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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

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• 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

The implications of biased AI models on the financial services industry

The Bank of England has warned of the risk artificial intelligence models present in creating bias that could pose a threat to the UK’s financial services sector. How do those risks emerge and how they might be mitigated?   Continue Reading

By

• Jamie Rowlands

UK government to invest £100m in using AI to research treatments for incurable diseases

Prime minister Rishi Sunak confirms £100m in government funding for AI-led research into incurable diseases Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK government AI Summit already branded ‘missed opportunity’

The dominance of big tech firms, a focus on speculative risks over real-world harms, and the exclusion of affected workers, mean the AI Safety Summit is a wasted opportunity, say civil society groups Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Frontier AI Taskforce starts recruitment drive

The second progress report from the Frontier AI Taskforce reveals new hires plus vacancy posts for software and research engineers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Tech firms cite risk to end-to-end encryption as Online Safety Bill gets royal assent

Tech firms continue to be concerned that the Online Safety Bill could undermine end-to-end encryption despite government reassurances Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Domestic abuse charities surface fresh worries over NHS data sharing

With new NHS data access options coming into effect at the end of October, a group of campaigners including womens' charities and the BMA have warned that the revived GP-patient data sharing scheme risks putting vulnerable people at risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Egregious’ to link passport data with facial recognition systems

The Scottish biometrics watchdog has spoken out against the UK policing minister’s plans to integrate passport data with police facial recognition systems Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK regulators confident they are ready for AI safety governance

MPs at a recent artificial intelligence governance meeting were keen to hear how Ofcom, the FCA and the ICO are preparing for UK AI legislation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Germany: European Court opinion kicks questions over EncroChat back to national courts

Germany lawfully obtained data on German EncroChat users from France, but whether the evidence is legally admissible is a matter for national courts Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

ChatGPT, Bard, lack effective defences against fraudsters, Which? warns

Consumer advocacy Which? warns that popular generative AI tools are vulnerable to loopholes that render existing protections against malicious usage easily bypassed Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sunak sets scene for upcoming AI Safety Summit

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has outlined how the UK will approach making AI safe, but experts say there is still too big a focus on catastrophic but speculative risks over real harms the technology is already causing Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government-led Smart Data Discovery Challenge launched to stoke innovation

A government-led coalition has launched an open-call competition for ideas using smart data to help support individuals and small businesses, emulating open banking Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Key themes emerge from Lenovo's 2023 analyst conference

Enterprise Strategy Group looks at Lenovo's 2023 Global Industry Analyst Conference and how the company is taking a more holistic view, with a focus on AI and sustainability. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Nashawaty
• Enterprise Strategy Group

  We provide market insights, research and advisory, and technical validations for tech buyers.

Finland shows off its new 20-qubit quantum computer

Anybody who scoffs at Finland’s lofty ambitions in the field of quantum computing should remember that not only is the country home to one of Europe's most successful companies (Nokia), but it also houses Europe’s most powerful supercomputer (LUMI). Continue Reading

By

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

UK Finance paints mixed picture of fraud as losses top £500m

UK losses to fraud in the first six months of the year topped £500m, but a slight decline in overall crime rates was observed, according to UK Finance’s latest data Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

1Password caught up in Okta support breach

After breaches at BeyondTrust and Cloudflare, 1Password, a third customer of Okta operating in the same space, has revealed that it too was impacted in a breach of the IAM house’s support systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK IT professionals express concerns about government’s generative AI goals

Research reveals 93% of UK IT professionals are concerned by the government’s current plan to become a global leader in artificial intelligence because of lack of training and risk assessment Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Michelle Donelan reaffirms UK's commitment to AI safety

In a keynote speech, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology discussed the UK's pro-innovation approach to AI safety Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Kaspersky opens up over spyware campaign targeting its staffers

Kaspersky has shared more details of the TriangleDB spyware that was used against its own workforce by an unknown APT group Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Customers speak out over Okta’s response to latest breach

Customers of identity specialist Okta have been attacked via a compromise of its systems, and are claiming Okta’s response leaves something to be desired Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Suzy Lamplugh Trust treads path to improved cyber resilience

Personal safety charity enlists the support of the London Cyber Resilience Centre to improve staff awareness and strengthen its overall cyber resilience Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NetApp ‘unified storage’ adds new ASA block storage at Insight

Las Vegas event sees NetApp continue its evolution to hybrid cloud and data management player announce ASA C-series and Keystone and Kubernetes storage enhancements Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Government puts £75m into innovation hubs

Eight innovation ‘launchpads’ will each get a share of the funding for projects covering sectors such as agri-tech, digital healthcare, renewable energy and technologies for the creative industry Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Brewing data insights at Heineken

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how brewing giant Heineken is building a data ecosystem to share insights and tap into AI capabilities. The UK is conducting a formal investigation into AWS and Microsoft’s cloud dominance – what will it mean for users? And we examine how generative AI could be used to improve customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CTO interview: Pegasystems’ Don Schuerman on using AI to set business goals

Generative AI is on the cusp of allowing companies to automate business processes to meet business goals Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Dell updates PowerStore, PowerMax and PowerFlex storage

Dell storage upgrades include improved AIOps, lower energy usage, real-time HA failover, seamless hardware replacement, and enhancements to take advantage of DPU acceleration Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Taxpayers to fund a further £150m for Post Office IT scandal

Total bill for the scandal goes well over £1bn, as subpostmaster campaign leader considers private prosecutions of Post Office executives Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Jaguar TCS Formula E racing team making breakthroughs that will fine-tune electric road vehicles

The Jaguar TCS Formula E racing team is using software and digital simulations to continually improve its electric racing cars, leading to better performing electric vehicles on our roads Continue Reading

By

• Dickon Ross

Collaboration paramount in KPN’s successful business transformation

KPN tells Oracle CloudWorld 2023 how it transformed when its legacy systems became obstacles to supporting its customers on their digital journeys Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Five Eyes chiefs warn of Chinese spying campaign to steal high-tech secrets

Intelligence chiefs warn high-tech companies and universities they may be the target of attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to steal technology secrets Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Five key questions about disaster recovery as a service

Disaster recovery as a service builds recovery data and systems into the cloud, accessible from anywhere. We look at the difference vs cloud backup, DRaaS use cases, the cost, and the firms that provide it Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

CDO interview: Carter Cousineau, vice-president of data and model governance, Thomson Reuters

The news and information provider places a premium on responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, and central to that is the governance of data and the models surrounding it Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

NetApp: NAS pioneer well set for the cloud revolution

In this storage profile, we look at NetApp, which built a reputation in file access storage but seems to be set fair to navigate a future of hybrid cloud, cloud-native and containerisation Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Public Accounts Committee highlights smart meter failures

In spite of failing to meet roll-out targets, millions of smart meters are not working, and some will break once 3G and 2G networks are switched off Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nuclear regulator raps EDF over cyber compliance

The Office for Nuclear Regulation says EDF has come up short on needed measures to improve cyber security standards at several critical UK nuclear facilities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Sellafield local authority unsure if data was stolen six years on from North Korea ransomware attack

Senior managers at an ‘Achilles heel’ local authority for Europe’s biggest nuclear site ‘still don’t know what was lost’ in a 2017 cyber attack, according to a council source Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Government concedes it will miss 2024 e-prescribing target

The government won’t meet its target to get rid of paper prescribing in hospitals by 2024, and has pushed the goal post back two years to 2026 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Scality gets a jump with VMware Cloud Director integration

S3-compliant object storage specialist will use new OSIS integration with VMware’s cloud management tool to target service providers that want to deliver regional cloud offers Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

DORA: Moving into a new era of digital resilience

The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act will come into force in just over a year, the majority of risk management professionals are only at the beginning of their planning journey. Kate Needham-Bennett of Fusion Risk Management explains how to get things moving Continue Reading

By

• Kate Needham-Bennett

Post Office auditors presumed subpostmasters were ‘on the fiddle’ or ‘in a muddle’

Public inquiry into Post Office scandal hears how head office staff routinely made negative assumptions about subpostmasters in small branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where is our National AI strategy heading?

The recent House of Lords Communications Committee expert witness session revealed a somewhat bizarre situation in government relating to our National AI Strategy. By her own admission, Dame Wendy ... Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Former Post Office executive admits he wouldn’t sign unfair contract he pushed on subpostmasters

Former contract manager said contract that subpostmasters had to sign with Post Office “put them on the hook” for everything Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hacktivist attacks against Israeli websites mirror attacks following Russian invasion of Ukraine

Hacktivists supporting Gaza and Palestine have launched hundreds of website defacement attacks against Israeli websites, mirroring the pattern of attacks that occurred after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Generative AI is a game changer for higher education

As in most areas of society, generative AI presents risks and opportunities for the higher education sector. But regardless of which side of the debate you fall, it will be a revolutionary technology Continue Reading

By

• Sean Green

UK Apple Store workers detail ‘union-busting’ tactics

Apple Store workers in the UK are attempting to unionise, but say they are facing pushback from the company, which is allegedly deploying a variety of “union-busting” tactics Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government to pump £30m into NHS medtech

The government hopes the funding, which is available to integrated care systems across the country, will ease winter pressures through the help of technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Flash prices drop towards spinning disk levels in 2023

Number-crunching data on 17,000-plus drive prices shows cost of flash drives per gigabyte fell by around 10% in past six months while hard disk drive per-gigabyte prices stood still Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

US SEC launches probe into mass MOVEit breach

Progress Software is facing an investigation from the SEC for the breach of its MOVEit tool, as well as dozens of legal battles resulting from the exfiltration of personal data from the roughly 2,000 organisations affected Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CDO interview: Andrew Curry, manager of the Central Data Office, ExxonMobil

The head of the oil and gas giant’s data organisation is leading a strategy to establish enterprise-wide principles for the use of data as part of a unified corporate ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

UK startups pilot semiconductor funding

ChipStart is a new initiative from the UK government to help build out the National Semiconductor Strategy by supporting startups Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ryder Cup testbed to feature tech firsts in Rome

This year’s Ryder Cup will test out technology to improve how fans digitally consume the event while reducing the workload on IT teams Continue Reading

Accenture’s Brussels AI lab to focus on European public sector and health

Accenture will use its Brussels AI lab to test AI and generative AI's application in the European public sector Continue Reading