IT news in your industry sector

Scope of Okta helpdesk breach widens to impact all users

Okta has widened the scope of the October breach of its systems to include every customer that has used its helpdesk service, after new information came to light Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Making artificial intelligence fit for all our human futures

Lord Chris Holmes explains why he has introduced a Private Member's Bill on AI regulation for discussion in Parliament - and the important precedents he hopes it will set Continue Reading

By

• Lord Chris Holmes, House of Lords

CCRC refers two posthumous subpostmaster appeals to Crown Court

CCRC refers posthumous appeals against convictions to Crown Court for first time Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK retailer The Very Group embarks on GenAI push with AWS

The Very Group's collaboration with AWS is geared towards improving the customer experience through personalisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Scope of British Library data breach widens

Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs have ‘little confidence’ in Making Tax Digital success

MPs say HMRC’s Making Tax Digital programme is riddled with widespread and repeating failures, and criticise the programme for failing to be open about the costs and increased burdens on taxpayers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

‘Excited’ finance firms pump money into digital technology

Over three-quarters of finance firms are currently restricted in what they can spend on technology due to the global economic climate, but expect spending to resume next year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

India's Hexaware creates hundreds of jobs in UK

Hexaware opens IT services operation in Birmingham, with a plan to recruit 250 people in the region by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DORA raises the stakes for cloud use in financial services

The EU's DORA regulations will raise the stakes for cloud in financial services but resilience is more than just a tech issue, says NetApp's Steve Rackham Continue Reading

By

• Steve Rackham

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Microsoft bans SME partners from selling its services via government's Cloud Compute 2 framework

Microsoft is under fire after documents leaked to Computer Weekly revealed it has banned reseller partners from selling its services via the government’s soon-to-be launched Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DWP to surveil bank accounts of benefit claimants for fraud

The UK government has outlined how it plans to tackle benefit fraud by giving the Department for Work and Pensions new powers compelling banks to collect and share data on claimants’ bank accounts Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Three-quarters of finance executives expect generative AI to replace them

Survey reveals an expectation that GenAI will take over many of the finance executive roles currently held by people Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Chancellor offers spending boost for IT buyers alongside AI and quantum investments

In his Autumn Statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a range of measures intended to boost investment in innovation and technology Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Autumn Statement reveals more AI and quantum initiatives

With the government keen to position the UK as pro-innovation, the chancellor used the 2023 Autumn Statement to discuss more plans to support that ambition Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Executive interview: TechUK CEO Julian David on 10 years of change in UK IT

It’s 10 years since the UK technology trade association relaunched as TechUK – its chief executive looks back on a dramatic decade, and discusses what’s next for the UK tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Palantir awarded NHS FDP data contract

NHS England has awarded a £330m, seven-year contract to US data specialist Palantir, prompting concerns from data privacy practitioners Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS England renews FutureNHS cloud-based collaboration hosting deal via G-Cloud for £1.67m

NHS England has renewed its long-standing hosting and support contract for the FutureNHS platform with SME cloud provider Kahootz Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Controversial Fujitsu contract with Post Office extended again

IT from Fujitsu is at the heart of the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history, yet the government keeps handing millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to the IT giant Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Republic of Korea deal adds to UK quantum momentum

The new agreement paves the way to greater collaboration on AI and quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nebulon upgrades SPU to Medusa2 with Nvidia DPU hardware

Nebulon aims to replace HCI with its OS on an offload card that it claims reduces server resource use by 25%. Medusa2 uses Nvidia DPU hardware and its own cloud control plane Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

World Wide Fund for Nature signs IT deal with Atos

Global conservation organisation will harness latest technologies to improve ability to predict risks to natural environment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Altman’s back at OpenAI. What next for Microsoft?

Fired and now rehired, Sam Altman returns to OpenAI, leaving a hole in Microsoft’s Advanced AI plans Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Over half of SME cyber incidents now ‘malware-free’

The age of malware-driven cyber attacks may have peaked, at least when it comes to incidents affecting small and medium sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

bank identifier code (BIC)

A bank identifier code (BIC) is a unique identifier for a specific financial institution. A BIC is composed of a 4-character bank code, 2-character country code, 2-character location code and optional 3-character branch code. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Canada’s Mounties among government employees hit by LockBit

A LockBit attack on a specialist supplier of relocation services has engulfed multiple government agencies in Canada Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Deputy prime minister heads up AI central government drive

The government has established a new initiative called i.AI in a bid to drive AI across the public sector to improve efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government response to digital exclusion recommendations lacking, say Lords

The government’s response to a committee report that makes recommendations for addressing digital exclusion has been met with criticism from the House of Lords Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Internal documents leaked as Rhysida claims responsibility for British Library ransomware attack

Ransomware group Rhysida threatens to sell documents stolen from the British Library to the highest bidder Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Can AI take education to a new level?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Kingfisher develops AI-agnostic platform to power DIY assistant

The platform provides a framework for security and compliance and enables developers to test different large language models Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

JPMorgan Chase tops bank AI ranking

Report reveals that JPMorgan Chase is the world's top bank for AI, along with Capital One and Royal Bank of Canada, but Europeans are lagging behind Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

AI productivity gains could result in four-day weeks for millions

Autonomy think tank publishes paper on potential for artificial intelligence-driven large language models to shorten people’s work weeks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Elected officials' lack of digital skills affects public services

A lack of digital skills and tech expertise among elected officials encourages government to contract out IT work instead of building up internal capacity, making the public sector increasingly reliant on outside knowledge to get things done Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Kersley

IT not ready for AI, Pure Storage survey finds

Storage, compute and networking hardware won’t cope without upgrades, and that often means total IT infrastructure overhaul Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Defence lawyers seek appeal of tribunal ruling on police EncroChat cryptophone hack

Defence lawyers are seeking leave to appeal against a tribunal ruling that found the National Crime Agency had lawfully obtained warrants to access messages from 9,000 cryptophones used in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS England hits 90% target for electronic patient records

Some 90% of trusts in NHS England have adopted electronic patient records in hospitals, ahead of government schedule Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

US civil society groups demand better conditions for AI workers

Some 24 US civil society groups and unions and have written a letter to the US Senate asking for action to improve the working conditions of the people who train and maintain their artificial intelligence systems Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Capgemini and Heathrow strike deal to enhance passenger experience

Capgemini and Heathrow team up to provide development and operations support for the airport’s technology estate Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Royal Mail spent £10m on cyber measures after LockBit attack

Royal Mail has spent approximately £10m on recovery and improved cyber resilience measures in the wake of the January 2023 LockBit ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Interview: Dan Huddart, CTO, Homeprotect

After building up experience in the insurance sector, Homeprotect’s chief technology officer sought the freedom to innovate being offered at the rapidly scaling company Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Luxembourg-based cloud provider aims to transform the AI landscape in Europe

Gcore runs cloud services worldwide, which gives it a front-row seat for observing global computing trends, and now the company expects to lead one of the major trends in Europe Continue Reading

By

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

British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware

The British Library has provided an update on an ongoing cyber incident affecting its systems, confirming it to be the result of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office scandal inquiry postpones more key witness hearings

Yet more witness hearings are cancelled due to the Post Office's late disclosure of documents Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where tech can smooth out the retail returns process

New tech from supply chain companies, M&A activity among logistics firms, and H&M’s new fees show product returns is the retail industry debate that keeps coming back Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

US government reinforces ICBC hack link to Citrix Bleed

US Treasury adds weight to reports that a ransomware gang gained access to the systems of Chinese bank ICBC by exploiting a critical Citrix flaw Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?

We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Million Brits could lose access to bank branch if closure rate continues

Even people in urban constituencies could lose access to a local bank branch, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Engineers slash RPO/RTO as they swap tape for Rubrik backup

Frankham Group ditches archaic tape backup and deploys Rubrik backup appliances and remote disaster recovery facility. Meanwhile, the engineering group assesses a move to the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Francis Maude calls for GDS and CDDO to merge

Review into the civil service by the former Cabinet Office minister says the two organisations should become one entity to avoid sending mixed signals around accountability and leadership Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Industry 5.0: What is it and what does its future hold?

As Industry 5.0 becomes a more popular topic of conversation in the business tech world, critics have come out to question its legitimacy as a revolution instead of a progression Continue Reading

By

• Marc Ambasna-Jones

Rogue state-aligned actors are most critical cyber threat to UK

The prospect of rogue nation-state-aligned attackers bringing down the UK’s critical infrastructure is keeping the NCSC up at night Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyds Bank warns over rising threat of crypto scams

Report by Lloyds Banking Group finds there has been a 23% increase in cryptocurrency scams in 2023 compared with last year, targeting mostly younger investors Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Victims’ legal action over 2015 Carphone Warehouse breach moves forward

A class action against Currys Retail over the 2015 data breach of Carphone Warehouse customers has been granted permission to move forward in the courts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO alerted after technical ‘issue’ exposed college files to student barristers

A training college for barristers has reported a data breach that left sensitive data on hundreds of current and former students accessible to other trainees Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Shawbrook Bank slashes mortgage processing time through low code

Specialist business lending and savings bank is using Pegasystems’ low-code platform to rewrite and automate the customer journey Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UN disarmament body calls for global action on autonomous weapons

UN draft resolution highlighting the dangers of autonomous weapons passes with overwhelming majority Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How the Online Safety Act will impact businesses beyond Big Tech 

The Online Safety Act will impact an estimated 100,000 online services in the UK and overseas Continue Reading

By

• Ria Moody, Linklaters

Ransomware attack on major Chinese lender disrupts financial markets

The financial services arm of one of the world’s largest banks was taken offline by a supposed LockBit ransomware attack, causing problems for US markets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Revealed: How Russia’s Sandworm ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure

New Mandiant intelligence reveals how the APT known as Sandworm has been evolving its playbook, twisting legitimate executables known as LoLBins into malicious tools as it seeks to disrupt daily life in Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Visa launches artificial intelligence advisory service

Visa is giving its customers the opportunity to tap into its global network of AI experts through its AI Advisory Practice. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC makes annual Black Friday plea to consumers

Ahead of the annual festival of retail avarice, the NCSC is once again asking consumers to do the bare minimum to avoid falling victim to scams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council

Systems at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were downed on 7 November in a suspected ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government does not see need for specific AI legislation

The UK government does not currently see the need for new artificial intelligence legislation, as many regulators are already dealing effectively with AI-related harms Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Conflict of interest concerns raised over CMA's use of AWS UK public sector discount scheme

Less than a month after the CMA confirmed it would be investigating the competitive impact of AWS preferential pricing deals on the UK cloud market, data reveals the CMA is benefiting from cut-price Amazon cloud services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Heineken lets the data flow

In this month’s CW EMEA ezine, we find out about Heineken’s mission to make the most out of the data it holds through an enterprise-wide data ecosystem. We also look at how the UK has turned its back on the German government-funded Gaia-X data platform, why cyber experts are urging the EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans, and how the IT industry is responding to the software developer skills shortfall. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Former Post Office manager has no memory of preparing witness statement in legal dispute

Evidence of computer problems was omitted from the witness statement of a former Post Office manager in a legal battle with a subpostmaster blamed for unexplained accounting shortfalls Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AI Summit not the place for human rights, says French finance minister

Despite commitments at the UK’s AI Safety Summit to respect and protect human rights, the French finance minister said it was not the right forum to discuss signatories' human rights records Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Iconic Singapore hotel caught up in major data breach

The Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore uncovered a data breach of its guest loyalty programme last month Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office disclosure failures delay Horizon scandal inquiry again

Many of the 300,000 emails unearthed could be relevant to evidence from future and past witnesses in the Post Office scandal inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

VMware consolidates AI push at Explore in Barcelona

VMware’s vision is of ‘cloud smart’ enterprises that run on-premise, in multiclouds and in the ‘edge cloud’, with secure and compliant generative AI fuelling efficient business processes Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Cornwall Council-run care service to deploy digital care hub

Digital hub will offer council-run Corserv Care an end-to-end care solution, including a physical device, online dashboard and interoperable software Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: Paul Scully, minister for technology and the digital economy, DSIT

The technology minister speaks to Computer Weekly about the government’s semiconductor strategy, how to solve the digital skills challenge in the UK and moving towards the country’s net-zero target Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Unesco unveils seven-point anti-disinformation plan

United Nations body outlines seven proposals for civil society, governments, regulators and tech platforms to adopt to combat the source of disinformation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI Safety Summit review

Computer Weekly takes stock of the UK government’s AI Safety Summit and the differing perspectives around its success Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How ExxonMobil is leading with data

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the leader of ExxonMobil’s data organisation, about the energy giant’s strategy to establish enterprise-wide principles for the use of data. As the UK’s Online Safety Act comes into force, we examine the tech sector’s concerns over the laws around end-to-end encryption. And we look at the software tools available to HR teams to help improve staff retention. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NatWest taps IBM skills for generative AI

NatWest and IBM are developing generative AI capabilities to expand the capabilities of the bank’s virtual customer assistant Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The great AI threat, or not...

Depending on who you talk to, Rishi Sunak's much-hyped AI Safety Summit was an act of extreme hubris by the UK government, a wasted opportunity, or a historic milestone in the development of ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Netherlands starts building its own AI language model

Dutch government allocates €13.5m to develop an open artificial intelligence language model according to national values and guidelines. Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Shadow IT use at Okta behind series of damaging breaches

Okta now believes the initial access vector in a series of damaging breaches was one of its own employees who used a corporate device to sign into their personal Google account Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK science minister announces quantum tech funding and collaboration plans

Science minister George Freeman announces £14m in funding for quantum technology projects as government signs collaboration agreements with Australia and the Netherlands Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MES vs. ERP: What are the differences?

MES software focuses on manufacturing processes, while an ERP system focuses on company operations. Learn more about the differences between MES vs. ERP. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Maplesden, Freelance Editorial Services

How to solve the computer evidence problem

The Law Commission is in disgrace for its historic misrepresentations of IT experts when pushing a change to the law on the use of computer evidence through Parliament. Continue Reading

By

• Alistair Kelman

Bristol and Cambridge to host 2024 AI supercomputers

Dell and HPE are working on supercomputers with the two universities as part of the government’s artificial intelligence funding drive Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CDDO publishes digital roadmap update

The CDDO envisions that by 2025, digital services will exceed public expectations, civil servants will be equipped for a digital future, and government efficiency and security will be enhanced Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Pension changes set to boost UK tech

UK technology and science startups could benefit from changes to UK pension funds Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How the UK crime agency repurposed Amazon cloud platform to analyse EncroChat cryptophone data

UK crime agency repurposed AWS-based analytics platform to triage EncroChat data and identify threats to life in messages sent on encrypted phone network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly
• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Law Commission misrepresented experts when it changed rule on computer evidence

The Law Commission repeatedly quoted vague, arm-waving, un-evidenced comments by judges who offered no insight into anything beyond their own technical ignorance. The law change made miscarriages of justice inevitable. Continue Reading

By

• James Christie

AI Summit: 28 governments and EU agree to safe AI development

In a joint communique at the UK government’s AI Safety Summit, all participating governments agreed to deepen their cooperation around the risks associated with artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cloud banking fintech unicorn cuts 50 staff

UK fintech unicorn reduces its total staff by about 7% with sales and marketing roles taking the biggest hit. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Banking should start testing out quantum ideas

The finance sector should not ignore quantum computing, even though the technology is not yet ready Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Lloyds bank kicks off Hyderabad operation

Lloyds Banking Group has opened its latest tech operation in Hyderabad, with plans to recruit around 600 IT experts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government announces millions to fund AI skills

Funding has been allocated to ensure the UK grows its understanding of artificial intelligence and develops an AI talent base to help properly utilise the technology in the future Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

The cause of the Post Office Horizon scandal? The Law Commission? Judges? Lawyers?

The appropriateness of the current law on the use of computer evidence in court is under the spotlight following Post Office scandal revelations Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Mason

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson on her AI Safety Summit goals

As the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park takes place, Computer Weekly caught up with Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to find out what one of the UK’s most prominent AI advocates wants from proceedings Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The world's most advanced Arabic LLM is now available on open source

On 30 August 2023, Abu Dhabi-based Inception, a subsidiary of G42, announced the release of an Arabic large language model to open source Continue Reading

By

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

British Library falls victim to cyber attack

The British Library is experiencing a major IT outage following a cyber incident of an undisclosed nature Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Biden’s AI plans focus on US workers’ protection

The US president has issued an Executive Order that sets out his administration’s strategy for AI safety and security Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Over a quarter of UK adults use buy now, pay later fintechs

Latest research from UK financial services regulator shows BNPL more likely to be used by people experiencing financial difficulty Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA