IT news in your industry sector

Mimecast extends core email security to enable cyber resilience

Mimecast continues to widen its cyber security capability through in-house development and strategic acquisition, as well as extend its core email security technologies to all other areas it applies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What will Liam Maxwell’s departure from government mean for digital?

Will Liam Maxwell’s departure be the straw that broke the camel’s back when it comes to government’s progress on digital? Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Butlin’s warns of potential personal data breach

Holiday camp chain blames cyber breach on a phishing attack, implying that attackers were able to steal user credentials to access customer data – and underlining the need for security awareness training Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Atos sets out vision for a digital Scotland

Scotland has the potential to create a competitive advantage in the global economy through digital technologies, and could even become a cloud datacentre hub, according to Atos Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NCR patches ATM vulnerabilities

NCR has patched ATM vulnerabilities discovered by Positive Technologies Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Education secretary urges tech industry to transform classrooms

Education secretary Damian Hinds has called upon large technology firms to use tech to tackle some of the biggest issues in schools Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Under half of firms use vulnerability assessments

Less than half of organisations base their cyber defences on strategic vulnerability assessments, and a third of these do the bare minimum to meet compliance requirements, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ICO fines Emma’s Diary £140,000

The UK’s privacy watchdog has fined a marketing company for illegally collecting and selling personal information for political campaigning Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-HMRC tax inspector sounds alarm over suitability of IR35 online status checker tool

As the private sector consultation on IR35 draws to a close, a former HM Revenue & Customs inspector calls into further question the suitability of the government's online tool for assessing contractors’ tax status Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Smart cities a tempting target for cyber attackers

Smart cities are an attractive target for cyber attackers because of the growing number of connected systems embedded throughout their infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Benelux: Netherlands to experiment with self-driving trains

In this issue, read how Dutch railway operator ProRail will test self-driving trains on a small set of railroad tracks to learn if they can be part of the country’s notoriously busy network. Also, find out how a network of smart towns and cities is growing in the Netherlands, and why Dutch organisations are being urged to unite to fight DDoS attacks. Continue Reading

Brace for more Triton-like attacks, researchers warn

The world has not seen the last of industrial control system (ICS) attacks like Triton, researchers have warned Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Banking as a service could help challenger bank expand and profit

Fintech driven challenger banks could make white label banking services attractive to businesses in various consumer facing sectors Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government sets out vision for better use of rail data

The government and the rail industry have developed a joint action plan to remove barriers to better data use by improving access to data, developing better standards, increasing skills and encouraging collaboration Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Incomplete visibility a top security failing

Incomplete visibility of IT environments is among the most common basic enterprise security failings, as most organisations are still failing to achieve basic cyber security hygiene, a survey reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch railway operator to experiment with self-driving trains

 Continue Reading

IPSE warns government off private sector IR35 reform, as 'no deal' Brexit fears grow

As the government prepares to close its consultation on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, IPSE airs concerns over the economic impact the move could have, as talk of a "no deal" Brexit for the UK continues Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Liam Maxwell to swap government for AWS

Government tech adviser Liam Maxwell is understood to be leaving government for a role at Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Check Point warns of WhatsApp vulnerabilities

Researchers are warning of vulnerabilities in WhatsApp that allow threat actors to intercept and manipulate messages sent in a group chat Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security double agents most common in the UK

Cyber security professionals who alternate between criminal and legitimate activities or move full-time into cyber criminal activity are more common in the UK than other countries, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch healthcare institutions need to think like tech sector

The healthcare industry needs to approach technological innovation in a different way if it is to maximise the benefits for staff and patients Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Nordic fintech becomes a significant global player

The Nordic region accounted for three of the 10 biggest financial technology deals in the first half of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

M&S partners with Doddle for easier click-and-collect returns

Retailer is using Powered by Doddle on its in-store devices to allow returns of online items, as well as the use of click-and-collect services Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government invests £3m in Wales-based Stem hub

A science centre in Wales will be given £3m to develop a Stem hub, which will reach more diverse audiences for its delivery of science and technology teaching content Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Starbucks to advise on development of bitcoin trading platform

Coffee giant Starbucks has joined a group of firms advising Intercontinental Exchange on the development of a digital assets platform Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

AI security hype putting businesses at risk

The hype around artificial intelligence may be putting businesses at risk, according to a study that found most IT decision-makers believe AI is the answer to all cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

In-flight Wi-Fi availability drives passenger loyalty

A report published by Inmarsat appears to suggest that airlines which make on-board Wi-Fi more easily available are seeing more loyal customers as a result Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Young age group need to be educated about open banking if it is to take-off

There needs to be a concerted effort to educate the population about the benefits open banking can offer individuals and society Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Lack of Dmarc email validation puts brands and customers at risk 

There is a worldwide lack of Dmarc email validation to defend against fraud and phishing attacks, putting organisations and customers at risk, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems a specialised cyber target

Cyber attackers specialising in industrial control systems are fast, efficient and able to move between IT and OT environments, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How digital is driving golf to the connected course

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how one of the most traditional of sports, golf, is turning to technology to engage a new audience and build the connected course. Industry legend Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley discusses IT talent, diversity in tech and Brexit fears. And we assess the offerings of four of the biggest cloud storage providers, AWS, Azure, Google and IBM. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Starling raises the fintech stakes with banking-as-a-service

Challenger bank enables companies outside the financial sector to offer their customers savings and current accounts via the bank’s APIs Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Outsource responsibility, not accountability

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

Mobile banking Trojans reach all-time high

Mobile banking Trojans topped the list of cyber threats in the second quarter of the year, according to research by Kaspersky Lab Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Highlands and Islands broadband roll-out extended

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out is targeting 25,000 additional homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region Continue Reading

Sweaty Betty revamps website to cater for digital customers

Activewear brand has partnered with e-commerce firm Tryzens to launch a responsive site that is better suited to its increasingly digital customers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

DfT pledges to spend one-third of its procurement budget on SMEs by 2022

Department for Transport’s SME action plan promises to increase its spend with small and medium-sized enterprises to 33% by the end of this parliament Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Half of UK consumers to exercise GDPR rights within a year

More than half of UK consumers will exercise their General Data Protection Regulation rights within a year and almost two-thirds will retract or review data use because of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Virus outbreak at iPhone chip plant could delay shipments

A computer virus at an iPhone chip manufacturing plant could delay shipments of Apple’s latest smartphones, but the impact will be limited, say analysts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Advertised broadband speeds dropping across UK

Since new advertising standards around broadband were introduced in May 2018, most providers have cut the speeds they advertise, or stopped making speed claims altogether Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BEIS research and development budget nearly £8bn in 2018/19

Working to reach the government’s target of spending 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027, BEIS has increased its budget to nearly £8bn in 2018/19 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security Think Tank: Almost all security can be outsourced, but not the risk

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Hyperoptic raises £250m funding to roll out full-fibre broadband

Broadband supplier Hyperoptic claims its latest round of funding is the largest ever single investment in the UK’s burgeoning full-fibre market Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Alex von Schirmeister, CDTIO, RS Components

The electronics distributor’s chief digital, technology and innovation officer (CDTIO) on putting in place a new IT infrastructure, creating a digital business and accepting risk Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Google to alert firms of state-sponsored attacks on G Suite users

As cyber security increasingly becomes a market differentiator, Google has announced that businesses using G Suite cloud-based software can opt in to cyber attack alerts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Audi to test 5G use cases in car production

German carmaker Audi is working with Sweden’s Ericsson to run field tests of 5G mobile networking technology exploring its applications on the factory floor Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Three-quarters of UK adults have not heard of open banking

Open banking will struggle to deliver what it promises unless people are made aware of its existence and what it could do for them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government launches digital economy competition review

Obama’s former chief economic advisor will lead panel on competition in the digital economy to ensure regulations are fit for purpose Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security Think Tank: Risk tolerance key to security outsourcing policy

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Data has potential to enhance UK economy and productivity, says government

Government paper sets out potential for data to drive economic value, and highlights series of challenges that need to be addressed to fully gain benefits Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Gorgon Group shows simple cyber attacks remain effective

A highly effective cyber attack group that appears to be based in Pakistan is carrying out targeted attacks against nation states at the same time as criminal operations, researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Reddit breach exposes 2FA flaws

Reddit has reported a password breach despite using 2FA, exposing the weaknesses of two-factor authentication based on mobile text messages Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Three ploughs £276m into 5G preparation

Hutchison-backed mobile operator Three is spending lavishly as it bids to be first to market with a commercial 5G network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDPR harmonised with local laws in Nordic EU states

Sweden provides an interesting challenge for the European Union’s data protection regulation due to its laws around freedom of press and free speech Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Three Carbanak cyber heist gang members arrested

Three alleged members of the Carbanak gang believed to be responsible for more than 100 cyber heists worldwide have been arrested, US authorities have announced Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Top things to consider in security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Public sector increases outsourcing in first half of 2018

IT and business processing outsourcing in UK central government accelerates in the first half this year, almost matching the total spend by financial services firms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office dishes out more than £100m for police tech projects

The Home Office has awarded £42.7m of funding to a range of digital policing projects, as well as approved £70m for four ongoing national programmes across England and Wales Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Bromium evolves virtualisation-based security

Virtualisation-based security firm Bromium has evolved its technology to offer bidirectional protection for applications and underlying operating systems Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top dark web indicators of compromise

There are 10 common activities on the dark web that indicate a data breach or some other security compromise has taken place, according to a specialist monitoring firm Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Northern Ireland to deploy patient portal

Health and Social Care Northern Ireland will begin piloting a patient portal later this month to support people with dementia Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Apple breaks Q3 records, while losing market share to Huawei

Apple has posted a record-breaking quarter, but its smartphones are not selling as fast. Huawei is now the second largest smartphone maker Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK fintech investment exceeds US and China

Financial technology investments in the UK have surpassed those made in the US and China Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: A risk-based approach to security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Rory Alsop

Intelligent automation spending to hit $232bn by 2025

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and machine learning could help traditional enterprises gain ground on digital-first giants Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK business overestimating level of consumer trust, study shows

UK consumer trust is low, with the majority of UK businesses admitting to selling customer data, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SamSam ransomware reaps $5.9m and counting

In just two and a half years, SamSam campaigns are believed to have netted nearly $6m for cyber criminals, an analysis of this adaptive and evasive strain of active ransomware reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Utilita Energy supplier uses cloud to rapidly scale IT service desk

Energy provider Utilita Energy puts its IT service management in the cloud to support its rapid growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Estonia took a digital lead

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at one of the world’s most digitally advanced nations, Estonia, and ask what the UK government can learn from this small Baltic state. We talk to Airbus about how aircraft manufacturers are prioritising cyber security. And we examine how AI and robots will augment – not replace – human productivity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Comms providers may be forced to notify out-of-contract users

Providers of landline, broadband, TV and mobile services will have to notify their customers when they approach the end of their minimum contract period under proposed new rules Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: David Ivell, chief technology officer, Good Energy

Renewable energy supplier aims to pioneer change in the sector through innovation, having refocused the organisation with technology as a “driving force” Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Why Pinterest pinpointed features for the visually impaired

Ideas curation site has developed features for people with visual impairment. Its lead designer explains what has been changed and why it matters Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Dixons Carphone ups data breach figure to 10 million

Dixons Carphone now believes the number of personal data records affected in 2017’s data breach is nearly 10 times greater than initially thought Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Briton ran pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign that helped Trump deny Russian links

A British IT manager and former hacker from Darlington ran a disinformation campaign that duped former US intelligence agents and provided Donald Trump with manufactured “evidence” to deny that Russia interfered with the US election Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

3 Hong Kong gears up for 5G with “epic” transformation

The Hong Kong telco is putting in an advanced technical architecture that will streamline and automate internal processes and IT as it prepares for the 5G era Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

M&S aims to give 1,000 employees data skills

Luxury supermarket Marks and Spencer has partnered with Decoded to create a programme aimed at teaching its employees data skills Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Pentagon flags risky software suppliers

The Pentagon has drawn up a list of software suppliers that it wants the US military and defence contractors to avoid due to fears of risks to national security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

The government has announced the winners of an R&D contest for connected vehicle simulation and modelling capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IBM and CLS to work on blockchain app store

IBM and foreign exchange settlement provider CLS are using their complimentary expertise to create an app store for finance firms using distributed ledger technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Not all security service providers are created equal

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Dubai disputes court and Smart Dubai partner to apply blockchain

Organisations in Dubai are working on developing the principal of blockchain-based courts Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Digital identity system for EU nationals should be used for all UK citizens, says report

Policy Exchange report recommends extending Home Office system for registering EU nationals post-Brexit to become UK-wide digital identity application Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Search begins for UK’s cyber security Unsung Heroes

The Security Serious cyber awareness campaign has opened nominations for the third annual cyber security Unsung Heroes awards Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post-quantum security on Airbus’s radar

With quantum computing on the horizon, multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus is among those organisations that are looking at evolving their cryptography capabilities to stay ahead of technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Five things to consider when joining Open Banking revolution

Open Banking has arrived and will gather pace over the coming tears, but what should organisations consider when they join the revolution Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Openreach doubles down on full-fibre broadband roll-out

In its first annual review since splitting from BT, Openreach has recommitted to its targets for full-fibre broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT bounces back in strong first quarter

After a run of bad news, there were some bright spots in BT’s first quarter financial results Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fileless malware a growing trend, warns McAfee

Cyber attackers are increasingly moving away from traditional malware to using trusted Windows executables to invade systems and breach corporate networks, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT meltdown pushes TSB into loss

Bank is feeling the effects of its recent IT problems, reporting a loss of more than £100m for the first six months of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK relegated to fourth place in UN e–government survey

The UK has dropped from first to fourth in the United Nations’ ranking on e-governments across the world, falling behind Denmark, Australia and South Korea Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Hackers targeting software supply chains, US report warns

A US government report on cyber espionage by China, Russia and Iran says software supply chains are increasingly under attack Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brace for PowerGhost cryptominer, warns Kaspersky Lab

Corporate networks are the target of a new illicit cryptocurrency mining malware that is difficult to detect and eradicate, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Crest report highlights need for bug bounty best practice

A lack of best practice guidelines for bug bounties is leaving researchers, organisations and bounty platforms confused and at risk, a report reveals Continue Reading

Cities key to making data a new form of infrastructure, says Nesta

City governments need to take charge of data use and leverage responsible innovation, as data should not be seen as a saleable commodity, but a common good, according to the innovation foundation Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Software development remains insecure

The prevalence of common and well-known web-based vulnerabilities underlines the need for better education around secure software development Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

O2 canvasses support from UK Plc to build case for 5G

O2 CEO Mark Evans is writing to every FTSE 100 boss in the UK seeking to build consensus around 5G use cases, and drum up support for investment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Facebook stock price falls on slowing growth forecast

Facebook’s stock price has fallen dramatically in response to a forecast of slower revenue growth in 2018 and lower-than-expected user growth for the second quarter Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security vulnerability concerns skyrocket

Security professionals are more worried about data breaches and cyber attacks than they were a year ago, with most fearing that Meltdown-Spectre attacks are becoming the norm Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Smart cities face challenges and opportunities

IHS Markit analysts Noman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley assess the way forward for smart city technology projects around the world Continue Reading

By

• Norman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley

MPs to investigate progress of digital government

Science and technology committee invites evidence for inquiry into spread of digital public services and the role of GDS Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief