IT management

Prepare today for potentially high-impact OpenSSL bug

OpenSSL trailed a critical vulnerability patch last week, which will be only the second such flaw ever found in the open source encryption project. Unfortunately, the first was Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Container security: why so different?

Done well, container security can be a model for securing the enterprise, and businesses that focus their teams on solving it can help accelerate positive change in other areas Continue Reading

By

• Bernard Brantley

Coding at bet365: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this podcast, Alan Reed, head of sports development at bet365, discusses the technical and business challenges of scalability Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The tech helping organisations manage their finances

With a worsening economic climate, software has an important role in helping finance departments control budgets and spending Continue Reading

By

• Madeline Bennett, Mowser Media

Post Office warned of Horizon software-induced ‘tragedy’ in 1999

Problems experienced during live trials of the Post Office Horizon system predicted the ‘tragedy’ that unfolded Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 50 women in UK tech, IR35 Truss fiasco – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

The team reflects on the announcement of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2022, the IR35 reforms being scrapped, then not, and Dreamforce & Oracle Cloud World in the US Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

How has container security changed since 2020, and have we taken it too far?

While containers are now one of the most popular ways to deploy applications, it is fair to say that the adoption and implementation of security best practice to govern their use has not kept up Continue Reading

By

• Rob Tyler, Turnkey Consulting

Singapore’s met service to get new supercomputer

The Meteorological Service Singapore is getting a new Cray supercomputer to improve weather forecasting and tropical climate research Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government ups cyber support for elderly, vulnerable web users

DCMS announces a funding boost to help the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable groups stay safe online and avoid being misled by disinformation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC’s Levy steps down after 20-year intelligence career

NCSC technical director Ian Levy bids farewell, telling his successor: ‘Don’t panic’ Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Will the OCSF create an open and collaborative cyber industry?

The Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework promises to transform security data analysis and collection, but there are challenges around adoption Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

NHS to get new national CISO

The Department for Health and Social Care is seeking a new national CISO, who will be tasked with providing strategic cyber leadership, direction and expertise across DHSC and the wider NHS Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Horizon system EPOSS code writers lacked basic programming skills, public inquiry hears

Horizon system code writers lacked basic programming skills, according to the task force set up to investigate reported problems with the controversial software Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

LinkedIn adds new features to safeguard user privacy, security

Social media platform is adding a number of features and systems designed to protect legitimate users from inauthentic profiles and activity Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Santander calls for cooperation to tackle APP fraud

New report puts forward key recommendations that the banking sector, government and other industries could take to tackle authorised push payment fraud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Meta tightens purse strings as it spends on Reality Labs

Facebook’s parent company is betting the business on a long-term strategy to move social media into the metaverse Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO warns against using biometrics for ‘emotional analysis’

ICO warning highlights risk of ‘systemic bias’ and discrimination associated with organisations using biometric data and technologies for emotion analysis Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Google commits to cloud and AI

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has been negatively impacted by the currency market, but its CEO remains focused on artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Reported Horizon errors should have been ‘show-stopper’, public inquiry told

Subpostmasters should have been given the benefit of the doubt over unexplained losses, but were hounded to pay money back, with lives ruined and innocent people prosecuted Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The Conservatives are laughing at cyber security pros

If causing a security breach is a resigning matter, then you shouldn’t expect to get your old job back a week later. Unless you’re a Conservative home secretary, apparently Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cuba ransomware cartel spoofs Ukraine armed forces

Ukrainian cyber experts issue a warning over the activities of the Cuba ransomware cartel Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

New minister asked to pause Fujitsu government contracts

Parliamentarians keep focus on Fujitsu’s role in the Post Office Horizon scandal with demand for pause on government contracts to the supplier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australia budget closes in on digital divide, cyber resilience

Australia’s latest budget is geared towards providing better broadband connectivity in regional and rural areas, shoring up the cyber security posture of its businesses and plugging tech talent shortages, among other areas Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Microsoft Cloud grows, but less than expected

CEO Satya Nadella claims the public cloud is the best way to optimise business IT and address rising energy bills Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

When technology lets you sleep easy

Indian mattress supplier Duroflex has taken a leaf out of mattress design in its technology implementation to double its growth in an industry dominated by unorganised players Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

One in five tech workers subject to workplace surveillance

Digital surveillance is now a common feature of the UK’s post-pandemic economy, says Prospect Union, adding to growing calls for workers to be given a greater say over how technologies are deployed in the workplace Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

US authorities charge two Chinese spies over telco security probe

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with attempting to obstruct the criminal prosecution of a prominent Chinese telecoms firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK needs stronger regional innovation clusters outside South East

Venture capital fund managers speak to Computer Weekly about the importance of innovation clusters to the UK tech ecosystem, and the need to develop further investment opportunities outside the South East Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK finance regulator investigates big tech finance threats and benefits

The UK financial services regulator is gathering information about the benefits and targets of big tech firms offering financial services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Germany: European Court of Justice asked to rule on legality of hacked EncroChat phone evidence

Berlin’s Regional Court has asked the European Court of Justice to answer questions about whether the use of hacked EncroChat phone evidence complies with European law Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Digital-first businesses more willing to accept some fraud

Companies founded in the past 20 years appear more willing to accept higher levels of fraudulent activity during the customer onboarding process, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2022

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal our annual list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Technology. We talk to the No.1 on the list, Flavilla Fongang, about how to improve diversity and inclusion in the sector. And we introduce our seven rising stars – the future female leaders of UK IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government speeds up NHS Digital and NHS England merger

NHS bodies will now merge in early January 2023, aiming to create a single statutory body for NHS data and technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Complacency biggest cyber risk to UK plc, says ICO

Information commissioner John Edwards warns against complacency as his office issues a multimillion-pound fine to a building company that failed to prevent a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Half of staff might quit after a cyber attack, report says

Findings from a survey of CISOs, IT leaders and staffers reveal how experiencing a cyber incident may take a larger-than-thought toll on employee retention Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital Transformation Week Amsterdam: The growing divide between the haves and have-nots

The most successful companies carefully manage how data is taken in and processed – and they use tools to ensure they squeeze the most they can out of every bit of information Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Berlingske Media to go all-digital in 2023

Danish publisher moves national daily newspaper fully online as it cuts costs and reacts to changing customer habits Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Improving finance and accounting software with AI

Artificial intelligence algorithms and datasets have potential value across many areas in finance and accounting, but usage isn’t yet widespread Continue Reading

By

• Craig Le Clair

The 50 Most Influential Women in UK IT 2022

Computer Weekly recognises 50 inspirational women who are role models for diversity and success in technology. Continue Reading

Execs feel leadership strain in the new normal of work

Research finds flexible work policies as the leading factor that has improved company culture over the last two years, but burnout is on the rise globally and executive experience scores for overall satisfaction at work have dropped markedly Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Ukrainian and UK IT sectors to deepen collaboration, partnerships

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, and the IT Ukraine Association have signed an MoU to deepen collaboration between the UK and Ukrainian IT sectors, and champion new partnerships and growth opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Did Truss authorise ‘war risk’ provocation over Black Sea?

A UK Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint spy plane was ordered to approach Russian territory in a Cold-War-style provocation just days after Liz Truss’s mini-budget collapsed Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

Microsoft slams external researchers over its own data leak

Microsoft inadvertently leaked customer data after misconfiguring an Azure Blob, but has hit out at the organisation that discovered its error, claiming it is exaggerating the scope of the issue Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Broadband majors, altnets respond to cost-of-living crisis

With latest UK inflation figures set to see comms contracts rise, industry reacts to mitigate against worst effects of price rises for customers and staff Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

What do the US’s new software security rules mean for UK organisations?

The White House announced recently that all software supplied to the US government and its agencies needs to be secure, so what does this mean for the UK and EU security sectors? Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

The Security Interviews: Why now for ZTNA 2.0?

With organisations facing escalating online threats, security teams need to improve their defences using zero-trust network access to preserve the integrity of their systems. Palo Alto Networks’ Simon Crocker shares his views on zero-trust network access Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Manchester to launch digital strategy

Four-year strategy to focus on smarter use of technology and data to make Manchester a sustainable and resilient city Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW APAC: Trend Watch: Database technology

Innovative data management offerings are improving the efficiency of enterprise operations. In this handbook, focused on database technology in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at the impact of graph databases, Neo4j’s partnership with Deloitte, TigerGraph’s added security features and the different types of database management systems currently on the market. Continue Reading

Parliamentary committee launches inquiry into AI governance

MPs will examine the impacts of artificial intelligence throughout the UK economy and how governance of the technology can be improved ahead of the government publishing its formal regulatory proposals Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber professional shortfall hits 3.4 million

Shortage of cyber security professionals continues to grow and shows no signs of abating, says report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest data breach whistleblower demands bank pay data controller fee to ICO

Whistleblower calls for NatWest to pay the Information Commissioner’s Office annual data controller fee, as the personal details of 1,600 current and former NatWest customers remain under her bed Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Computer Weekly announces the Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2022

