IT for retail and logistics

Report highlights poor UK attitudes to mobile security

Businesses should note that many UK mobile users do not take security precautions and do not know how to guard against data theft Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

M&S uses instore IT to train staff in multi-channel retail

Marks & Spencer is using in-store iPads and kiosks to train staff to support its multichannel retail strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Google reaches $17m multi-state settlement over Safari snooping

Google has reached a $17m settlement agreement with 10 US states for bypassing Apple Safari privacy settings Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google and Microsoft to block searches for child porn

Google and Microsoft have announced measures to make it more difficult to find child abuse images online Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber collateral damage a concern for all, says Lancope

All organisations could be affected by cyber attack collateral damage, says network security firm Lancope Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europe to follow US clearance of mobile devices on flights

The European aviation regulator is to follow the US lead in easing restrictions on the use of mobile electronic devices during flights Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Paolo Cinelli, CIO, Ikea

Ikea's priority is to get closer to its customers using a multi-channel approach which combines digital and traditional methods Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Call for graduates to apply for John Lewis technology scheme

Retailer John Lewis is encouraging university-leavers to apply for positions in its graduate development scheme Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Mass surveillance a bad idea, says Information Commissioner Christopher Graham

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham says issues of national security must not overshadow concerns of legitimate public interest Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Web surveillance not a good idea, says Info Commissioner

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham says issues of national security cannot be allowed to overshadow concerns of legitimate public interest Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NSA and GCHQ mass surveillance violates EU law, study finds

Mass internet surveillance by US and UK intelligence agencies violates European law, according to a study by two academics Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK intelligence heads defend mass surveillance operations

Heads of the UK’s intelligence services insist all they do in term of mass surveillance is strictly within the confines of UK law Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

McDonald's to engage with tech-savvy customers in restaurants

McDonald’s is engaging with customers by implementing interactive technologies in its restaurants Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Analysis: RSA says security needs to change, but what does that mean?

RSA executive chairman Art Coviello has issued a call to action to the security industry to improve technology and collaboration Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Samsung reports record Q3 profits of £4.8bn

Samsung has reported record third quarter profits of £4.8bn driven mainly by revenues from memory chips Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google share price at record high on third quarter results

Google’s share price has hit a record high in response to better-than-expected third quarter results Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

10 security reasons to upgrade to iOS 7

Even if it did not include numerous security fixes, iOS 7 has compelling reasons for corporates to adopt it to improve their security Continue Reading

By

• Rob Buckley

D-Link begins fixing router backdoor

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Toyota e-learning upgrade aims to cut mechanics' training time by up to a year

Car distributor Toyota Motor Europe is using e-learning to manage the training and certification of motor technicians and engineers Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tesco.com uses agile development offshore to roll out internationally

Tesco used agile methodology, co-ordinating a team of 100 offshore developers, to roll out the Tesco.com website internationally Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IBM interns join ShopDirect to combine gamification and Twitter analysis

Undergraduate ShopDirect interns spent the summer with IBM on a project using gamification and Twitter to engage with customers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Case study: Coca-Cola embarks on green IT strategy

Coca-Cola is aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of its IT. Kevin Sirjuesingh, director of IT strategic initiatives, discusses the plan Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

High street retailers fight back with multi-channel IT

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how high street retailers are fighting back against online rivals by using IT to support multi-channel customers – and Tesco’s marketing chief explains how it works at the UK’s biggest supermarket chain. Also, we ask how recent revelations about government internet surveillance affect the protection of corporate information. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

High street stores embrace digital to entice customers

Customers are using technology in favour of the high street, but some stores are fighting fire with fire. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FBI shuts down Silk Road online drug market

The FBI has shut down the Silk Road online drug market and arrested kingpin Ross Ulbricht, previously known only as Dread Pirate Roberts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Privacy concerns in the digital world

Considering the full spectrum of privacy, people need to ask themselves if they are comfortable with all their characteristics in the public domain Continue Reading

By

• Yves Le Roux, (ISC)2

McAfee Focus 2013: McAfee leadership upbeat about Stonesoft acquisition

Intel-owned security firm McAfee is upbeat about its acquisition of Stonesoft and its future capability to tackle security differently Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tesco profits drop despite multichannel shopping

Tesco's pre-tax profits fell 24% to £1.39bn over the first half of its financial year despite adopting multichannel shopping technology Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

IT security industry still immature, says (ISC)2 board member

The information security industry is still immature and failing to act or speak as one, says Dave Lewis, (ISC)2 board member Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Financial markets next big cyber target, says US expert

Manipulation of international financial markets will be the next evolution of cyber crime, says US Cyber Consequences Unit chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2013

Cyber crime featured heavily in security news coverage in 2013, with cyber criminals and cyber law enforcers upping their games with each passing month Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Software acquisition is risk acquisition, says industry panel

New software often means new security vulnerabilities, panel tells the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tesco to launch £119 7-inch tablet to expand multichannel presence

Tesco is expanding its multichannel retail strategy with the introduction of its own tablet, targeting non-internet-savvy users Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NSA reveals how Snowden accessed secret Prism files

Prism whistleblower Edward Snowden accessed secret documents through a file-share, the NSA has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Risk assessment key to cloud adoption, says Isaca

There is mass confusion among small and medium businesses about cloud computing, says Amar Singh, chair of Isaca UK Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

After virtualising IT estate, Jaguar Land Rover now eyes cloud computing

Jaguar Land Rover's IT team takes its newly virtualised infrastructure to the next stage of IT evolution by adopting cloud-based services Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Most websites could be targeted through PHP, warns Imperva

Hackers are focusing on vulnerabilities in PHP web application development platform, threatening most websites, warns Imperva Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lloyds website continuity hit as TSB launches

Lloyds Banking Group websites, including the new standalone TSB, have been hit by problems on TSB launch day Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Disinfecting PCs false security, says security expert

Many companies proud of their ability to identify and clean malware infected machines are missing a trick, says veteran security expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Charlie McMurdie joins PwC’s cyber practice

Charlie McMurdie, former head of the Metro Police central e-crime unit, is joining business consultancy firm PwC as its senior crime adviser Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Martin Russell, head of IT services, Just Eat

Just Eat's head of IT services, Martin Russell speaks to Computer Weekly about his experiences of switching to Google Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Online retailing means the industrialisation of analytics

Figleaves founder and eCommera chief scientist Michael Ross argues that online retailing requires a new type of action-oriented business intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

How to appoint a new outsourcing supplier

Outsourcing can come with its own security risks if not managed appropriately, making due diligence and clear contractual arrangements key Continue Reading

By

• Sheila Pancholi

Tech startups inspiring retail IT innovations

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to department store John Lewis about how the firm is working with tech startups to improve its multichannel retail strategy. As PC sales continue to decline, we hear from IT leaders at companies moving away from the traditional desktop to non-Windows devices such as Chromebooks. And the final part of our buyer’s guide to data management examines the benefits being achieved by adopters of predictive analytics, including Tesco and HM Revenue & Customs. Continue Reading

The ideology of hacking

Business leaders need to be educated on the true threats their firms face and IT security professionals have to arm their executives with that information Continue Reading

By

• Mark Brown

ICO to investigate sale of online dating profiles

The UK’s data protection watchdog is to investigate the sale of 10,000 online dating profiles to the BBC’s Panorama programme Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

An introduction to cyber liability insurance cover

Cyber liability insurance cover has been around for 10 years, but most security professionals seem to have not heard of it or know that it exists Continue Reading

By

• Sarb Sembhi

Continual vigilance key to security, says Damballa

UK businesses must update their approach to cyber security to look for signs of compromise continually Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

FireEye partners with Phishme for multi-layered security

Security technology developer FireEye has partnered with phishing awareness training firm PhishMe to offer a multi-layered approach to securing information networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MI5 and GCHQ call for FTSE 350 cyber health check

Intelligence agencies MI5 and GCHQ call on UK’s top listed companies to take part in a cyber governance health check Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco buys cyber security company Sourcefire for $2.7bn

Networking giant Cisco has reached an agreement to buy cyber security business Sourcefire in a $2.7bn deal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Insider threat: Balancing security with privacy

How can organisations increase security without affecting productivity or encroaching on employees’ right to privacy? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK to block online porn by default

The UK is to block online pornography by default to all new internet users, David Cameron is to announce Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

John Lewis seeks out innovation from technology startups

John Lewis has been investing in technology innovation to keep ahead of the game in the changing landscape of the UK high street Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

How to assess the security of a cloud service provider

As businesses continue to put more information online, understanding cloud suppliers and agreements has never been more important Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Fitzmaurice

Facebook to acquire UK startup Monoidics

Facebook is to acquire UK startup Monoidics, which makes code verification and analysis tools and specialises in detecting coding errors Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google competition proposals not good enough, says EC

Competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia wants Google to readdress fears that it is abusing its market domination for its own gain Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Intel Q2 profits down, but in line with expectations

Chip maker Intel reported a second quarter profit of $2bn, down 29% from a year ago, roughly in line with analysts’ estimates Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IBM misses revenue expectations again

IBM has reported second quarter revenues of $24.9bn, missing market estimates of $25.39bn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tech firms target piracy profiting websites

Tech firms including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft join an initiative targeting websites that profit from piracy by cutting off advert revenue Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Snapshot: Online presence of UK retailers

This concise report assesses the online presence of 36 of the UK's leading high street retailers. Continue Reading

More than one-fifth of UK firms hit by DDoS attacks in 2012

More than a fifth of UK firms experienced a disruptive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack in 2012 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Black market for software security flaws reaches new highs

The black market in previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in commercial software is so established that the average flaw sells for up to $160,000 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Yahoo wants Fisa objections revealed

Yahoo is the latest company implicated in the Prism internet surveillance programme to call for more transparency around its involvement Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Protecting against modern password cracking

This article in our Royal Holloway Security Thesis series explains just how insecure passwords are and offers advice on alternative methods of security. Continue Reading

Smart cards: security risks

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series assess the new features introduced in Java Card 3 Connected Edition smart card specification and their associated security risks. Continue Reading

Security visualisation

This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security Thesis series shows how to generate a visual representation of a dataset and use visualisation in the evaluation of known security vulnerabilities. Continue Reading

Microsoft notches up over 3,000 copyright cases

In its battle against piracy, Microsoft says it has settled 3,265 copyright cases in the past year and warns of links to malware distribution Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Will cloud services follow the evolution of the banking industry?

Cloud service providers say security will become the very reason companies choose cloud services in future Continue Reading

UK takes cyber threats to infrastructure seriously

The UK is taking seriously potential cyber threats to critical national infrastructure, according to GCHQ head Iain Lobban Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tougher EU penalties for cyber crime not enough, say security experts

The European Parliament has adopted a draft directive to toughen up EU penalties for cyber crime, but security experts say this is not enough on its own Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Prism unlikely to change much

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

UK joins EU demands for Google to rewrite privacy policy

The UK’s privacy watchdog has joined data protection authorities in France, Spain, Germany and Italy in demanding changes to Google’s privacy policy Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NSA Prism scandal could hit US cloud providers, says EC vice-president

EC vice-president Neelie Kroes says US cloud services providers could lose business because of fears over US Prism surveillance programme Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Azure powers Eurozone network to combat counterfeit drugs

Microsoft Azure will be used to power a cloud platform designment to combat counterfeit pharmaceutical product in the EU Continue Reading

FBI warns of increased spear phishing attacks

The FBI has issued a warning about an increase in spear-phishing attacks targeting multiple industry sectors Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Pete Marsden, CIO, Asos.com

As online fashion retailer Asos.com continues to expand, its IT strategy is focused on new international locations and keeping up with web retail Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security Think Tank: Prism – Sitting duck or elaborate honeypot?

Does the data collected by Prism put the US Government at risk from other state or non-state sponsored activists? Continue Reading

By

• Robert Newby

Senior MPs flout EU cookie law

Two years after the EU cookie regulation and UK law came into force, not all UK websites are compliant, including the sites of 13 senior MPs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Stuxnet leak investigation leads to project originator

The US government investigation into Stuxnet leak of classified information leads to retired general in the Marines, James Cartwright Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Paul Clarke, director of technology, Ocado

Paul Clarke is responsible for the technology strategy at online grocer Ocado, where IT is used in every aspect of the business Continue Reading

Biffa uses software-as-a-service for self-service and automation

Waste management firm Biffa deploys IT service management software-as-a-service (SaaS) to increase user self-service and automation Continue Reading

Encrypting enterprises miss out on cloud benefits

Enterprises sending encrypted data to the cloud are missing out on some of the greatest benefits of cloud computing, says Thales e-Security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Identity management key to browser-based IT strategy

A cloud-based identity management system is key to enabling a browser-based IT strategy at online recruitment firm Reed.co.uk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most firms underestimate volume of malware, study shows

Most companies greatly underestimate the number of malicious programs appearing daily, a global survey of more than 2,000 IT professionals has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK businesses failing to secure virtual environments, study finds

Most UK businesses are failing to secure data in virtual environments, a survey of IT decision makers has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government launches cyber awareness campaign

UK government debuts the first stage of a £4m cyber awareness campaign as part of the National Cyber Security Programme Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK links to US internet surveillance remain unclear

The government insists that UK spy agencies operate within the law, but questions remain Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PM urged to criminalise internet rape porn

Campaigners are calling for the criminalisation of possessing internet pornography depicting rape Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Human error causes most data breaches, Ponemon study finds

Human errors and system problems caused two-thirds of data breaches in 2012, according to a study from Symantec and the Ponemon Institute Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst