IT news in your industry sector

Journalists’ confidential communications subject to unlawful spying, court hears

Campaign group Liberty and the National Union of Journalists tell Court of Appeal the government has not gone far enough to protect confidential journalist information and sources from surveillance Continue Reading

Fujitsu staff had ‘unrestricted and unauditable’ remote access to Post Office branch systems

Fujitsu engineers could make changes to Post Office branch accounts without anyone knowing Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023: Vote for the most influential person in UK technology

Our judges have selected the top 50 leaders from a shortlist of more than 300 people – now it’s your chance to tell us who you think is the most influential person in UK technology Continue Reading

Black Basta ransomware attack to cost Capita over £15m

Exceptional costs arising from the March 2023 Black Basta ransomware attack on the systems of outsourcer Capita will be somewhere between £15m and £20m, the organisation says Continue Reading

Dutch hospitals underestimate impact of cyber attack

IT failures in acute care organisations in the Netherlands have increased considerably since 2010, affecting patient care and stressing the need to improve IT security in hospitals Continue Reading

Nebulon aims Tripline at ransomware detection in storage

Tripline claims ransomware detection from samples every 30 seconds and works in conjunction with snapshots to deliver recovery from an attack in four minutes Continue Reading

OVHcloud aims to bring Glacier-like cloud archive to Europe

OVHcloud makes Cold Archive GA with deep archive storage cheaper than AWS’s offer and all based on IBM 3592 tape hardware spread across four sites with Atempo backup Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023: The longlist of the UK’s influential tech leaders

Each year, Computer Weekly launches a search for the most influential people in UK IT, asking the tech community who it thinks should be in the top 50 – here is the longlist of everyone nominated for 2023 Continue Reading

Chat control: EU lawyers warn plans to scan encrypted messages for child abuse may be unlawful

Leaked legal advice warns that European ‘chat control’ proposals to require tech companies to scan private and encrypted messages for child abuse are likely to breach EU law Continue Reading

Capita pension clients told data may have leaked

Capita has told trustees of some of the pension funds for which it provides outsourced services that their customer data may have been stolen by the Black Basta ransomware operation Continue Reading

Open banking use to increase 470% in next four years, driven from Europe

Europe is leading the surge in the take-up of API-based open banking services, according to Juniper Research Continue Reading

Santander reports increase in scams and admits fraud head was impersonated

Santander has reported an increase in impersonation scams, and admitted its own head of fraud was impersonated by a fraudster Continue Reading

Age UK calls for physical banking hubs as older people demand face-to-face banking

UK charity calls for banks and government to speed up the introduction of physical banking hubs as research reveals millions of older people don’t bank online Continue Reading

Cyber Action Plan for Wales launched

The devolved Welsh government has set out four priorities in an action plan designed to foster cyber resilience, talent and innovation across the country Continue Reading

TikTok fixes vulnerability that could have exposed user activity data

A potentially dangerous vulnerability in the TikTok video-sharing platform was discovered by Imperva researchers, and has now been fixed Continue Reading

Government anti-fraud strategy targets the tech behind the scams

The UK government’s anti-fraud strategy proposes to make it much harder for criminals to target their victims by cracking down on the exploitation of technology Continue Reading

Data classification tools: What they do and who makes them

Data classification is necessary for all organisations for reasons that range from simply putting data on the most cost-efficient media to ensuring legal and regulatory compliance Continue Reading

US competition watchdog issues generative AI warning

Generative AI can be used to manipulate people into making harmful decisions, says US Federal Trade Commission in warning to firms building and using AI-powered tools Continue Reading

Quantum computing: What are the data storage challenges?

Quantum computing will be able to process massive amounts of data at extraordinary speeds, but challenges exist in data storage. How will today’s storage systems keep pace? Continue Reading

HMRC confirms potential April 2024 end date for double-taxation issue in IR35 compliance cases

HM Revenue & Customs launches eight-week consultation on plans to roll out a legislative tweak that would put a stop to the government tax collection agency over-collecting tax in IR35 non-compliance cases Continue Reading

Seagate launches 22TB IronWolf straight into QNAP NAS partnership

Seagate’s 22TB IronWolf Pro HDD equals Western Digital for capacity. Of the big drive makers, only Toshiba now lags behind. QNAP NAS to offer petabyte capacities with new Seagate drive Continue Reading

The ethics of military AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the defence sector looks into using artificial intelligence to create autonomous weapons, we examine the risks and ethics of military AI. Amazon Web Services is under fire for not providing vital emissions data to customers – we investigate the issues. And we find out what IT security teams can learn from a year of cyber warfare in Ukraine. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Podcast: No more hard disks in five years, says Pure

We talk to Shawn Rosemarin of Pure Storage, who argues there will be no more hard drive sales in five years because energy costs and capacity needs can only be fulfilled by flash Continue Reading

Researchers see surge in scam websites linked to coronation

Scammers and fraudsters continue to take advantage of large public events, with the coronation of King Charles III no exception Continue Reading

Government is playing ‘psychic war’ in battle over end-to-end encryption

Peers hear that the UK government is being deliberately ambiguous about its plans to require technology companies to scan the content of encrypted messages Continue Reading

More Post Office software-related convictions overturned takes total to 86

A total of 86 former subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted for financial crimes after computer errors showed phantom losses have had convictions overturned Continue Reading

Microsoft fails to get CMA thumbs-up on Activision deal

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has decided that Microsoft‘s proposed $68.7bn acquisition of Activision would damage the cloud gaming market Continue Reading

Zopa’s emotional journey to becoming a bank

Zopa Bank’s CEO sees no reason why the app-based bank should not be as big as the high street giants Continue Reading

Police Scotland receive formal notice about cloud system

Scotland’s biometrics watchdog has issued Police Scotland with an information notice over its deployment of a cloud-based digital evidence system, following disclosure of major data protection concerns by Computer Weekly Continue Reading

UK government introduces Digital Markets Bill to Parliament

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill will seek to level the playing field in digital markets by empowering regulators with new tools and powers to directly enforce competition and consumer protection laws Continue Reading

Post Office paid IBM millions when it ended proposed contract to replace Horizon

The Post Office ended a proposed contract with IBM to replace its controversial Horizon system after work had already started Continue Reading

UK taskforce set to drive generative AI safety and opportunities

The government has committed £100m to helping the UK develop and build out generative artificial intelligence capabilities Continue Reading

M1 doubles down on maritime 5G

Seafarers will be able to access telemedicine services while out at sea, among other maritime 5G applications M1 is rolling out in Singapore’s waters Continue Reading

Online makes up 25% of retail sales three months in row

The percentage of all retail sales made online remains steady at around a quarter this year, though cost of living is affecting customer behaviour Continue Reading

Veritas shows off software SAN for Kubernetes at KubeCON 2023

Veritas InfoScale aims to provide high-performance block access storage despite limitations such as a maximum node count of 16 per cluster Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank joins industry IT standards group

UK banking giant Lloyds Banking Group has joined an industry group which promotes global IT standards Continue Reading

Podcast: Ransomware, data protection and compliance

Ransomware is a huge and ever-present threat, but there are ways to avoid it and to mitigate its effects. We get key practical steps from Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust Continue Reading

UAE improves healthcare through information technology

Health authorities in the United Arab Emirates are increasing their emphasis on new, smart technologies to modernise healthcare services Continue Reading

Data a driving force at Aston Martin Formula One

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we speak to Aston Martin Formula One’s Clare Lansley to find out how digital transformation helps the team to move further up the F1 grid. We explore how automation and AI is helping businesses tackle rising costs and also look into the maturity of Industry 4.0 initiatives. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How non-fungible tokens can be used to manage health data

Non-fungible tokens will give patients more ownership and control over their health data and improve its transparency in healthcare research, according to SingHealth clinicians Continue Reading

Most IT staff uncomfortable deploying surveillance tech at work

The IT teams responsible for deploying and running digital surveillance in workplaces say they are uncomfortable with “extremely common” practice of spying on colleagues, research finds Continue Reading

Emergency alert test review confirmed after ‘small number’ of mobile users excluded

In wake of emergency alert test on 23 April, government confirms review into why some 4G and 5G mobile phones were excluded Continue Reading

Amazon Web Services selects 14 startups for space accelerator

The cohort of startups will use AWS and its resources to accelerate the research and development of their technologies and boost their growth Continue Reading

Finland and Estonia deepen cross-border digital partnerships

Finland and Estonia, two global tech pioneers, are increasingly sharing their expertise Continue Reading

UK biometrics watchdog questions police cloud deployments

The UK biometrics commissioner has warned that policing and justice bodies must be able to demonstrate ‘immediately and unequivocally’ that their cloud deployments are lawful Continue Reading

Prototype cyber tech has revolutionary potential

The so-called CHERI protection model developed at the University of Cambridge is showing great promise for future cyber security technologies Continue Reading

UK Emergency Alert Test sparks cyber fraud warning

Fraudsters and scammers are likely to use the upcoming test of the UK's new mobile Emergency Alert system as bait in their attacks, while misinformation and conspiracy theories spread Continue Reading

5 ESG benefits for businesses

ESG programs help businesses attract investors, build customer loyalty, improve financial performance, make operations sustainable and gain a competitive edge. Continue Reading

3CX incident may be world’s first double supply chain attack

It’s supply chain attacks all the way down as Mandiant publishes information suggesting that the 3CX software supply chain compromise was initiated via a prior software supply chain compromise Continue Reading

Banks don’t want to develop fintech in-house

Banks are increasingly partnering with fintechs to gain access to their platforms, with few interested in developing such capabilities in-house Continue Reading

New GovAssure cyber regime launches across UK government

An enhanced cyber security regime is being put in place to better protect UK government IT systems from growing threats Continue Reading

UK SMEs are the most tech savvy in Europe

UK SMEs have taken to contactless payments faster than their counterparts in continental Europe Continue Reading

Capita customer data was stolen in March ransomware attack

Capita says it has uncovered evidence of data exfiltration from a small proportion of its server estate following a cyber attack at the end of March Continue Reading

Augmented reality vs. virtual reality vs. mixed reality

Learn about AR vs. VR vs. MR as well as how companies in various industries are using these extended reality technologies to potentially improve their operations. Continue Reading

TUC says government is failing to protect workers from AI harms

TUC issues warning about artificial intelligence leading to more widespread workplace discrimination if the right checks are not put in place Continue Reading

Surrey and Sussex police spared fines after recording 200,000 phone calls without people’s knowledge

Police forces escape potential £1m fines following change of policy by ICO to protect the finances of public sector bodies Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2023: Budget optimism among EMEA IT leaders

IT leaders across the EMEA region are optimistic that their budgets will increase over the coming year Continue Reading

CyberUK 23: NCSC launches Cyber Advisor service for SMEs

The UK’s NCSC has launched an industry assurance scheme designed to address the needs of SMEs, and is calling for potential advisors to step up and help out Continue Reading

Global finance firms take part in NATO cyber attack simulation

Global financial services organisations take part in NATO annual event which simulates cyber attacks on critical infrastructure Continue Reading

CyberUK 23: Alert over mercenary Russian threat to CNI

Russian hacktivists supportive of their government’s war on Ukraine are turning their attention to disruptive or destructive attacks on critical infrastructure in the UK, the NCSC has warned Continue Reading

Fintechs get more certainty about open banking’s future direction

Fintechs have welcomed the UK open banking regulators recommendations for the future of the sector Continue Reading

Reduced spending on cloud services weighs European IT services market down

Reduced spending on cloud services in the EMEA region meant a year-on-year drop in total IT and BPO services spend Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2023: Cloud and disaster recovery top storage and backup plans

Cloud storage still the biggest project planned in data storage in 2023, with disaster recovery the most important area in data protection cited by TechTarget/Computer Weekly survey respondents Continue Reading

Tech companies and NGOs urge rewrite of Online Safety Bill to protect encrypted comms

The Online Safety Bill faces amendments in the House of Lords amid concerns that it could weaken the security of end-to-end encrypted communications for UK citizens Continue Reading

Why IAM systems are crucial for securing multicloud architecture

As business tools evolve into cloud-based services, organisations are finding themselves becoming ever more reliant on the cloud, but how can data be secured across so many different platforms? Continue Reading

Restaurants hit by IT problems after BlackCat attack on supplier NCR

Ransomware attack on systems of payments giant causing service outages for restaurants around the world Continue Reading

Government launches Smart Data Council to lower utility bills

The council aims to find ways to use and encourage uptake of smart data to make it easier to switch utility providers and save money Continue Reading

Charity data stolen in ransomware attack on supplier

A number of charities in Ireland and the UK have had their data compromised following a ransomware attack on an IT supplier Continue Reading

Former TSB CIO fined for migration meltdown

Both TSB and its CIO have now been fined for the catastrophic migration of TSB’s core banking system Continue Reading

Thousands at risk from critical RCE bug in legacy MS service

Thousands of organisations worldwide are at risk from three vulnerabilities – one critical – in a legacy Microsoft service that they may not be aware they are running Continue Reading

UK joins key allies to launch secure-by-design guidelines

The UK has joined international partners in sharing new advice to help technology companies embed security into the product design and development process Continue Reading

Three charged over banking fraud for hire website

UK authorities have charged three men in connection with the operation of a website that sold social engineering tools to cyber fraudsters Continue Reading

AstraZeneca launches African healthtech hub

AstraZeneca has launched its latest healthcare innovation hub, which will focus on using digital technology to improve healthcare in Africa Continue Reading

Sweden and Finland make advances in quantum computing

Separate Swedish and Finnish quantum computing projects make promising advances in the technology of the future Continue Reading

ICO responds to UK government AI regulation plans

The ICO has officially responded to the government’s plans for regulating artificial intelligence as outlined in its recent whitepaper, but called for clarity on certain aspects before the proposals are taken further Continue Reading

UK police double down on ‘improved’ facial recognition

The Met and South Wales Police have doubled down on their use of facial recognition technology after research found improved accuracy in their algorithms when using certain settings, but civil society groups maintain that the tech will still be used in a discriminatory fashion Continue Reading

The CIO challenges brought by e-commerce in Kuwait

E-commerce is growing fast in Kuwait, resulting in new challenges for CIOs in the retail sector Continue Reading

April Patch Tuesday fixes zero-day used to deliver ransomware

A zero-day in the Microsoft Common Log File System that has been abused by the operator of the Nokoyawa ransomware is among 97 vulnerabilities fixed in April’s Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading

Gartner: Rebalance cyber investment towards human-centric elements

Security decision-makers need to reprioritise their investment outlooks towards people, rather than technology, according to the latest market forecast from Gartner Continue Reading

Bank of England starts recruiting Britcoin team

The Bank of England is recruiting people to join its team focused on the development of a digital pound Continue Reading

Deutsche Bank to close Russian software operations

German bank has been winding down its Russia-based software development operations and is close to shutting them down Continue Reading

Anne Keast-Butler named as new director of GCHQ

The government has appointed current MI5 deputy director general Anne Keast-Butler to head signals and cyber agency GCHQ Continue Reading

KFC, Pizza Hut data stolen in January ransomware attack

Yum!, the parent organisation behind KFC and Pizza Hut in the UK, has disclosed that employee data was accessed and exfiltrated in a January 2023 ransomware attack Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023: Help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is back – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year’s list Continue Reading

Scotland links its tech scaler programme with the NHS

As part of the deal, firms part of the tech scaler programme aimed at helping startups scale up will be given access to NHS regional test beds Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Adopt a coherent framework for ID first security

With IAM central to enabling appropriate access to cloud-based services, identity first security is becoming a key trend for IAM in the cloud. Continue Reading

Controversial Fujitsu contract with Post Office extended after technical challenges moving to cloud

The Post Office has extended a contract with Fujitsu after being unable to resolve technical issues related to migrating its IT to the cloud Continue Reading

Experian names AWS as preferred cloud partner for multi-year off-premise migration project

Credit reporting agency Experian is embarking on a multi-year cloud migration project with AWS Continue Reading

DWP appoints former Boots IT chief Richard Corbridge as CDIO

In his new role as the chief digital and information officer for the Department for Work and Pensions, Corbridge will be responsible for a £1.4bn annual budget Continue Reading

Government to pump more than £100m into digital social care

As part of its Better Care Fund framework, the government has allocated £100m to accelerate digitisation in social care, £50m to improve data, as well as £35m for the creation of an innovation and improvement unit Continue Reading

Government on the hunt for national tech adviser

Applicants for the role, which pays up to £135,000, will need to have “deep experience” of innovation and technology development, along with a “fantastic network” in the sector Continue Reading

CCRC says ‘door open’ for more reviews of subpostmaster convictions

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has told former Post Office workers the door is still open for them to come forward if they were prosecuted for financial crimes based on evidence from Horizon software Continue Reading

Quick-acting Rorschach ransomware appears out of nowhere

Emergent Rorschach ransomware strain is highly advanced and quite unusual in its capabilities, warn researchers, who say they have been unable to link it to any other known strains Continue Reading

Nordic app-based bank offloads its peer-to-peer lending business

Danish fintech Lunar has sold its peer-to-peer lending business to Sweden’s SaveLend Continue Reading

Italy’s ChatGPT ban: Sober precaution or chilling overreaction?

Italy’s data protection authority issued a temporary ban on ChatGPT citing data protection concerns and alleged breaches of the GDPR. Is this a reasonable precaution, or a chilling restriction on personal freedoms? Continue Reading

Scottish police tech piloted despite major data protection issues

Scottish policing bodies are pressing ahead with a data sharing pilot despite data protection issues around the use of US cloud providers, placing sensitive personal data of tens of thousands of people at risk Continue Reading

CGI signs up to prison leaver employment initiative

IT supplier is working with training company specialised in helping prison leavers to find recruitment in the tech sector Continue Reading

The Folio Society turns over new leaf with NetSuite

Well known for its illustrated, hardback editions of books, The Folio Society has brought its finance systems up to date, in part to aid international growth, with Oracle NetSuite Continue Reading

Developers say Apple and Google are running app store monopolies

Coalition for App Fairness and its members speak to Computer Weekly about alleged anti-competitive practices of Apple and Google in their respective app stores, and call for urgent regulatory action to level the playing field Continue Reading

HPE launches GreenLake for File and Block, and unified arrays

HPE upgrades its storage-as-a-service offer with Greenlake for File and for Block, configurable via the cloud but deployable on-prem. Meanwhile it shows new Alletra MP arrays Continue Reading