Computer Weekly has revealed who is on the 2022 list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech, including this year’s winner, Flavilla Fongang Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Why the Most Influential Woman in UK Tech 2022 created a book of role models

Disruptors, game-changers and scalable impact – just some of the reasons Flavilla Fongang, this year’s Most Influential Woman in UK Tech, chose to dive into the sector Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Computer Weekly’s Women in UK Tech Rising Stars 2022

Each year, Computer Weekly selects a number of Rising Stars in the women in tech sector, women who are making waves in the women, diversity and inclusion in tech space and may find themselves on the top 50 list in the future Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Ransomware crews regrouping as LockBit rise continues

Overall ransomware activity dropped off in the third quarter of 2022, but increasing attack volumes in September may herald a difficult few months ahead Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyds Bank launches innovation sandbox

Banking group establishes a sandbox where fintechs can build and test applications for Lloyds Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Greenland investigates potential blockchain-based election system

Researchers have been funded to investigate blockchain-based online voting in Greenland Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Work in the metaverse: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this special edition of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, we speak to Wipro CTO Subha Tatavarti about the business metaverse Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Gartner: Hero CIOs are needed again to save businesses

During the pandemic, IT enabled businesses to remain operational. As the economic crisis worsens, business executives are once again reaching out to CIOs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Treat cyber crime as a ‘strategic threat’, UK businesses told

The government’s new National Cyber Advisory Board aims to help elevate cyber discussion and spur action in the business community Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT Sustainability Think Tank: Helping IT leaders avoid falling victim to greenwashing

How can IT leaders separate fact from fiction when weighing up a tech supplier’s sustainability claims? And, crucially, what are the dangers or risks enterprises face if they do not do their due diligence on the green claims of their providers? Continue Reading

By

• Praveen Shankar, EY UK & Ireland

MoD must have clear delivery plan for digital strategy, says NAO

While the Digital Strategy for Defence seems to be going well, the National Audit Office is concerned there is no overarching plan to implement it, or a clear way of measuring whether it is on track Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

polarity

Polarity is when an entity contains two distinct and opposite poles that can either attract or repel each other. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Skype’s legacy and the rise of the ‘new Nordics’

Estonia and other Baltic states could be part of a ‘new Nordics’ of technology innovation Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Apache vulnerability a risk, but not as widespread as Log4Shell

A newly disclosed Apache Commons Text vulnerability may put many at risk, but does not appear to be as impactful or widespread as Log4Shell Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Virtually all vulnerable open source downloads are avoidable

Some 96% of known vulnerable open source downloads could have been avoided altogether, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why some businesses are failing at AI

Deloitte’s ongoing research into artificial intelligence adoption has found that more than 20% of organisations are underachieving in their AI ambitions Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Subpostmaster federation failed its members when they needed it most

A dereliction of duty saw subpostmaster federation ignore its members when IT problems hit and allowed the Post Office destroy their lives Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Russia hacked a former MI6 spy chief

In this week’s Computer Weekly, Russian hackers leaked emails and documents from British government, military, and intelligence officials – we examine the implications. New EU laws will govern online safety and the use of AI, but what do they mean for organisations? And we look at the growth in checkout-free shopping. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

EU rolling out measures for online safety and artificial intelligence accountability

European Council approves passage of the Digital Services Act to protect our rights online as European Commission announces proposals to help those negatively affected by AI to claim compensation. Continue Reading

GRAID puts RAID on a GPU for cut-price disk protection and rebuilds

US startup puts its software on Nvidia graphics cards to offload RAID processing and throughput of 110GBps throughput across up to 32 NVMe solid-state drives Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

IR35 reforms repeal scrapped: Government labelled ‘spineless’ over u-turn

The contracting community has not taken kindly to the news that the government is rowing back its plans to repeal the IR35 reforms in the private and public sectors Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Global IT and business services spending slows amid economic fears

Spending on IT and business services is declining amid economic fears, with the possibility of a further fall on the horizon Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government u-turns on plans to scrap IR35 reforms in public and private sector from April 2023

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirms that the planned repeal of the IR35 reforms in the public and private sector is cancelled Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Biden ramps up China chip sanctions

The war of words between China and the US has ramifications across the high-tech sector. We report on the latest developments Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IT Sustainability Think Tank: Assessing a supplier’s sustainability credentials

How can IT leaders separate fact from fiction when weighing up a tech supplier’s sustainability claims? And, crucially, what are the dangers or risks enterprises face if they do not do their due diligence on the green claims of their providers? Continue Reading

By

• Jay Dietrich, Uptime Institute

API management: Assessing reliability and security

Once an API is published, its developer then has responsibility to ensure it is kept up to date and is secure Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
• Adrian Bridgwater

Malicious WhatsApp add-on highlights risks of third-party mods

Kaspersky researchers discovered a malicious version of a widely used WhatsApp messenger mod, highlighting the risks of using so-called mods Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Annual costs of Hackney ransomware attack exceed £12m

Hackney Council reveals new insight into the ongoing cost of a ransomware attack that devastated its systems two years ago Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Office 365 email encryption flaw could pose risk to user privacy

A vulnerability in Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption could leave the contents of emails dangerously exposed, but with no fix coming it’s up to users to decide how at risk they are Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fujitsu to finally face blame for its part in Post Office Horizon scandal

Fujitsu’s part in causing the extreme suffering of subpostmasters will be made clear as the IT supplier begins giving evidence at a statutory inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Advanced: Healthcare data was stolen in LockBit 3.0 attack

Advanced has revealed a total of 16 of its health and social care sector customers had their data exfiltrated in a recent ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Protecting children by scanning encrypted messages is ‘magical thinking’, says Cambridge professor

Ross Anderson argues in a rebuttal to GCHQ experts that using artificial intelligence to scan encrypted messaging services is the wrong approach to protecting children and preventing terrorism Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Alibaba Cloud readying dedicated cloud regions for private datacentres

The hybrid cloud offering will provide enterprises with a dedicated Alibaba Cloud region in their datacentres with multiple availability zones Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Cyber training firm KnowBe4 bought by private equity firm

Acquisition of KnowBe4 supposedly reflects the success the company has seen since its spring 2021 IPO Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unsung Heroes Awards celebrate diversity in cyber community

The seventh annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards recognise those trying to improve diversity and mental health in cyber for the first time Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Perpetrators of subpostmaster suffering in Horizon scandal must face public inquiry

Victims demand that the perpetrators of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal face the public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Is object storage good for databases?

We look at object storage vs block access SAN storage and ask if object storage can be used for database workloads, or is it just good for bulk storage of analytics datasets? Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Oracle, fear and loathing

With Oracle CloudWorld in Las Vegas kicking off, the on-going battle with third party support provider Rimini Street is once again making the news. On October 10th Oracle said it had informed the ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Gartner: Remote work, zero trust, cloud still driving cyber spend

Security leaders are eager to spend on categories including remote and hybrid cyber offerings, zero-trust network access, and cloud Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech critical to the UK’s prosperity, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Technology could provide the answer to the energy crisis, according to the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, as he hails tech as a way to guarantee prosperity for the country Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Middle East: Qatar strengthens cyber defences ahead of FIFA World Cup

Being the first Arab country to host the World Cup is pressure enough on Qatar, but there is also a massive cyber security challenge associated with any event of this magnitude. Read about its preparations. Also in this issue, find out about the unique challenges of hiring IT professionals in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading

IT Sustainability Think Tank: How IT buyers can verify the green claims of their supply chain

How can IT leaders separate fact from fiction when weighing up a tech supplier’s sustainability claims? And, crucially, what are the dangers or risks enterprises face if they do not do their due diligence on the green claims of their providers? Continue Reading

By

• Craig Melson, TechUK

Finance regulator cracks down on use of messaging apps

The Financial Conduct Authority is taking a closer look at how staff at banks are using WhatsApp in work Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC urges organisations to secure supply chains

NCSC’s latest guidance package centres supply chain security, helping medium to large organisations assess and mitigate cyber risks from suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Santander and Google offer tech to help businesses smooth move to cloud

Dual Run service from Google will be built on top of Santander technology known as Gravity Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IT sustainability strategies: Why enterprises need to start with the datacentre when going green

Enterprises are under pressure to curb their carbon emissions and become more environmentally friendly entities on multiple fronts, including in the datacentre Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Microsoft fixes lone zero-day on October Patch Tuesday

Microsoft patched a solitary zero-day vulnerability in its latest monthly drop, but fixes for two others disclosed in the past few weeks are nowhere to be seen Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Meta presents vision for business metaverse

How can hybrid teams collaborate seamlessly? Meta believes virtual reality tied to business applications is the way forward Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO selectively discloses reprimands for data protection breaches

Data protection experts question ICO’s selective approach to publishing formal reprimands for contravening the law, after FoI request reveals the Cabinet Office was among the organisations reprimanded Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor