IT operations management and IT support

Emergency patch addresses MS Exchange Server zero-days

Microsoft releases an emergency patch to address multiple zero-day exploits directed at on-premise installations of Exchange Server Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Aberdeenshire Council is using Cherwell’s ITSM platform

Tech leaders are seeing opportunities to expand the remit of IT service management beyond IT Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Goldman Sachs CEO comments highlight need for home working balance

The remote working revolution has been prominent in the banking sector and organisations have a balancing act to perform once the pandemic passes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HSBC offers to help customers transitioning to digital banking as branch closures continue

HSBC is offering its customers training in how to bank digitally in a safe and effective way as it, like many banks, moves customers out of branches and towards using online services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

FINN completes Covid-delayed migration to the cloud

Norwegian online advertising marketplace completes cloud migration in a single night after months of delay due to the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

The most influential people in UK technology

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal our annual list of the 50 most influential people in UK IT, and talk to this year’s winner, NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson, about an unprecedented year of challenges. Also, we examine the best software patching strategies and see how the pandemic has affected women in tech. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Covid accelerates Bradford University remote working project

Pandemic injected fuel into university’s existing project to introduce remote working Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 private sector reforms: Royal Mail contractors ‘frustrated’ by tax status test regime

Royal Mail contractors are ‘frustrated’ by the lack of transparency over their changing tax status, as the company confirms it is moving those ‘likely to be’ inside IR35 onto PAYE working arrangements Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Dell bets on continued home working to drive PC demand

The pandemic has led to an increase in PC sales, Dell reports, adding that it expects home working to continue as and when coronavirus restrictions are lifted Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NCSC Cyber Action Plan emphasises SME security

NCSC self-assessment tool launched to help sole traders and micro-businesses tackle their cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Npower shuts off app after credential stuffing attack

Npower customers will have to log in to their accounts on its website after its app was withdrawn following a security breach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech-enabled hybrid working enables HSBC to cut 40% of its global office space

Bank is making huge reductions in the amount of office space it uses through a global hybrid-working policy Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Deloitte: How organisations can prepare for new look office work

In the 1980s, desktop computing changed the workplace. Today, the coronavirus pandemic has led to companies rewriting a 40-year-old rule book Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IR35 private sector reforms: What IT contractors need to know

Computer Weekly asks contracting experts to answer questions about PSC bans, compliant umbrella companies and challenging status determinations, with the latest IR35 reforms coming into place Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Is Clubhouse safe, and should CISOs stop its use?

With more concerns being raised over the privacy and security of social media app Clubhouse, we consider whether security teams should consider restricting or stopping employees from using it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses forced to ask IT service providers for help during pandemic

IT service providers have been approached by long-time enterprise customers asking for price cuts due to the impact of the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Babuk ransomware unsophisticated, but highly dangerous

Intelligence gathered through McAfee’s Mvision service reveals more insight into the emerging Babuk ransomware Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Appointment of disgraced former Post Office director triggers vote of no confidence in Welsh FA boss

Vote of no confidence in Football Association of Wales boss triggered by recruitment of former Post Office executive who tried to mislead a judge in IT trial Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Warning on security risk from virtual events platforms

Vulnerabilities found in virtual events platforms could form part of a variant supply chain attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Poor data leads to IT squabbles and work stress

Covid-19 has boosted IT in business, but IT workers feel they are overworked and are often in conflict with colleagues. Can better data help? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Malaysia government intervenes to drive 5G forward

The government of Malaysia pledges to spend 15bn ringgit to set up an entity that would be granted spectrum and operational scope to manage 5G roll-outs Continue Reading

By

• Edwin Yapp

Microphones, smartphones, laptops among items stolen from BBC

A total of 105 devices have been stolen from the BBC in the past two years, some of which may have been spirited away by remote workers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

2020 a record year for cyber, thanks to Covid

The UK’s cyber industry now employs close to 50,000 people and contributes billions to the economy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Finnish IT sector demand increases after months of decline

IT sector in Finland sees small signs of recovery as demand increases after months of Covid-19-related decline Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Security pros agree: We need to take a break

As many as 85% of security staff engage in leisure activities during working hours, but they have excellent reasons for doing so Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotional intelligence, empathy increasingly valued in CISOs

The pandemic has highlighted the value of soft skills, rather than technical ones, in security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Law firm and cyber criminals clash over source of stolen data

Cyber attack victim Jones Day says its data was stolen in a supply chain attack, but the gang holding it to ransom disagrees Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

TransferGo to harness Google-inspired tech capability

Payments fintech TransferGo chooses cloud-native core banking platform to build a digital wallet and expand its services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

RDP, SSH exposures off the charts thanks to remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on the prevalence of certain vulnerabilities in the wild, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cancer Council NSW fixes data silos in integration move

The Cancer Council in New South Wales has integrated its core systems to eliminate data silos and improve productivity Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

University benefited from early virtual desktop investments when pandemic struck

Edinburgh Napier University was able to react quickly to some of the main challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Goldman Sachs reopens UK digital savings account

US banking giant resumes online account for UK savers after temporarily withdrawing it in response to high demand Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Low-complexity CVEs a growing concern

Analysis of thousands of CVEs logged with NIST in 2020 reveals some unwelcome developments Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is it time to ban ransomware insurance payments?

The former head of the NCSC recently called for a dialogue over whether or not it is time to ban insurers from covering ransomware payments. Is he on the right track? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Société Générale adopts work-from-home policy

French bank formalises remote working policy after discussions with labour unions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

TCS to recruit 1,500 UK tech professionals this year

Indian IT service provider Tata Consultancy Services commits to recruiting UK IT professionals Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Windows 10, Server 2019 users must patch serious zero-day

Another dangerous zero-day exploit is among 56 vulnerabilities patched by Microsoft in February’s Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Century-old insurer uses low code as digital demands increase

Lloyds of London insurance and reinsurance broker Miller breaks from the past by adopting low-code software development platform Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Helpdesk meltdown due to absenteeism, low morale and increased workload

Remote working has put a strain on the helpdesk, and there is a backlog of unresolved tickets that is taking days to clear Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Facebook sued for data-sharing practices with third parties

Data protection claim filed in London against social media giant for its alleged failure to give at least one million users in England and Wales meaningful control over their personal data Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cyberpunk 2077 developer refuses to pay up after ransomware attack

Polish video game developer CD Projekt has released details of a ransomware attack on its systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

‘Batman Begins’ cyber attack is a warning to CNI providers

A thwarted cyber attack in a Florida town that could have resulted in the poisoning of the water supply is a timely reminder of the vulnerability of critical services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS reports fewer phishing emails in 2020

The NHSmail email service saw a steady decline in suspected phishing emails during the course of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Nottinghamshire County Council saved loads of money on SAP

The council was paying £100,000 a year just to keep ECC patches up to date and needed to find savings to support frontline services Continue Reading

UK Cyber Security Council to take charge of skills strategy

New government-backed body will be set up to boost careers opportunities and professional standards in the cyber security sector Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interview: Robert Opp, chief digital officer, United Nations Development Programme

Chief digital officer of the United Nations Development Programme talks about the relationship between digital technologies and sustainability, and how it can be used for a more environmentally-friendly and inclusive future Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Too few UK organisations offering cyber training for remote work

Nearly a year into the pandemic, a study reveals a concerning tendency for organisations not to bother offering security training for remote workers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data of thousands of Dutch citizens leaked from government Covid-19 systems

Weak access controls and outdated systems blamed for leaking of the personal details of thousands of Dutch citizens tested for Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Google Chrome update to patch serious zero-day

A serious heap buffer overflow vulnerability means Google Chrome users should patch their browsers as soon as possible Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Financial regulatory body bombarded with malicious emails

New disclosures reveal the FCA’s systems bounced almost a quarter of a million malicious emails in a three-month period Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security firm Stormshield loses source code in cyber attack

Source code from two products developed by French cyber security firm was compromised in a December 2020 incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Yarra Valley Water is tapping APIs

The largest water retailer in Melbourne has rolled out application programming interfaces to improve operations and customer service Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Revolut rewrites policy to include permanent remote working

Challenger finance firm Revolut is redesigning its office spaces and introducing permanent remote working policies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Woodland Trust hit by cyber attack in December

Conservation charity is investigating what it describes as a ‘sophisticated’ cyber attack but has waited nearly two months to inform its members Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Boeing outsources to Dell affecting 600 IT jobs

US aircraft manufacturer contracts hundreds of IT roles to Dell as it accelerates outsourcing plans Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Crypto malware targets Kubernetes clusters, say researchers

Newly identified Hildegaard malware targets Kubernetes clusters and seems to herald a new campaign from the TeamTNT gang Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Has Covid-19 made bank branch closures easier to sell?

Big banks continue to close branches and invest more in technology as the Covid-19 pandemic makes a case for digital banking Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

‘Classic’ Cerber ransomware targets health sector in high volumes

Cerber ransomware-as-a-service seems to have re-emerged as one of the most critical cyber threats facing healthcare organisations, reports VMware Carbon Black Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SolarWinds patches two critical CVEs in Orion platform

New vulnerabilities disclosed as SolarWinds reels from December 2020 Solorigate/Sunburst attack – but do not appear to have been exploited yet Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Agent Tesla trojan finds new ways to sneak past defences

Updated versions of Agent Tesla Rat include new techniques that fiddle with code to disable endpoint protection tools on target systems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Serco confirms Babuk ransomware attack

Outsourcing firm was hit by the ransomware last week but insists most of its operations are running as normal Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKRI suspends services after ransomware attack

UK Research and Innovation was hit by an undisclosed strain of ransomware at the end of January Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CISOs invisible to their organisations, says BT report

Ignorance of cyber issues is leading to misplaced confidence in security in many organisations, as CISOs struggle to make themselves seen and heard Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SBRC picks Check Point to support cyber helpline

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre has enlisted Check Point as the first security supplier to join its incident response partnership programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Commerzbank announces big job cuts and branch closures

German bank is closing hundreds of branches and cutting thousands of jobs as it reshapes for the digital age Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Manufacturing particularly at risk of Solorigate-linked breaches

Every fifth victim of the SolarWinds Solorigate/Sunburst attack was a manufacturing organisation, say researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apprenticeships may be a solution to cyber skills shortage, say insiders

Cyber security professionals are open to new approaches to finding sorely needed talent, according to a poll Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five key questions about Kubernetes backup answered

We look at when to back up containers, what to protect, the main methods of backup for Kubernetes and the main Kubernetes backup products available in the market Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

End of Emotet: A blow to cyber crime, but don’t drop your guard

The takedown of Emotet is a huge event with repercussions that will reverberate across the cyber criminal world, but unfortunately that’s not to say there will be much of a long-term impact Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pandemic response has improved privacy posture, says Cisco

Data privacy seems to be ‘coming of age’ to some extent and organisational responses to Covid-19 may be partly responsible, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mimecast breach was work of SolarWinds attackers

Mimecast’s investigation into a January 2021 breach of its systems turns up evidence that the culprit was the same group that targeted SolarWinds in December Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Scotland uses ServiceNow to power vaccination and contact-tracing

ServiceNow is at the heart of NHS Scotland’s digital response to the coronavirus, supporting the mass vaccination programme Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How Nottinghamshire County Council saved loads of money on SAP

The council was paying £100,000 a year just to keep ECC patches up to date and needed to find savings to support frontline services Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

APAC career guide: How to become a DevOps engineer

A DevOps career can be highly rewarding, as long as you are open to learning new things and collaborating with team mates to solve problems in software development Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

After a push at the start, Mencap’s automation journey is gathering pace

UK charity was helped out by a bank at the start of an automation investigation that is now a project sweeping across the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australia’s IT spending set to bounce back in 2021

IT spending in Australia will grow by 4% this year, reversing a decline of 1% in 2020 as organisations seek to grow their digital chops Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

The ransomware routine: pages from the Secret IR Insider’s diary

The Secret Incident Response Insider shares behind-the-scenes stories of what really happens after organisations are hit by cyber attacks – and shows how they could have been avoided Continue Reading

By

• The Secret IR Insider, Check Point

Customers turn to cash as IT issue hits card payments at major supermarkets

IT problem at payment processing company has forced shoppers to resort to cash in Morrisons and Co-op stores Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Saudi IT spending to hit $11bn in 2021

Saudi Arabian organisations will spend about $11bn on IT this year, with emerging technologies high on shopping lists Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Are security teams the unsung heroes of 2020?

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hotcakes? Continue Reading

By

• Josh Bregman

Inside Grab’s DevOps practices

A senior software engineer at Grab offers a peek into the DevOps practices at one of Southeast Asia’s technology unicorns Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Are banks overburdened with responsibility for money lost to online scams?

Bank boss calls for cross-industry cooperation to reduce scams that trick people into making instant payments online Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Time to rethink stopgap solutions

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Holland, Information Security Forum

Sepa data leaks as agency resists ransom demands

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is resisting extortion demands from a ransomware gang, but has suffered a data leak in retaliation Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How can healthcare organisations fight increased cyber crime in 2021?

As the Covid-19 pandemic enters what may be its most dangerous phase, we explore how healthcare organisations can ward off cyber threats while preserving their ability to deliver critical care Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Two-thirds of CISOs say they’ll be cyber attack victims this year

Security professionals are ever alert to the threats they face, but some still seem to think it is unlikely they will be attacked Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interview: Tony Porter, chief privacy officer, Corsight AI

Tony Porter speaks to Computer Weekly about the changes in facial-recognition during his time as surveillance camera commissioner, the ethics of using the technology, and his new role as chief privacy officer at Corsight AI Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Incompetent cyber criminals leak data in opsec failure

Even cyber criminals need to pay attention to their information security posture, as this cautionary tale uncovered by Check Point reveals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital knowledge must be integral part of Dutch police training

Research reveals gaps in digital knowledge among Netherlands police, with calls for a training ‘roadmap’ to get officers up to speed to tackle cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Should I be worried about MFA-bypassing pass-the-cookie attacks?

Malicious actors bypassed multi-factor authentication using so-called pass-the-cookie attacks, but how worrying is this and what is the risk to organisations? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

More subpostmasters’ prosecutions sent to appeal for wrongful conviction

Four more subpostmasters are to have their appeals against criminal convictions heard in the appeal courts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HSBC closing more branches as customers turn to digital channel

Bank announces branch closures as it reshapes its network for the digital age Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Malwarebytes also hit by SolarWinds attackers

The nation state group that attacked SolarWinds in December got inside Malwarebytes by exploiting privileged access to its Microsoft Office 365 tenant, the firm reveals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security Think Tank: It’s time to secure the collaboration revolution

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hotcakes? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

CIOs blame siloed IT teams and tools for misalignment

The inability of teams to see a single version of the truth is leading to a lot of time wasting among IT departments and businesses Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Could ambiguous rules spur IT personnel offshoring bonanza?

Could the combination of Brexit and ambiguous rules on recruitment enable businesses to hire IT staff from overseas to carry out work remotely? Continue Reading

By

• Yash Dubal

Security Think Tank: In 2021, enable, empower and entrust your users

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Security Think Tank: Plan for hybrid working to become normal

After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be selling like hot cakes? Continue Reading

By

• Martin Kuppinger, KuppingerCole

Stolen Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine data leaked

Data dump understood to include screenshots of emails, peer review information, PDFs and PowerPoint presentations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European IT outsourcing spend up in 2020 after cloud boost

IT outsourcing sector growth is an indication that businesses are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruption it has brought Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA