IT news in your industry sector

Claim IR35 reform repeal and U-turn cost the government ‘nothing’ called into question

After responding to a question about the cost of the government’s repeal of the IR35 reforms and its subsequent U-turn on the decision, the financial secretary has come under fire for claiming no additional costs were incurred by its flip-flopping Continue Reading

Cloudflare urged to clamp down on pirates, counterfeiters

A whitepaper produced by brand protection specialist Corsearch calls on Cloudflare to do more to stop online content piracy and sales of counterfeit goods Continue Reading

UK fintech payments unicorn cuts back as Covid-19 boost wears off

Payments infrastructure firm Paddle downsizes as Covid-19-generated business boost runs out of steam Continue Reading

Crest throws support behind CyberUp CMA reform campaign

Cyber accreditation association Crest International has lent its support to the CyberUp campaign for reform to the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 Continue Reading

Fintech makes job cuts to workforce amid falling demand

Peer-to-peer lender cuts 14% of its workforce amid a rise in interest rates limiting the popularity of lending services Continue Reading

Royal Mail promises ‘workarounds’ to restore services after ransomware attack

Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson apologises to customers whose businesses are being disrupted by a ransomware attack and promises a ‘workaround’ will be in place in the near future Continue Reading

StarHub to undertake major network transformation

Singapore telco StarHub is deploying a hybrid cloud architecture that will enable it to launch sovereign cloud services, among other capabilities Continue Reading

How PepsiCo works with tech startups to drive growth

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to food and drinks giant PepsiCo about how it works with tech startups to drive growth and digital transformation. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the key elements of a composable business. And with all the chatter about ChatGPT, we look at the implications of generative AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cash use rises for first time in 13 years as cost of living increases

The number of cash withdrawals increased last year, for the first time in 13 years, but remains below the pre-Covid-19 figure Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: Protecting your digital self

Our digital self – the virtual presence of who we are online – has a pervasive influence in the real world. People make judgements based on these digital depictions, so what can be done to ensure positive representation? Continue Reading

CIO interview: Matt Grest, Very Group

The Covid-19 pandemic changed many things, including an increase in remote working – so how is the Very Group approaching the workplace and talent post-Covid? Continue Reading

CW EMEA: Protecting the privacy of schoolchildren

In this month’s CW EMEA, we look at how schools in Germany have stopped using Microsoft Office 365 over lack of clarity over how data is collected, shared and used. We also delve into how former UK spy boss Richard Dearlove leaked names of MI6 secret agent recruiters in China to back an aggressive right-wing US campaign against tech company Huawei. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Experts concerned over silence around government obligation to review UK surveillance laws

The government is required to review the UK’s surveillance law, the Investigatory Powers Act, but experts say they are in the dark about its plans. The National Crime Agency’s operation Venetic has highlighted the need for urgent reforms Continue Reading

Ellison-founded sailing league SailGP plumps for Oracle NetSuite to expand

SailGP, a sailing racing league co-founded by Oracle chairman and CTO Larry Ellison, has picked Oracle NetSuite to expand its business Continue Reading

Government given until autumn 2023 to create technology roadmap to support net-zero strategy

Review into the government’s progress in hitting its 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal highlights need for more action on the technology front Continue Reading

Cabinet Office looks to expand public data sharing for digital ID

Cabinet Office seeks feedback on proposed legislation to enhance data sharing across the public sector, in support of the UK government’s ambition to have a single sign-on identity-check system for all public services Continue Reading

Unionised contract workers who train Google’s AI win pay rise

Google contract workers employed at artificial intelligence training supplier RaterLabs have secured their first-ever pay rise, following collective demands that Google fulfil its own commitment to pay its extended workforce a minimum of $15 an hour Continue Reading

LockBit cartel suspected of Royal Mail cyber attack

The still-developing cyber incident at Royal Mail may be the work of the infamous LockBit ransomware operation Continue Reading

UK government completes trials of age estimation technology

Government-led trials of age estimation and verification technologies for the sale of alcohol in nightlife venues and supermarkets have been completed, with both government and retail lobbyists pushing for legislation that would allow retailers to adopt the tools for alcohol sales Continue Reading

Government accused of leaving umbrella company regulation in limbo by shelving enforcement body

The UK government is coming under pressure to reveal the state of its plans to regulate umbrella companies after it emerged that the enforcement body it promised to create is unlikely to materialise Continue Reading

Guardian confirms Christmas 2022 cyber attack was ransomware

Guardian Media Group bosses confirm the 20 December cyber attack that left staff locked out of its London office and disrupted several key systems was an untargeted ransomware attack Continue Reading

How Indian banks can drive automation in corporate banking

Banks should prioritise their processes for automation based on the level of human intervention, understand their processes thoroughly and put employees at the centre of their automation efforts Continue Reading

Royal Mail services hit by major cyber attack

UK postal service Royal Mail is asking customers not to send any overseas letters or parcels while it deals with the impact of an ongoing cyber attack Continue Reading

SMEs eye moving business to challenger bank

Known for their consumer banking success, challenger banks are now winning over hearts and minds in the small business sector Continue Reading

Internet shutdowns cost global economy $24bn in 2022

Deliberate disruption of people’s access to the internet by governments is having a substantial economic impact and contributing to a range of human rights abuses, primarily against protestors Continue Reading

NHS data platform costing £480m to supersede Covid-19 data store underway

NHS England has invited suppliers to tender for a data platform that will supersede the Covid-19 data store controversial for the involvement of data analytics firm Palantir Continue Reading

Microsoft fixes EoP zero-day on January Patch Tuesday

On the first Patch Tuesday of 2023, Microsoft fixed an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call, which has been actively exploited in the wild and may be co-opted into ransomware campaigns Continue Reading

Davos 2023: Pervasive cyber crime and cyber security gaps pose severe risk to organisations

Governments and organisations face tough trade-offs as they balance immediate problems caused by economic recession, energy shortages and rising interest rates with longer-term risks, including the impact of global warming Continue Reading

Latest Innovate Finance report reveals decrease in UK fintech investment, but like-for-like increase

Innovate Finance’s latest figures on fintech investment show reduction in UK, but report methodology leaves this open to change Continue Reading

Insurer Beazley introduces catastrophe bond to ease cyber risk

Insurance company Beazley says that its $45m cyber catastrophe bond will help to protect its balance sheet and enable it to offer more cyber insurance cover Continue Reading

Tech firms failing to address forced labour in supply chains

Subpar due diligence processes in the tech sector – including poor purchasing practices, sparsely implemented collective bargaining coverage, and a lack of redress for workers – is leaving supply chain workers open to abuse, says KnowTheChain Continue Reading

Belfast Harbour sails out with Oracle cloud applications

Belfast Harbour spies a more efficient and flexible future on the horizon as it sets sail with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP Continue Reading

Former subpostmaster Alan Bates, who ‘pulled up trees and moved mountains’, turns down OBE offer

Alan Bates, who fought for decades to expose the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, says it would be inappropriate to accept an OBE when former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells still holds her CBE Continue Reading

JPMorgan ordered to face lawsuit over cyber attack on Ray-Ban maker

US banking giant JPMorgan forced to respond to accusations that it failed to inform a business customer about suspicious transactions Continue Reading

Vulnerable organisations to get free Cyber Essentials support

Charities and legal aid firms are among those to be offered free security checks and certifications from the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

Proposed digital fraud refund rules risk excluding many victims

Proposals to establish a fraud refund mechanism in the UK risk excluding many victims of digitally enabled fraud, a major bank has warned Continue Reading

Vice Society cyber gang targeted multiple UK schools

The Vice Society ransomware gang has made a habit of attacking educational institutions, and now appears to have struck multiple schools, colleges and universities in the UK Continue Reading

Meta to appeal £345m fine for Facebook and Instagram privacy breaches

Social media company Meta is to appeal after the Irish Data Protection Commission fined the company for breaching GDPR Continue Reading

Cyber gang abused free trials to exploit public cloud CPU resources

A South Africa-based cyber crime gang exploited free trials and introductory offers to run cryptominers via public cloud services, then did a runner without paying Continue Reading

Fallout from Guardian cyber attack to last at least a month

The Guardian newspaper’s offices remained shut into the New Year following a supposed ransomware attack, with disruption likely to last some time Continue Reading

Cashless Denmark has no bank robberies in a year for first time

Denmark saw no bank robberies in a single year for the first time ever, but online fraud continues to increase Continue Reading

Securing low Earth orbit represents the new space race

The barriers to launching satellites into low Earth orbit are falling fast, and that brings new cyber security challenges Continue Reading

Top trends in tech, and retail’s early adopters

Computer Weekly identifies the retail industry’s early adopters of what McKinsey & Co deems the top tech trends Continue Reading

How technology is fuelling CommBank’s customer experience

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has built up capabilities in cloud and microservices while empowering engineering teams to solve complex customer problems Continue Reading

Traditional banking under threat from platform-based alternatives

Banking as a service embedded in non-banking business offerings will take large chunks from traditional banks Continue Reading

Why India’s Mphasis chose West Yorkshire for tech hub

IT services firm Mphasis is moving more service delivery to the UK with around 1000 tech recruits planned for Northern England Continue Reading

Diversity and inclusion figures high in New Year Honours List 2023

The New Year Honours List 2023 hailed those in the technology community who promote diversity and inclusion Continue Reading

Test of digital ID tech at Surrey nightclub proclaimed success

The majority of visitors to a Camberley venue who piloted a digital identification app developed by 1account said they found it easy to use and preferred it to standard physical ID Continue Reading

CDO interview: Lisa Heneghan, global chief digital officer, KPMG

The advisory and consultancy firm’s former UK CDO has stepped up into a global role – with a whole new set of challenges and opportunities around taking digital transformation further Continue Reading

CDO interview: Barry Panayi, chief data and insight officer, John Lewis Partnership

Data science and analytics is an increasingly important function across the John Lewis Partnership, covering its retail, grocery and financial services brands Continue Reading

Top 10 information management stories of 2022

Data for good is a theme of the information management stories of 2022 selected here. From tracking space junk, through medical kits for Ukraine, to professionalising data science to benefit society Continue Reading

High tech meets agriculture in Denmark

Thanks to a few strategic investments, Denmark may one day become a major exporter of farming technology Continue Reading

NHS-funded AI diagnosis tool benefits stroke patients

NHS England hails Brainomix stroke diagnosis tool for a tripling of the number of patients recovering to perform daily activities from 16% to 48% Continue Reading

The importance of improving data quality at source

Data replication crises have struck government and scientific data quality efforts. A lack of scrutiny over data being used at source has led to oversights from national statistics to financial auditing Continue Reading

CIO interview: David Schwartz, vice-president, PepsiCo Labs

The food and drinks giant actively seeks out innovative tech startups and runs a programme to find creative ways to use their products to benefit the business Continue Reading

How Finland develops its national plan for investment in innovation

A small country with limited resources, Finland carefully chooses strategic technologies to lead it into the future Continue Reading

Cyber security professionals share their biggest lessons of 2022

In the run-up to 2023, cyber security professionals are taking the time to reflect on the past few months and share their biggest lessons of 2022 Continue Reading

Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2022 Continue Reading

Top 10 Nordic IT stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 Nordic IT articles of 2022 Continue Reading

Top 10 technology startup stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology startup stories of 2022 Continue Reading

How does red teaming test the ultimate limits of cyber security?

An expert ethical hacker reveals how he goes about carrying out a red team exercise Continue Reading

Why the current fraud model is broken, and how to fix it

Scammers and fraudsters are catching up with the good guys; a new technological approach is needed to fight skyrocketing volumes of digital fraud, says Darwinium founder Alisdair Faulkner Continue Reading

Complaints that NCA failed in duty of candour over EncroChat warrants ‘incredible’, court hears

NCA lawyers argue that a decision by an NCA intelligence officer to disclose notes of a key meeting after two-and-a-half years boosts her credibility as a witness Continue Reading

Top 10 government IT stories of 2022

The UK government has been in turmoil for much of 2022, but there’s been plenty going on around the digital transformation of the public sector and the UK economy Continue Reading

Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the benefits of digital transformation across the health and social care sector – but there is still a long way to go. We look back at the stories that tracked progress in 2022 Continue Reading

Top 10 financial services IT stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 financial services IT articles of 2022, looking back at the moves and changes over the past year Continue Reading

NCA ‘wrong-footed’ defence lawyers after agreeing to take expert evidence on EncroChat ‘as read’

The National Crime Agency argued at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that expert evidence it agreed to ‘take as read’ is limited, flawed and often based on an incorrect interpretation of the law Continue Reading

Tech’s new year resolution: More humility

So, that was 2022. After two years of plague, we’ve now added poverty and war. Feeling optimistic about 2023, anyone? Enjoy those Christmas parties while you can… It feels somewhat churlish - amid ... Continue Reading

Top 10 cyber security stories of 2022

The war in Ukraine loomed large over the cyber security news agenda, but 2022 also saw growing awareness of open source security, discussion around cyber insurance, and more besides Continue Reading

Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2022 Continue Reading

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2022

Cyber crime continued to hit the headlines in 2022, with impactful cyber attacks abounding, digitally enabled fraud ever more widespread and plenty of ransomware incidents Continue Reading

Top 10 retail technology stories of 2022

Computer Weekly looks at what 2022 had in store for the retail industry – after the pandemic increasing technology adoption for most of the retail sector, what have firms put in place to survive the next few years? Continue Reading

Digital Economy Council: UK tech sector number one in Europe

Despite the tumultuous economic landscape, the UK has maintained its spot as having the number one tech sector in Europe, with its impressive investment figures Continue Reading

Four-day working week set to stay at Atom bank

Challenger bank Atom has formalised a four-day working week policy after a successful trial Continue Reading

TSB hit with huge fine after IT migration disaster

TSB has been fined nearly £50m due to failings during its IT migration catastrophe Continue Reading

Government shuts ‘Help to Grow’ doorway for SMEs

The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme, which aimed to help small businesses access productivity-enhancing software, has been closed, to the disappointment of TechUK Continue Reading

Post Office scandal: Cock-up or cook-up?

The second phase of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal raised more questions over who did what, when and where, with shocking revelations at every turn. Continue Reading

Top 10 emerging storage trends stories of 2022

There’s a seismic shift to the cloud. In its wake, object storage, unstructured data, analytics, unified file and object, and consumption models of procurement have all been boosted Continue Reading

Top 10 IR35 stories of 2022

The implementation of the UK government’s IR35 reforms has continued to generate headlines for Computer Weekly in 2022 Continue Reading

The Post Office IT scandal – cock-up or cover-up?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the second phase of the Post Office IT scandal inquiry revealed further shocking details at every turn – we review the latest evidence. We examine progress of the roll-out of fast broadband connectivity across the UK. And as the Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament, we look at the ongoing arguments about how to keep the internet safe. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: 2022 brought plenty of learning opportunities in cyber

At the end of another busy 12 months, Turnkey Consulting’s Andrew Morris sums up some of the most important takeaways for cyber pros Continue Reading

Storage hardware shortage causes and how to mitigate them

We look at the IT supply chain shortages that have hit data storage equipment, their causes and what organisations can do to work more smartly to mitigate them Continue Reading

A retail tech tour of the Battersea Power Station development

We check out the customer-facing digital features on display in the UK’s newest shopping site at Battersea Power Station Continue Reading

Top 10 storage and backup customer stories of 2022

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 storage and backup customer stories of 2022 Continue Reading

CIO interview: Steve Capper, CIO, SNC-Lavalin

Engineering and construction giant SNC-Lavalin has consolidated its global datacentre estate and implemented private cloud to support the unique demands of its business Continue Reading

Shiseido data breach victims plan legal action over fake companies

Employees and former employees of cosmetics firm Shiseido whose data was stolen in a recent breach are planning group legal action after their information was used to establish fraudulent companies in their names Continue Reading

UK unis implement new IP traffic policies to combat ransomware

Jisc will introduce new measures to protect UK universities and research institutions from ransomware attacks that exploit the Remote Desktop Protocol remote-access feature Continue Reading

Digital Ethics Summit: Who benefits from new technology?

Experts at the 2022 Digital Ethics Summit say expedited development cycles and obviously over-hyped PR material, in tandem with the public’s near-total exclusion from conversations around technology, is creating distrust towards the tech sector Continue Reading

Lego fixes dangerous API vulnerability in BrickLink service

The Lego Group has remediated two potentially serious API vulnerabilities in its BrickLink digital resale platform, just in time for Christmas Continue Reading

NCA officer questioned in Investigatory Powers Tribunal over failure to disclose EncroChat notes

EncroChat hacking warrant was unlawful and in breach of human rights law, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal hears Continue Reading

Criminal Cases Review Commission calls on more convicted subpostmasters to come forward

The Criminal Cases Review Commission wants more former subpostmasters to come forward if they think they were prosecuted by the Post Office based on data from the error-prone Horizon computer system Continue Reading

CIO interview: Andy Pocock, IT director, TrustFord

The vehicle dealership group has been through a complete digital transformation that embraces cloud, mobile working and automation Continue Reading

Private health provider data could be shared with NHS England

Plans are advancing to create a single source of healthcare data in England combining both private providers and the NHS to avoid a repeat of the Ian Paterson scandal Continue Reading

Advanced Azov data wiper likely to become active threat

Check Point deep dives into an emergent data wiper strain known as Azov, which is making waves with hundreds of new samples being submitted to VirusTotal daily Continue Reading

NHS gets new guidance on public benefits of data sharing

NHS national data guardian Nicola Byrne has published new guidance on how health and social care bodies should approach the task of evaluating public benefit when using data for purposes beyond individual care Continue Reading

Ethical hackers flex their muscles in 2022

Ethical hackers working through HackerOne programmes found 21% more vulnerabilities in 2022 than in 2021 Continue Reading

Microsoft and London Stock Exchange agree £2.3bn 10-year cloud deal

The London Stock Exchange is building on its acquisition of financial data provider Refinitiv through a deal with Microsoft Continue Reading

Microsoft fixes two zero-days in final Patch Tuesday of 2022

December’s Patch Tuesday is typically a light month for Microsoft, and this year proved no exception, but there are still several critical issues worth addressing, and two zero-days for defenders to pore over Continue Reading

New cyber approaches ease Registers of Scotland’s AWS migration

As the holder of the oldest national public land register in the world, Registers of Scotland has a storied history dating back centuries. Find out how Palo Alto Networks is keeping its processes and data secure as it goes all-in on Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

Crime Stoppers Tasmania debuts new reporting portal

Reporting tool will enable the public to share crime-related information with law enforcement agencies to support policing in Tasmania Continue Reading