IT news in your industry sector

Paid-for advertising measures included in Online Safety Bill

New measures to deal with fraudulent paid-for advertising have been included in the government’s draft Online Safety Bill, marking the fourth extension in two months Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Strategic Review of Policing: Police tech needs better ethical scrutiny

The Strategic Review of Policing confirms the central role that tech will be playing going forward, but warns of the need for greater ethical scrutiny to ensure public trust Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

China’s APT41 exploited Log4j within hours

APT41 compromised multiple government organisations via the Log4Shell exploit within hours of its initial disclosure, Mandiant claims Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft serves up three zero-days on March Patch Tuesday

Three zero-days pop up in Microsoft’s March update, along with a number of other noteworthy concerns for defenders Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five key points on file locking vs object locking

We look at file vs object storage locking mechanisms, how different forms of storage ensure data consistency, and especially how object storage is tackling the challenge Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Subpostmasters won their David and Goliath battle, but initial goal still not reached

Despite exposing the Post Office Horizon scandal, Alan Bates, the former subpostmaster who drove the campaign for the truth, says the goal of repaying people what they lost has not yet been achieved Continue Reading

By

• Alan Bates

Amazon resists independent audit of warehouse working conditions

Two shareholder proposals pushing for an independent audit of working conditions at Amazon are being challenged by the ecommerce giant, which claims it is a matter for management rather than shareholders Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Horizon inquiry hearing sheds light on subpostmaster federation’s role in hushing up IT problems

A National Federation for Subpostmasters official had huge unexplained loss written off by Post Office despite many in the same position being convicted for crimes they didn't commit Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government publishes update on plan to tackle legacy IT

A Cabinet Office report outlines progress around areas such as new structures and leadership to address the issue of legacy IT Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NAO report praises NHS for data and digital leadership in Covid-19 vaccine roll-out

The £5.6bn programme has delivered value for money to date – and ‘creative’ use of data despite complexities was among the factors that led to successful delivery, says report Continue Reading

Using technology to protect human rights

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate how technology is being used to tackle human rights abuses worldwide. We offer a step-by-step guide to disaster recovery in the cloud era. And we examine the vital, and successful, role of digital and data in the UK Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Micron 7450 aims its 176 TLC layers at QLC flash use cases

New 176-layer tech brings densely packed flash cells in drives that come in 2.5”, M.2 and EDSFF form factors, aimed at datacentre workloads from archive to database storage Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

NHS AI framework offers decision support for stroke diagnosis

Procurement framework aims to help hospitals gain access to pioneering AI-powered image analysis for stroke detection Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ukraine joins Nato cyber knowledge hub

Ukraine is to become a contributing participant in Nato’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

When to pull the plug on an ecommerce site

Distributed denial of service and other attacks on websites have the potential to leak personally identifiable information Continue Reading

By

• Danny Lopez

Scrapping NHS Digital a backward step for patient data rights

Former NHS Digital chair Kingsley Manning has spoken out over proposals to fold NHS Digital into NHS England, saying that more oversight is needed to safeguard patient data in light of recent events Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft stops sales of products and services to Russia

Citing sanctions and cyber security concerns, Microsoft has become the latest company to withdraw from the Russian market Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Assessing the aims of the Government Cyber Security Strategy

The clear aims of the Government Cyber Security Strategy are welcome, but are they realistic or achievable? Continue Reading

By

• Laura Marsden and Chris Goslin

Universities need better protection from email-based cyber attacks

The need to educate university staff and students on avoiding email-based cyber attacks is more acute than ever, says Proofpoint’s Adenike Cosgrove Continue Reading

By

• Adenike Cosgrove

Diversity and inclusion in STEM – data, culture and social benefit

In a recent government Science and Technology Committee meeting, a number of experts shared their opinions on the current barriers to increasing diversity in STEM, as well as ways the sector can move past them Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

SAP and Oracle express solidarity with Ukraine against Russia

SAP and Oracle suspend operations in the Russian Federation after expressing solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the war against it being conducted by Russia Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Boardroom does not see ransomware as a priority

Less than a quarter of company directors think ransomware is a top priority for their security teams, according to Egress Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office warned of software flaw in 2006, but failed to alert subpostmaster network

The Post Office and Fujitsu failed to alert subpostmasters to a software error that caused them to be wrongly blamed for accounting shortfalls Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nato Cyber Security unit tests post-quantum VPN

Nato’s Cyber Security Centre has successfully tested secure communication flows in a post-quantum world using a UK-designed VPN Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Use of encrypted Telegram platform soars in Ukraine, Russia

Encrypted messaging service Telegram is proving a valuable asset to both sides in Russia’s war on Ukraine Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

English Channel surveillance used ‘to deter and punish migrants’

Instead of opening safe and legal routes to the UK, the country’s border control ecosystem is deploying surveillance technologies in the English Channel to deter migrant crossings, it is claimed Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Gothenburg University makes breakthrough in energy efficient computers

Swedish and Japanese universities make advancement in the development of computers that can work as energy efficiently as a brain Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

The diarrhoea of a CEO

We wanted to extend our apologies to Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett for our recent criticism of his role in the increasingly exploitative NFT industry, due to him soon after pledging ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Middle East IT spending to recover to at least pre-pandemic levels

Middle East IT leaders expect budgets to increase this year, with spending to match or exceed pre-Covid levels Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ban predictive policing systems in EU AI Act, says civil society

A coalition of civil society groups has called on European lawmakers to use the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act as an opportunity to ban predictive policing systems Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Ship from store: A pandemic retail trend that’s here to stay?

Shipping online orders from bricks and mortar stores looks set to be a pandemic trend that will stick around to form part of retail’s new normal Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Salesforce releases Tableau CRM telco churn prediction AI

For telcos that use Communications Cloud, Salesforce adds an AI-powered tool that predicts customer churn, part of its vertical strategy in the wake of its Vlocity acquisition. Continue Reading

By

• Don Fluckinger, Senior News Writer

Toyota production to resume after supply chain attack

Toyota production has been set back by over 10,000 vehicles following a cyber attack on a critical components supplier in Japan Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BBC blasted with millions of malicious emails

Responding to an FoI request, the BBC has revealed it receives more than 300,000 malicious email attacks every day Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Software firm saves storage array costs with Nutanix hyper-converged

Banking SaaS provider Vialink needed more IOPS when its NetApp arrays slowed up, but Nutanix hyper-converged proved a better package than Pure Storage and Dell EMC, too Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Retailers get business-critical IT and data management in order

Decathlon and Toolstation are among the retailers investing in new technology to support business-critical applications and better data management Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Workplace surveillance ‘spiralling out of control’, says TUC

Trade union body pushes for workers to be consulted on the implementation of new technologies at work, warning that invasive surveillance practices are getting out of hand Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Zopa Bank to sponsor 50 Ukrainian tech professionals with visa offer

IT companies are reaching out to IT professionals in the Ukraine with offers of support for those looking to work in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nationwide suffers payday payments outage

Nationwide customers were left unable to pay bills on payday as the building society suffered a software outage Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The British people are waking up to the scandal that happened under their noses

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have been suffering in silence for many years, but the current public inquiry is giving them a voice, and people are listening Continue Reading

UK Treasury publishes consultation on online sales tax

Online sales tax debate focuses on assessing options to “rebalance” taxation of the retail sector Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

EU big tech laws put in context by Russian invasion of Ukraine

Pressure is mounting on EU institutions to cut back regulations they are preparing to impose on US big tech firms while forming laws to create a single digital market Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Ukraine cyber attacks seen spiking, but no destructive cyber war yet

While cyber attacks linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine are taking place, they are having little impact beyond the region Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online Safety Bill updated to deal with anonymous abuse

Social media companies will be forced to deal with anonymous abuse online by the introduction of new measures in the Online Safety Bill Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Sajid Javid outlines NHS tech targets

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid announces priorities around digital transformation in the health service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government set to backtrack on untenable position on subpostmaster compensation

The government looks set to backtrack on its previous stance and outline a means of providing fair compensation to a group of Post Office Horizon scandal victims so far left out of compensation schemes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

H&M scheme looks to tackle issues affecting D&I in STEM

Retailer H&M launches its first ever STEM programme in the UK in a move to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation – and to tap into future tech talent Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Cracking the code on blockchain and crypto: What might adoption mean for datacentres?

A high share of datacentre customers look set to adopt blockchain technologies, including digital currencies, over the next few years Continue Reading

By

• Fleur Doidge

At last, the world is listening to the Horizon victims - the Post Office must finally listen, too

We are only two weeks into the statutory inquiry examining the Post Office IT scandal – two weeks of what is likely to be a year-long process – and already what we’ve learned is only compounding ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

University of Amsterdam teams up with MIT to use analytics for a better world

Dutch and US universities join forces with tech company to help non-government organisations and the United Nations to harness data analytics to achieve sustainable development goals Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

NAO report praises NHS for data and digital leadership in Covid-19 vaccine roll-out

The £5.6bn programme has delivered value for money to date – and ‘creative’ use of data despite complexities was among the factors that led to successful delivery, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cloud storage cost challenges and how to tackle them

We look at cloud capacity procurement pitfalls, forecasting challenges, the danger of over-buying, supplier lock-in, deciphering billing and resizing capacity when projects finish Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Define RPO and RTO tiers for storage and data protection strategy

We look at RPO and RTO in defining data protection and disaster recovery strategies and how to specify tiers that reflect the importance of different systems in your organisation Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

KnowBe4 cyber drama tackles Colonial Pipeline in fourth season

KnowBe4’s ongoing cyber security training drama, The Inside Man, reaches its fourth season with a plot drawing inspiration from one of the most impactful cyber attacks of 2021 Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security organisations form Nonprofit Cyber coalition

Founding members of the Nonprofit Cyber coalition pledge to enhance joint action on cyber security around the world Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The complementary strengths of AI and human intelligence

Kathy Peach, director at Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, describes projects the organisation supports that explore the interaction between artificial and human intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Kathy Peach

CW Nordics: Swedish drone app gets life-saving equipment to heart attack victims

Thanks to an app developed in Sweden, drones can get life-saving equipment to heart-attack victims before emergency services can arrive on the scene, potentially increasing patient survival rates. Also in this issue, read about a Swedish bank's time-saving robots, and how Finland aims to democratise the ‘wild west’ of AI. Continue Reading

Russia behind dangerous Cyclops Blink malware

Joint NCSC CISA advisory attributes a dangerous malware, dubbed Cyclops Blink, to Russia’s Sandworm APT, likely a GRU unit, with WatchGuard users at particular risk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Paid-for advertising still not covered in Online Safety Bill

Consumer group Which? calls again for government to include measures against scam paid-for advertising in the Online Safety Bill Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

European Commission opens path to a Data Act to stoke digital economy

The European Commission has published a proposal for a Data Act that it hopes will stoke a digital economy, in part by unlocking IoT and other ‘industrial data’ Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Drone killer app saves Swedish lives

 Continue Reading

Backups ‘no longer effective’ for stopping ransomware attacks

Traditional methods of mitigating ransomware are less efficacious thanks to the rise in double and triple extortion techniques Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft extends Defender umbrella to Google Cloud Platform

Redmond says extending Defender for Cloud native capabilities to the Google Cloud Platform will help simplify security for organisations pursuing multicloud strategies by eliminating the gaps where the bad guys can get in Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Police forces ‘must’ do data protection due diligence checks before using PDS-backed AWS cloud

Police forces across England and Wales are being reminded not to overlook their data protection-related compliance responsibilities when making use of the Police Digital Service’s Amazon-powered cloud platform Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

No imminent cyber threat to UK from Russia

Intelligence officials say they have no evidence or indication that Russian cyber attackers are preparing offensive assaults on infrastructure or organisations in Britain Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Attempted burglary exposes risk of NatWest customer data in former worker’s home

Former Royal Bank of Scotland employee offers bank a compromise in her dispute over the return of confidential customer information Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech acquisition to be major priority for UK police

Policing minister cites technology as major focus for future of UK police, in comments made ahead of the publication of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Helsinki shares its plans to bridge post-Covid learning gap with the rest of the world

Finnish capital is calling on global education systems to embrace technology as a facilitator of research, ideas and knowledge-sharing, not just as a new way to deliver classes Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Gartner: Public sector must target disjointed IT strategy

The pandemic showed how quickly public sector IT can deliver technology to support essential services – now it is time to fix scalability Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Horizon inquiry questioning raises hopes of fair compensation for victims so far left out

Post Office Horizon scandal victims left out of current compensation schemes have had their hopes raised that the statutory public inquiry is seriously addressing their demands for fair financial redress Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK organisations swift to chide phishing victims

While UK organisations are doing better at security training, many are quick to punish employees who fall victim to phishing attacks, whether real or simulated Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hammerspace offers follow-the-sun access to on-prem and cloud storage

Startup aims to succeed where others have failed and present file, block and object storage data from any and multiple locations as if it were local to the user Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Security Think Tank: Good training is all about context

In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Sweden completes phase two of e-krona pilot

Sweden’s central bank is well into its second year of testing a new digital currency, but so far, no firm decision has been made by the government to adopt it Continue Reading

By

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

Think nation-state cyber attacks won’t hit you? Think again…

In this week’s Computer Weekly, with Russian state cyber attacks in the news, we find out why security professionals in every organisation need to remain alert. Our buyer’s guide looks at the tools and programmes helping improve IT training. And we look at how the traditional sport of golf is undergoing a digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Backup heads to cloud as ransomware hits 76% and RTOs/RPOs fail

Veeam survey finds most can’t recover the data they want or do it in time, ransomware is now a ‘disaster’, use of the cloud is increasing, but the datacentre is still very important Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK joins US in pinning Ukraine DDoS attacks on Russia

A series of DDoS attacks on Ukrainian defence and banking organisations last week is now being firmly attributed to Russian action Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Storage and 5G: Big impacts likely as wide-area topologies evolve

Enterprise 5G will boost the need for storage generally. It will also push capacity needs closer to the edge and create new locations for processing and storage Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Technology is the key to the door of levelling up the UK

We finally have a better idea of what the government’s ‘levelling-up’ policy means in practice – but national progress on digital adoption will be a key measure of its success Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Open banking surpasses five million UK customers

Upwards of five million people in the UK are using open banking services as the financial sector’s fintech revolution gathers pace Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Amazon and Visa resolve UK credit card ban threat

Companies reach ‘broad, global agreement that includes the acceptance of Visa at all Amazon stores and sites’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

January 2022 saw low growth in online sales

Slow start to the year with minimal growth for online sales as pandemic drop-off has more people heading back to the highstreet Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

UK organisations untroubled by Trickbot surge

A surge in Trickbot infections is targeting some of the world’s most prominent brands, but UK organisations seem thankfully unaffected Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CDO interview: Lisa Valentino, executive VP for client and brand solutions, Disney Advertising Sales

The entertainment giant is bringing marketing, data and technology together to make the most of its growing digital advertising opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

CIO interview: Adam Miller, group head of IT, Markerstudy Group

The insurer and Auto Windscreens owner is using cloud-based virtual desktops to ease acquisitions and support home working during the pandemic – and its IT chief has a growing range of projects on the go Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

India warms to telehealth amid pandemic

Covid-19 has accelerated adoption of telehealth services in India as more healthcare providers look to offer medical treatment and assistance without risking infections Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

The British people are waking up to the scandal that happened under their noses

Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have been suffering in silence for many years, but the current public inquiry is giving them a voice, and people are listening Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Signify accelerated automation projects as pandemic challenges mounted

Dutch lighting manufacturer used robotic process automation technology to help it address Covid-19-inflicted disruption Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nvidia founder and CEO portrays AI-centricity

Earnings call for Nvidia’s fourth-quarter results offers a leading indicator of where the application of artificial intelligence may be heading Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Helsinki helps lay the groundwork for cities to take on healthcare drones

Finnish capital is part of a pan-EU project to introduce drone technology into emergency medical services Continue Reading

By

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

Red Cross cyber attack the work of nation-state actors

The International Committee of the Red Cross now believes the January 2022 attack on its systems to have been the work of an undisclosed nation state Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How one Singapore company is keeping drivers safe

TNT Surveillance’s technology is being deployed by bus and port operators to reduce driver fatigue and prevent accidents using cameras and radar sensors Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

MPs demand urgent compensation for Post Office scandal victim group

MPs have called for the government to urgently provide fair compensation to a group of victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal who have so far been left out of compensation schemes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

2021 another record year for UK cyber investment

Total revenue generated by the UK’s cyber sector was up 14% last year, and UK-registered security firms raised over £1bn in investment Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interview: How do you define IBM?

It is the world’s oldest computer company, and it was once said you didn’t get fired for buying from Big Blue. But a lot has changed. Sreeram Visvanathan, CEO for UK&I, explains how IBM is reinventing itself Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DWP data sharing pilot aims for single source of the truth

A pilot to share labour data across government departments aims to develop a safe framework for collaboration and to improve policy-making Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DDoS attacks hit Ukrainian defence ministry and banks

A further wave of cyber attacks has taken place against targets in Ukraine amid heightened tension in the region Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BlackCat ransomware gang claims responsibility for Swissport attack

Ransomware gang is trying to offload 1.6TB of data stolen from aviation services firm Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Steve Williams, M&A lead and IT director, Waterstons

Steve Williams is applying decades of CIO experience to the advice he gives businesses during major mergers and acquisitions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic countries lack a unified approach to AI

Nordic countries need to work together on a pan-regional artificial intelligence strategy Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer