IT news in your industry sector

Reimagining ethical digital technology

With ever-increasing digitisation leading to greater dependence on a range of digital technologies, enterprises need to urgently look at how they can incorporate ethical and social considerations into the tech they develop Continue Reading

By

• Simon Rogerson

New EU due diligence law needs amending to stop tech sector abuse

European corporate due diligence directive seeking to transform how companies approach their human rights and environmental risk is welcome, but without further changes, it will fail to effectively curb tech firms’ harmful practices, claims international non-profit Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

More than 60% of world population will use digital wallets by 2026

Global take-up of digital wallets will accelerate over the next four years, driven by ‘super apps’ and QR code-based payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Finnish AI Region drives digital growth in small businesses

Helsinki-based SMEs are being offered support and resources to help them get the best out of artificial intelligence technology to improve their operations and create services to sell Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

IT Sustainability Think Tank: How collaboration and partnerships enable a circular economy

It takes a village to build a credible and robust IT sustainability strategy, so who should enterprise leaders be collaborating with to make their organisation’s green IT goals a reality? Continue Reading

By

• Katy Medlock

DrayTek patches SOHO router bug that left thousands exposed

Network hardware supplier has fixed an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability in multiple routers in its Vigor line, after being alerted by Trellix researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK safety tech sector sees strong revenue and employment growth

Safety tech is now one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK tech industry, with jumps in revenue, investment and employment Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Retail’s IT talent search intensifies

Retailers from different sectors are on the hunt to fill similar IT job roles, but are all finding different ways to source the sought-after talent. Continue Reading

Post Office attacked subpostmasters who questioned Horizon, say victims

When the Post Office’s lie about the Horizon system failed to silence subpostmaster critics, the organisation took more extreme measures, say victims of the scandal. Continue Reading

How to create a datacentre capacity plan

In this week’s Computer Weekly, planning datacentre capacity is a growing challenge – we ask the experts for the latest best practice. Victims of the Post Office IT scandal explain why they think they were targeted for speaking out. And we look at the digital skills gap in retail and find out how employers can source talent. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Mapping out the rise in checkout-free shopping

There has been a boom in the number of checkout-free stores globally, but will that growth continue and which retailers are interested? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Estonia is building AI Gov Stack

Data scientists in Baltic nation are creating a repository of software code that provides building blocks for digital services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IPA revises review of HMRC’s £300m datacentre migration

Infrastructure and Project Authority’s annual report ranks HMRC’s £300m datacentre migration as “unachievable”, but – ahead of publication – it appears the organisation has had a change of heart Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Luxembourg taps into innovation for better government tech

With a diverse population and a digital inclusion and open innovation strategy, Luxembourg has developed a way of using technology to improve government services Continue Reading

By

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

Green IT, nominate top tech women – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss the CW IT sustainability think-tank, the launch of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2022 list, and Lambeth Council in the cloud Continue Reading

By

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

Austrian data firm accused of selling malware, conducting cyber attacks

Microsoft has accused DSIRF, an Austrian data services firm, of involvement in a string of cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How TCS is supporting Australia’s electricity market settlement

Tata Consultancy Services worked with the Australian Energy Market Operator to build a new system that speeds up electricity market settlement Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Artificial intelligence to reduce waiting list for neurology appointments

The Walton Centre is working with Tata Consultancy Services to apply digital technology to its operation, starting with a time-saving AI chatbot Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

H0lyGh0st ransomware gang faces challenges, but still a threat

Digital Shadows reports on the recently identified H0lyGh0st ransomware outfit, a new threat actor operating out of North Korea that faces some clear challenges, but is nevertheless still a live threat Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NCSC startups scheme turns focus to operational technology, SME security

NCSC for Startups initiative turns its focus to supporting innovation around securing operational technology and addressing the challenges facing small businesses Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Home Office selects CGI as strategic delivery partner

IT services supplier will act as strategic delivery partner for the Home Office’s plans to modernise and join up UK law enforcement’s digital capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyber criminals pivot away from macros as Microsoft changes bite

As Microsoft resumes blocking macros by default in its Office application suite, reversing a temporary reversal, analysis from Proofpoint suggests the action has had a remarkable effect Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hibs push for the backup premier league with Acronis

Hibernian FC signs Acronis to get top division data protection and make the most of ticketing information and match footage as it tries to gain more value from the data it holds Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Teams in Grenoble work on 6G breakthrough technology

Even as 5G networks are being rolled out, new requirements are driving scientists, and engineers in Europe are back to the lab to start developing 6G Continue Reading

By

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

The verdict is Pure as Scottish prosecutor upgrades high-end storage

Scotland’s prosecution service saw disk drives in the dock every week with EMC legacy storage. Now it’s got Pure all-flash and has turned over an (Evergreen) new leaf Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Ocado revenue drops despite distribution centre successes

Ocado has spent the past six months rolling out new customer fulfilment centres and signing partners for its smart platform, but the cost-of-living crisis still sees revenue taking a hit Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government slammed for slow response to IR35-related consultation on zero-rights employees

The government has taken four years to publish its response to a three-month consultation on whether employment status and tax laws should be more closely aligned, and concluded that now is not the right time to make any changes Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Consumers left out of pocket as security costs soar

As the average cost of a security incident reaches an all-time high of nearly $4.5m, an IBM Security study reveals how these costs are being passed on to ordinary people Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retail software firm PrestaShop warns users about SQL injection attacks

Open source e-commerce platform PrestaShop warns thousands of small retailers that their customers’ credit card details may be at risk of compromise Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber security training ‘boring’ and largely ignored

Two-thirds of employees don’t bother to pay attention to cyber security training – and the fault does not lie with them Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: Don’t rely on insurance alone

Cyber insurance is a useful addition to the cyber protection toolbox. However, it cannot be regarded as a replacement for the controls that should be in operation, says Turnkey Consulting’s Tom Venables Continue Reading

By

• Tom Venables, Turnkey Consulting

Secret court asked to quash a decade of MI5 surveillance warrants following ‘systemic breaches’

The culture at MI5 was to ‘prioritise’ missions ‘over everything else’, including compliance with safeguards designed to protect the public, the UK’s most secret court heard yesterday Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Tommy Greene

No More Ransom initiative helps 1.5 million people in six years

One and a half million people have now taken advantage of free ransomware decryption tools offered by a joint European project Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office attacked subpostmasters who questioned Horizon, say victims

When the Post Office’s lie about the Horizon system failed to silence subpostmaster critics, it took more extreme measures, say victims of the scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Meta publishes first-ever human rights report

Meta details its approach to protecting and promoting human rights, but civil society groups say the company has failed to grapple with the human rights risks associated with its own business model Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Ducktail infostealer targets Facebook Business users

Newly uncovered Ducktail operation targets individuals with access to Facebook Business service and tries to steal their accounts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lambeth maps future with cloud applications

With its funding dramatically cut, Lambeth Council has turned to cloud delivery of its business applications to have a simpler technology stack and be nimbler in delivering services to its 330,000 population Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Six more subpostmaster convictions overturned in Horizon scandal

More former subpostmasters have their wrongful convictions for theft and fraud overturned in the Court of Appeal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office ‘unlawfully’ approved MI5 bulk surveillance warrants

MI5 provided ‘false information’ to the Home Office to secure bulk surveillance warrants, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal heard Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Tommy Greene

NCSC seeks community input for Cyber Advisor service

The NCSC is proposing to establish a new Cyber Advisor service to train up experts in security guidance, and is inviting interested parties to come forward Continue Reading

Umbrella IT contractors could get back-dated holiday pay windfall following Supreme Court ruling

Umbrella industry stakeholders weigh-up the financial implications of a Supreme Court ruling, which could pave the way for IT contractors to submit back-dated claims for holiday pay Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Latest Atlassian Confluence vulnerability raises concerns

CVE-2022-26138 is the second major vulnerability disclosure made for Atlassian’s Confluence collaboration platform in recent months Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CDO interview: Brandon Hootman, director of digital data, Caterpillar

Manufacturing giant is modernising its data management and turning to digital to steal a march on its competitors Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

The Security Interviews: Why you need to protect abandoned digital assets

The war in Ukraine and subsequent boycott of Russia resulted in a swathe of digital infrastructure being abandoned, becoming a potential vulnerability for many organisations, says Cyberpion’s Ran Nahmias Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

CDO interview: Ian Rabagliati, product and experience director, Eurotunnel

The Channel Tunnel operator is coming to terms with the realities of post-Covid European travel, and focusing on customer experience to bring it closer to its passengers Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Russia could become the world’s largest market for illegal IT

Russia could become the biggest market for illegal IT equipment as companies try to get round sanctions imposed on the country Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly correspondent

UK heatwave linked to ongoing IT systems issues at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Guy's & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said it is working ‘around the clock’ to restore the IT systems affected by the extreme temperatures seen in the UK this week Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

LinkedIn most impersonated brand in phishing attacks

Social network LinkedIn, along with Microsoft and DHL, are just some of the brands that are most frequently imitated by cyber criminals conducting phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GCHQ experts back scanning of encrypted phone messages to fight child abuse

Ian Levy, technical director of the NCSC, and Crispin Robinson, technical director of GCHQ, back client-side scanning software on mobile phones to detect child abuse Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Buy ‘plug-n-play’ malware for the price of a pint of beer

Three-quarters of malwares and almost 90% of exploits retail on the dark web for about £8.40 or less, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SSEN partners with Icebreaker One to break energy data silos

Better access to, and sharing of, energy data will help direct the installation of new electric vehicle charging points, as well as help network operators to better understand the electricity grid’s capacity for the introduction of more renewables Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Digital drives workplace trends in the Nordics

Workplaces are rapidly changing in Nordic countries, driven by digital technologies such as artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

UK government introduces data reforms legislation to Parliament

Proposed changes to UK’s data protection regime include new grounds for data processing, significant powers for the secretary of state to direct the regime’s application, and fewer restrictions on law enforcement’s use of data Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Data and Tech Aid pledges 10,000 first aid kits to Ukrainian civilians

Data and Tech Aid, a recently founded fundraising body, is pledging 10,000 medical kits to treat civilian Ukrainian casualties of the war Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Victorian multilingual chatbot to provide Covid-19 support

The AskVic WhatsApp chatbot will provide culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia’s state of Victoria, with Covid-19 information and support Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

(ISC)² expands entry-level cyber programme after UK success

Flush with success from a UK certification programme, reaching 100k in the UK, (ISC)² now wants to provide free security certification to a million people worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Transatlantic PET contest open for entries

A joint UK-US innovation prize challenge for developers of privacy-enhancing technologies has opened for entries Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cato aims to bust cyber myths as it extends network protections

Cato Networks is beefing up its platform’s security features with ransomware and data loss protections, and the firm’s security strategy lead Etay Maor is using the occasion – and his unique access to billions of data points from the firm’s network – to explode some cyber myths Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Estonia calls on tech experts to develop its Siri-like civil servant

Estonian government opens up applications to tech experts across the world, offering them the chance to work on a world first for digital government services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Why digital identity is central to the future of retail

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post Ian Lowe, director of industry solutions for EMEA at Okta, discussed the role that identity will play in a digital-first retail future. Even before the ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Starling Bank withdraws application for licence in Ireland

App-based bank decides against completing its application for a banking licence in Ireland after concluding it did not offer enough value Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Barnet Council to bring work outsourced to Capita back in-house by 2026

London borough is bringing swathes of outsourced services back in-house next year, with more to follow by 2026 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Vodafone upgrades global network with SDN for flexible scalability

Software-defined networking stack deployed on both IP and optical global internet network controllers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Advanced Research and Invention Agency gets CEO and chairman

The government has named a CEO for the agency it set up to get more out of science and technology, after its original appointment couldn’t take the role Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Russia’s Cozy Bear abusing Dropbox, Google Drive to target victims

Russian APT known as Cozy Bear has become adept at quickly incorporating popular cloud storage services into its attack chain to avoid detection Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European IT services see bumper quarter, but signs of slowing emerge

Spending on IT and BPO services in Europe saw significant growth in the past quarter, but there are signs of a slowdown Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK fintech outperforms global sector

Investment in UK fintech continues to increase, outpacing a flat global sector, according to Innovate Finance Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tracking the rise of homeworking across the UK

In this week’s Computer Weekly, new figures show that homeworking has more than doubled in the UK due to the pandemic – we look at the regional differences. The pressure is growing on cyber security teams – we analyse the expert advice on how to avoid staff burnout and lost talent. And we examine the important role that tech startups play in the rapid growth of Amazon Web Services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

US cyber agency CISA to open London office

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has chosen London to host its first office outside America Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Digital seeks out wireless healthcare innovation

Funding is available across the NHS for innovative projects that use wireless technology within healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dutch multinational hires HCL for digital transformation

Netherlands-based DSM is moving to a single-supplier IT services model for its digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Oracle payroll system causes underpayment of Next staff

Oracle’s payroll HR software module seems to be at the root of a systematic underpayment of staff at retailer Next Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Data and tech platforms helping finance regulator spot problems earlier

The UK financial services regulator is increasingly using data platforms to proactively regulate the finance sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Is time running out for legacy payments technology used by banks?

 Continue Reading

NHS trust ‘deliberately’ deleted up to 90,000 emails before tribunal hearing

A high-profile case brought by NHS whistleblower Chris Day raises questions about the adequacy of information governance practices in NHS hospital trusts Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Drivers’ union calls for immediate dismissal of Uber executive

Uber’s continued employment of an executive directly involved in efforts to resist regulatory oversight puts the ride-hailing firm in breach of its 2018 licence conditions, says drivers’ union Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Log4Shell on its way to becoming ‘endemic’

US government report concludes that, like Covid, Log4Shell will be with us for a long time to come Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Videogame maker Bandai Namco confirms cyber attack

Bandai Namco, developer of videogames including Pac-Man, Tekken and Dark Souls, has broken days of silence to confirm it has been hit by a cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How hostile government APTs target journalists for cyber intrusions

Proofpoint shares data on multiple campaigns of cyber intrusions against journalists originating from threat actors aligned to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Global IT services market shows signs of slowing

Spending on IT and business process services could be set to reduce over the coming months as the latest ISG figures show early signs of decline Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government pauses Online Safety Bill’s progress

The government has paused the Online Safety Bill’s journey towards becoming law, amid timetable pressure Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO wants to ‘empower people through information’

Information Commissioner’s Office sets out commitment to safeguard the information rights of the most vulnerable people in UK society Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EC urged to rejig green power strategy to include greater use of energy storage tech

Ten stakeholders from the world of energy storage systems have penned an open letter to the European Commission’s policymakers, urging them to factor in their technology to the EC’s green transition plans Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

ING pilot project tests payments from phone to phone

Dutch bank is testing an app that enables users to make peer-to-peer payments directly from smartphone to smartphone when they are close together Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Slippery phish wriggles around MFA protections, says Microsoft

Microsoft’s threat researchers share details of a phishing campaign that hit 10,000 organisations, against which standard multifactor authentication provides little defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital break-up kit to help women get out of bad relationships safely

Domestic abuse charity Refuge teams up with Avast to equip women with the knowledge to effectively and safely end a relationship digitally Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

July Patch Tuesday brings more than 80 fixes, one zero-day

While some admins can put their feet up and let Windows Autopatch do the hard work of updating their Microsoft estates, for the rest of us, the Patch Tuesday bandwagon keeps on keeping on Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Delta Airlines signs multi-year cloud deal with AWS as customer experience revamp gathers pace

Nearly 18 months on from signing a multi-year deal with IBM, focused on embracing a hybrid cloud setup for its operations, Delta Airlines is adding AWS to its roster of cloud partners Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Datacentre Editor

Goldman Sachs hires Google incubator founder

Bank recruits co-founder of Google’s incubator as it continues to transform its business through digital technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO calls for review into government use of private email and WhatsApp messages

Information Commissioner’s Office reprimands Department of Health and Social Care after ministers and officials conducted government business on their own email accounts and messaging apps Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS trust cuts costs and refresh cycle with Wasabi cloud storage

Imperial College NHS Trust expects to saves 30% in storage costs and cut back on five-year refresh headaches in a move that has seen backup and archive data move to the Wasabi cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

First cohort of data science professionals certified by AfDSP

The Alliance for Data Science Professionals has certified its first cohort, with the imprimatur of the UK’s national statistician, Ian Diamond Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

MaliBot Android malware spreading fast, says Check Point

The MaliBot malware is becoming a persistent and widespread problem, and Android users should be on their guard, says Check Point Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is time running out for legacy payments technology used by banks?

The company bringing Google-like processing to core banking for banks has added the same proposition in payments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ransomware and backup: Overcoming the challenges

Ransomware attacks that exfiltrate data don’t nullify the value of backups to restore from, but the challenges – such as not restoring corrupted data – require careful planning Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Microsoft Windows Autopatch now generally available

Microsoft customers with Windows Enterprise E3 and E5 licences can now take full advantage of its new automated patching service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Whitehall IT veteran Mike Potter returns as new government CDO

Potter will become the most senior digital government leader, in charge of the Central, Digital and Data Office, when he replaces Joanna Davinson in the autumn Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NetApp Ontap to be sole vSAN storage alternative in the cloud

NetApp Ontap storage will provide file access capacity to extend VMware data stores in AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google clouds as a cheaper alternative to VMware vSAN Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Microsoft VBA macro block will return

Microsoft provides more details about its sudden decision to rollback a landmark security policy, and reassures users it is a temporary measure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retailers choose from menu of mobile apps to help reduce food waste

Supermarkets, convenience stores and coffee shops are among the retailers connecting with mobile apps and tech firms to drive down the wastage of food Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe