Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apple iOS update fixes new iPhone zero-day flaw

Latest Apple zero-day found in the ImageIO framework opens the door for targeted zero-click attacks on iPhone users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reserve Bank of India proposes framework for AI adoption in India’s finance sector

India’s central bank has proposed a framework to guide artificial intelligence adoption in the financial sector, along with recommendations to build shared infrastructure, implement safeguards and promote financial inclusion Continue Reading

By

• Mastufa Ahmed

Interview: Simon Goodyear, chief information and technology officer, Redwood Bank

Redwood Bank’s new IT boss is a problem solver who wants to eradicate every unnecessary Excel spreadsheet Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft starts including PQC algorithms in cyber foundations

Microsoft updates on its post-quantum cyber strategy as it continues integrating quantum-safe algorithms into some of the core foundations underpinning its products and services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Commvault users told to patch two RCE exploit chains

Storage firm Commvault fixes four vulnerabilities that, when combined, create a pair of RCE exploit chains that could be used to target on-premise customers with ransomware and other nasties Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Google spins up agentic SOC to speed up incident management

Google Cloud elaborates on its vision for securing artificial intelligence unveiling new protections and capabilities across its product suite Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Workday hit in wave of social engineering attacks

A campaign of voice-based social engineering attacks targeting users of Salesforce’s services appears to have struck HR platform Workday Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Would you hire a hacker?

At a time when cyber security breaches are on the up and skills remain in short supply, security experts believe we may be missing a trick by overlooking unconventional sources of talent Continue Reading

By

• Cath Everett

UK cyber leaders feel impact of Trump cutbacks

The ripple effects of US cyber security cutbacks have reached this side of the Atlantic, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Teen hackers aren't the problem. They're the wake-up call

If we take the time to build the right pathways into cyber, young people could be our best line of defence. Continue Reading

By

• Fergus Hay, The Hacking Games

Santander will make AI training mandatory for all staff in 2026

Spanish banking giant announces mandatory AI training for staff, and collaborates with OpenAI on a ‘data and AI-first transformation’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Eight critical RCE flaws make Microsoft’s latest Patch Tuesday list

Microsoft rolls out fixes for over 100 CVEs in its August Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Researchers firm up ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider link

ReliaQuest researchers present new evidence that firms up a potential link, or outright partnership, between the ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider cyber gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK work visa sponsors are target of phishing campaign

Mimecast identifies a phishing campaign targeting UK organisations that sponsor migrant workers and students, opening the door to account compromise and visa fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK state-owned bank goes cloud-native

State-owned National Savings and Investments bank used contract renewal as an opportunity to keep pace with changes in the market Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What boards should look for in a CISO

The role of the chief information security officer has evolved dramatically over the years – and will continue to do so. What should boards really looking for when hiring a security leader in 2025? Continue Reading

By

• Rinki Sethi, Upwind Security

ShinyHunters Salesforce cyber attacks explained: What you need to know

Computer Weekly gets under the skin of an ongoing wave of ShinyHunters cyber attacks orchestrated via social engineering against Salesforce users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How CISOs can adapt cyber strategies for the age of AI

Traditional security measures may not be able to cope with the AI reality. In order to safeguard enterprise operations, reputation and data integrity in an AI-first world, security leaders need to rethink. Continue Reading

By

• Martin Riley, Bridewell Consulting

Interview: Kirsty Roth, chief operations and technology officer, Thomson Reuters

As a technologist who also runs corporate operations, Thomson Reuters’ CTO believes her tech background gives her a unique edge as the business information group looks to transform its products with AI Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Black Hat USA: Startup breaks secrets management tools

Researchers at Cyata, an agentic identity specialist that has just emerged from stealth, found 14 CVEs in the widely used CyberArk Conjur and HashiCorp Vault enterprise secrets management platforms Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals would prefer businesses don’t use Okta

Okta details a phishing campaign in which the threat actor demonstrated some unusually strong opinions on what authentication methods they would like their targets to use Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Maybank inks RM1bn deal with Microsoft

The five-year deal will see Malaysia’s largest bank accelerate its digital transformation efforts, building on its current strategy to embed AI across the organisation and enhance its technological capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Attacker could defeat Dell firmware flaws with a vegetable

Cisco Talos discloses five vulnerabilities in cyber security firmware used on Dell Latitude and Precision devices, including one that could enable an attacker to log on with a spring onion Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Investing in diverse business could boost UK equity market

It’s difficult for female-led businesses to find investment, but if more funds were made available, it could boost UK equity, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

How StanChart balances AI-powered innovation with security

Alvaro Garrido, Standard Chartered’s technology and security chief, explains how multi-layered defences and its approach to data protection allows the bank to embrace artificial intelligence without compromising on security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Black Hat USA: Halcyon and Sophos tag-team ransomware fightback

Ransomware experts Halcyon and Sophos are to pool their expertise in ransomware, working together to enhance data- and intelligence-sharing and bringing more comprehensive protection to customers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Proliferation of on-premise GenAI platforms is widening security risks

Research finds increased adoption of unsanctioned generative artificial intelligence platforms is magnifying risk and causing a headache for security teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How the UK's cloud strategy was hijacked by a hyperscaler duopoly

The UK competition regulator says the cloud market is not working - it's time to take radical steps to reduce the dominance of the two US cloud giants Continue Reading

By

• Bill McCluggage

Scattered Spider tactics continue to evolve, warn cyber cops

CISA, the FBI, NCSC and others have clubbed together to update previous guidance on Scattered Spider's playbook, warning of new social engineering tactics and exploitation of legitimate tools, among other things Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MS Authenticator users face passkey crunch time

The deadline for moving to passkeys in Microsoft Authenticator is rapidly approaching, and users are advised to take action now Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI-enabled security pushes down breach costs for UK organisations

Organisations that are incorporating AI and automation into their cyber security practice are seeing improved outcomes when incidents occur, according to an IBM study Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global cyber spend will top $200bn this year, says Gartner

Worldwide spending on cyber security will hit another record high in 2025, and will go higher still next year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European digital market figurehead pleads to Westminster

Big EU industry joins with Europhile MP to persuade obstinate government officials to join the dataspaces intended to become the bedrock of Europe’s digital single market Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

SharePoint users hit by Warlock ransomware, says Microsoft

Microsoft’s security analysts confirm a number of cyber attacks on on-premise SharePoint Server users involve ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK loses second spot in global fintech to UAE

The UK has been pushed into third spot on global fintech market size data for the first half of this year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch researchers use heartbeat detection to unmask deepfakes

Dutch method to counter deepfakes analyses blood flow patterns in faces that current deepfake generation tools cannot yet replicate Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Monzo’s £21m fine highlights banks’ cyber security failures

Monzo’s recent fine over failings in its customer verification processes highlights wider security and privacy shortcomings in the personal finance world Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Microsoft confirms China link to SharePoint hacks

Microsoft confirms two known China-nexus threat actors, and one other suspected state-backed hacking group, are exploiting vulnerabilities in SharePoint Server Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Chinese cyber spies among those linked to SharePoint attacks

Exploitation of the ToolShell RCE zero-day in Microsoft SharePoint continues to gather pace, with evidence emerging of exploitation by nation state-backed threat actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Bank of England’s quiet ‘Big Bang’

The Bank of England has completed its generational project to replace part of the UK’s critical infrastructure, which went unnoticed beyond the sector it underpins Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Patch ToolShell SharePoint zero-day immediately, says Microsoft

The active exploitation of a dangerous zero-day vulnerability chain in Microsoft SharePoint – which was disclosed over the weekend – is underway. Immediate action is advised Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Security Interviews: Jason Nurse, University of Kent

Jason Nurse, reader in cyber security at the University of Kent, discusses the psychological side of cyber and online safety, why placing blame on users as ‘the weakest link’ is wrong – and why security pros should think about user needs more Continue Reading

By

• Danny Palmer

Meet the deepfake fraudster who applied to work at a deepfake specialist

A recruiter at voice fraud specialist Pindrop had a shock when they came face-to-face with the same deepfake job candidate not once, but twice. Hear their story and learn how to start to protect your hiring process Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Estimated 96% of EMEA financial services sector not ready for DORA

Research from data backup provider Veeam indicates that vast majority of European financial services firms do not feel ready to meet the resiliency requirements of the EU’s DORA act Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Fujitsu outage crashes Post Office Horizon system

Japanese IT giant’s time serving the Post Office is due to end next year, but problems persist Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Travelex replacing its software spine as part of cloud migration

The foreign currency supplier is replacing its legacy supply chain backbone to enable its migration to the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scattered Spider playbook evolving fast, says Microsoft

Microsoft warns users over notable evolutions in Scattered Spider’s attack playbook, and beefs up some of the defensive capabilities it offers to customers in response Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKtech50 2025: The most influential people in UK technology

Computer Weekly has announced the 15th annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Current approaches to patching unsustainable, report says

Organisations are struggling to prioritise vulnerability patching appropriately, leading to situations where everything is a crisis, which helps nobody, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brits clinging to Windows 10 face heightened risk, says NCSC

Businesses and consumers alike may not feel the need to upgrade to Windows 11 as its predecessor approaches end-of-life, but they are putting their own security at risk, says the NCSC Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Technology fuels successful FCA fight against unauthorised financial services

The UK finance regulator is using data and technology to identify websites and apps that could cause financial harm Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Irish bank rolls out AI tools to 10,000 staff

Following exploration of artificial intelligence’s potential in conjunction with staff, AIB is rolling the tools out across the company Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Four arrested in M&S cyber attack investigation

Police have made four arrests in connection with a trio of cyber attacks on UK retailers Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

July Patch Tuesday brings over 130 new flaws to address

Microsoft patched well over 100 new common vulnerabilities and exposures on the second Tuesday of the month, but its latest update is mercifully light on zero-days Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zopa to embed into Manchester’s tech ecosystem

Challenger bank Zopa plans to eventually have 500 staff in its Manchester office, which will launch next month Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google fixes type confusion flaw in Chrome browser

An actively exploited type confusion vulnerability in the Google Chrome web browser needs immediate attention from users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TSB faces another risky IT migration as Santander eyes UK bank

TSB’s customers were moved to the in-house-developed platform of its parent, Sabadell, in a disastrous migration in 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch study uncovers cognitive biases undermining cyber security board decisions

Dutch research reveals how cognitive biases can lead to catastrophic security decisions Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Digital workers at US bank to get their own email accounts

The financial services sector is leading the way when it comes to using AI across operations – and it’s not afraid to talk about it Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ING Bank transforming operations through agentic AI

Netherlands-headquartered international bank is using artificial intelligence throughout its operations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Better governance is required for AI agents

The Security Think Tank considers how CISOs can best plan to facilitate the secure running of AI and Gen AI-based initiatives and ensure employees do not inadvertently leak data or make bad decisions Continue Reading

By

• Mandy Andress, Elastic

Interview: Developing a CIO strategy for artificial intelligence

We speak to Chris Loake, group CIO at Hiscox, about the roll-out of Microsoft Copilot and how to succeed with AI projects Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Next phase of fintech reflected in strong financials, says World Economic Forum

Digital-powered finance firms might not be growing their customer base as fast as the immediate post-pandemic period, but revenue and profits are strong Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK ransomware costs significantly outpace other countries

UK organisations hit by ransomware attacks paid much higher ransoms than in other countries over the past 12 months, according to study Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zopa Bank launches current account earlier than expected

Zopa launches its UK current account, five years after reinventing itself as a challenger bank Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cyber Essentials certifications rising slowly but steadily

The number of businesses attaining the NCSC Cyber Essentials certification continues to increase, but much more can be done to raise awareness of the scheme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch cloud pioneers face the hard limits of digital sovereignty

The Netherlands’ ambitious talk of digital independence meets the unforgiving economics of global cloud dominance Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

UBS employee data leaked after cyber attack on supplier

UBS and fellow Swiss bank Pictet have been affected by a cyber attack on a procurement service provider Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scattered Spider widens web to target insurance sector

Following a series of high-profile attacks on prominent retailers and consumer brands, the Scattered Spider cyber crime collective appears to be expanding its targeting to the insurance sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKtech50: Vote for the most influential person in UK technology

Our judges have selected the top 50 leaders from a shortlist of nearly 500 people – now it’s your chance to tell us who you think is the most influential person in UK technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UKtech50 2025: the longlist of the UK’s influential tech leaders

Each year, Computer Weekly launches a search for the most influential people in UK IT, asking the tech community who it thinks should be in the top 50 – here is the longlist of everyone nominated for 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Sweden gets help pulling its sovereign AI socks up

Urgent government calls for more high-powered sovereign computers to fulfil Swedish goal of building a more powerful AI industry answered by foreign financiers, US tech and Europe’s AI emergency fund Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Human vs digital therapy: AI falls short when IT pros need help

Stressed IT and cyber professionals are turning to AI chatbots for support, but is handing people's mental wellbeing over to algorithms really such a bright idea? Continue Reading

By

• Malcolm Hanson, PTSD Revolution

Investor behaviour in the wake of cyber's 'black swan' moment

So-called Black Swan events expose the blind spots in even the most sophisticated forecasting models, signaling a need to rethink how businesses, and those investing in them, quantify and prepare for cyber risk. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Bartlett, Hicomply

West Brom Building Society project to meet customers’ digital demands

Calls from customers for a choice of digital channels drove West Brom Building Society’s digital transformation project Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

June Patch Tuesday brings a lighter load for defenders

Barely 70 vulnerabilities make the cut for Microsoft’s monthly security update, but an RCE flaw in WEBDAV and an EoP issue in Windows SMB Client still warrant close attention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK finance regulator tie-up with Nvidia allows firms to experiment with AI

FCA wants to support organisations in testing their ideas for the use of artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Third-party security weaknesses threaten Europe’s big banks

Security breaches via third parties increased by 25% at Europe’s largest finance firms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Compensation to Post Office scandal victims reaches £1bn milestone

The government has now paid out more than £1bn to victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Barclays rolls out Microsoft Copilot to 100,000 employees as AI adoption gathers pace

Barclays is doubling down on its adoption of artificial intelligence tools by moving to embrace Microsoft Copilot with a large-scale roll-out of the technology to 100,000 staff Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Citigroup cuts thousands of staff at China-based tech centres

Financial services giant Citigroup is drastically reducing headcount in its Chinese tech delivery centres as it restructures its technology operation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australia’s CommBank completes migration of data to AWS in AI drive

Putting all of its data in AWS cloud will support bank’s use of artificial intelligence to offer customers more personalised services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC sets out how to build cyber safe cultures

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance for security teams and leaders on how to foster accessible and appropriate cyber security cultures in their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fortifying the future: The pivotal role of CISOs in AI operations

The Security Think Tank considers how CISOs can best plan to facilitate the secure running of AI and Gen AI-based initiatives and ensure employees do not inadvertently leak data or make bad decisions. Continue Reading

By

• Aditya K Sood, Aryaka

Preparing for AI: The CISO’s role in security, ethics and compliance

The Security Think Tank considers how CISOs can best plan to facilitate the secure running of AI and Gen AI-based initiatives and ensure employees do not inadvertently leak data or make bad decisions. Continue Reading

By

• Elliott Wilkes, ACDS

Fintech growth three times that of finance sector as a whole

Global fintech revenues reached £280bn in 2024, according to Boston Consulting Group report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA