IT security

CIA hacking tools for Mac OS and Linux exposed by WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks has exposed hacking tools targeting the Mac and Linux operating systems in the latest of its series of leaks allegedly from the US Central Intelligence Agency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Radiation detection devices open to cyber attack, researcher finds

A security researcher has discovered numerous security flaws in multiple devices that are used to detect radiation in critical facilities Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Adobe to kill off Flash Player by end of 2020

Adobe has announced it is to stop updating and distributing Flash Player in just over three years’ time Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

North Korean web users enjoy Amazon, Facebook and YouTube, report claims

Threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future claims that the North Korean elite are as plugged in to the worldwide web as any western citizen Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Big data means big risk, Swedish Transport Agency leak shows

The Swedish Transport Agency exposed sensitive information by transferring its databases to a third party cloud provider without following data protection procedures Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tech disruption forces CEOs to rethink leadership

Headline figures from KPMG’s Outlook 2017 survey of 1500 CEOs shows that 40% expect technology innovation to cause major disruption Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Retail data breaches still high as GDPR deadline looms

As the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation compliance deadline approaches, retail data breaches remain unacceptably high, a data threat report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TSB to introduce iris scan authentication in September 2017

TSB customers will soon be able to access their mobile bank accounts through iris scanning, which is regarded as the most secure biometric authentication available Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW ANZ: Cyber security plan bears fruit

Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy, aimed at protecting citizens, companies and critical infrastructure, has made significant headway over the past year, but the jury is still out on its long-term impact. In this month’s CW ANZ, we take a look at the progress of Australia’s national cyber security blueprint and what else needs to be done to better protect Australia’s interests in the global cyber security landscape. Also, read about what the Australian government is doing to better guard public sector IT systems against cyber attacks. Continue Reading

CW ASEAN: Stay alert to threats

With cyber threats intensifying in recent years, from the global outbreak of ransomware to intrusions of university networks to access government data, the role of threat intelligence in anticipating and mitigating threats has become more important than ever. In this month’s CW ASEAN, learn how organizations can make the most out of threat data feeds in an intelligence-driven security strategy. Also, find out how companies can navigate the ominous cyber threat landscape by investing in cyber security technology and processes. Continue Reading

Newcastle council data leak shows need for security automation

Leak of child adoption information by Newcastle City Council resulted from accidental email attachment by employee Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IBM results show slow transition to new business model

Cognitive is one of the cornerstones of IBM’s ‘strategic imperatives’, yet building out a portfolio of products and services will take time, IBM’s CFO admits Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Airbus helps secure critical infrastructure

In this week's ezine, Computer Weekly explores how to secure industrial control systems, which have often lagged behind the leading edge of IT security and pose serious risks to critical national infrastructure. Airbus believes that despite the vulnerabilities of individual components, industrial control systems as a whole are quite resilient. We also speak to the head of technology at Centrica about how the utility company is becoming a specialist provider of data lake integration tools, and we explore the 802.11ac Wave 2 standard. Continue Reading

IBM claims breakthrough in mainframe encryption

IBM says its new mainframe ushers in a new era of data protection in response to a call to action from chief information security officers and security experts worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Defence minister opens £3m cyber security centre in Gloucester

UK minister for defence procurement has opened Lockheed Martin’s job-creating cyber security centre aimed at boosting UK cyber defence capability and skills Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS urged to spend extra cyber defence funds wisely

The NHS has been urged to invest wisely in cyber defences after the government announced plans to increase data security funding by millions of pounds in response to the Caldicott review Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australia to push ahead with decryption plans

The Australian government remains undaunted in requiring tech firms to provide access to encrypted communications in law enforcement efforts Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Encryption keys too predictable, warn security researchers

Encryption keys are not as random as most people think, which means encrypting data is often not as secure as it could be, according to security researchers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Middle East: How women can fill the tech skills gap

The growth of the IT sector continues to drive both innovation and employment in the Gulf, but women – as with all industries in the region – are under-represented in technology by significant margins, and could help to fill the tech skills gap. Also in this issue, read about growing threats in Saudi Arabia’s cyber sector, and how Dubai is becoming a world leader in smart city developments. Continue Reading

Verizon denies data loss but admits potentially huge breach

Verizon has responded to reports of millions of customer records being exposed to the internet by saying no data was accessed by malicious third parties, but the incident raises thorny issues Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What Singapore can learn from Israel’s cyber security playbook

A former Unit 8200 captain from the Israel Defense Forces shares what Singapore can learn from Israel’s approach to cyber security Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Criminal law: Are Twitter threats taken seriously?

As threats of violence become increasingly common online, law enforcement is taking stronger action against the perpetrators Continue Reading

By

• John F Marchiano

GDPR brings serious implications for data storage

New European Union data protection regulations put tough requirements on organisations that store “personally identifiable data”. We look at what is needed to achieve compliance Continue Reading

By

• Chris Evans

Kaspersky researcher in Asia develops cyber forensics tool

The open source tool lets cyber forensics investigators access infected machines remotely to collect malware artefacts without compromising system integrity Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Be better connected in a wireless world

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the latest developments in wireless technology and discover how enterprises can deliver secure and reliable wireless networks for staff and customers. We examine Microsoft’s PowerShell scripting language to understand why it’s become such an important tool for automating system administration. And we ask CIOs what it’s like to cross the divide and work for IT suppliers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Royal Free and Google DeepMind data sharing not compliant with DPA, ICO rules

Information Commissioner’s Office finds that the controversial NHS data-sharing deal with Google DeepMind did not fully comply with the Data Protection Act Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Collaboration is key to combating cyber crime

Interpol has called for speedy and effective information-sharing between law enforcement agencies, governments, businesses and cyber security companies to counter growing cyber threats Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Why immutable buckets are a worthy risk management tool

Immutable buckets offer businesses benefits in terms of data compliance, backup, archiving and security Continue Reading

By

• Michael O'Dwyer

Danish shipping giant Maersk recovering from major Petya cyber attack

Company confirms attack took down its IT system across multiple sites and business units, but has now been contained Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Security Think Tank: Focus on high risk by automating low-risk patching

How should organisations address the need to keep software up to date with security patches without it costing too much or being too labour intensive? Continue Reading

By

• Gabe Chomic

Key lessons from ‘Petya’ ransomware attack

While the cyber security community is still working to understand the latest ransomware attack that has reportedly hit 60 countries, there are key lessons to be learned Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Patching is vital and essentially a risk management exercise

How should organisations address the need to keep software up to date with security patches without it costing too much or being too labour intensive? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Policing should embrace IoT opportunities

The internet of things brings more opportunities than challenges for the UK’s police forces, according to a TechUK report that urges the police to embrace digital technologies Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Petya ransomware hits Aussie businesses

The latest ransomware attack has reached Australia’s shores, prompting calls to dump on-premise IT infrastructure for the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Kennedy

Singapore authorities issue alert on Petya ransomware

The country’s emergency response team has called for users to boost their cyber defences as the Petya ransomware rages through IT systems in Asia and Australia Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Another global ransomware attack underway as reports of Petya exploit spread

Latest cyber attack appears to be based on the same EternalBlue exploit used by the WannaCry ransomware that hit the NHS in May Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Palo Alto Networks confident of taking security into SaaS era

Security platforms could make it easier to take products to market and improve firms’ security posture by making innovative products easier to consume, but the biggest winners could be the platform providers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Voice biometrics still relatively unheard

Authentication system could help reduce UK fraud by making it hard for fraudsters to glean information from contact centres Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft admits Windows 10 disables third-party security software

Microsoft has admitted Windows 10 disables some third-party security software, but claims this is purely because of compatibility issues Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Queen’s Speech highlights digital charter and data protection

Government confirms plans to create a digital charter to ensure the UK is “the safest place to be online”, and a new law protecting personal data Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Pirated software used to spread malware in APAC

A regional study by a Singapore university has found that counterfeit software distributed through discs and file-sharing networks is plagued by malware Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Web hosting firm agrees to pay $1m ransomware demand

South Korean hosting firm Nayana agrees to pay more than $1m to restore data that was encrypted by a ransomware attack on its Linux servers on 10 June 2017 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What it takes for the internet of things to take off in ASEAN

Besides lowering adoption costs, an ecosystem of governments, technology suppliers and telcos is necessary for the internet of things to flourish in Southeast Asia Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Abu Dhabi uses surveillance tech to protect Grand Prix

Police use surveillance technology and monitoring software to ensure public safety when Formula One visits the UAE each year Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

The Macedonian surveillance scandal that brought down a government

Macedonia has been accused of using surveillance technology for covert spying - the subsequent political protests were instrumental in the ruling party losing power after 10 years Continue Reading

By

• Tena Prelec

North Korean Lazarus botnet linked to WannaCry attack

US-Cert puts out an alert on DeltaCharlie, a distributed denial of service tool from North Korean hacker group Lazarus Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Australia’s decryption plan seen as untenable

Experts say efforts to get technology and social media firms to cooperate with the authorities in decrypting communications will be hard to achieve Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

10 ways to prevent breaches and minimise impact

Attackers are continually adapting to security technologies to fly under the radar, but taking action in 10 key areas can reduce the risk of breaches and minimise their impact, according to a resilience expert Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PaloAlto Networks partners with US Girl Scouts on security skills

Palo Alto Networks is partnering with the Girl Scouts of the USA to develop cyber security badges to foster knowledge of the topic and support interest in the profession Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SAP users look to software suppliers to help with fast-approaching GDPR

An SAP UK and Ireland user group survey has found user organisations crying out for help as GDPR approaches, with cloud delivery a special concern Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Microchips implanted in hands could be in use for payments in 20 years

UK consumers are becoming more accepting that biometric authentication will become the norm for payments Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Palo Alto Networks set to drive new era in security innovation

Palo Alto Networks announces a cloud-based application framework the company claims will enable its security platform to disrupt and change the security industry completely within a decade Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tips for buying hyper-converged systems

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the growing market for hyper-converged infrastructure - combining processing, storage and networking into an integrated design - and assess the options available to IT leaders. We ask mature users of the cloud what’s next for their migration to off-premise systems. And we analyse how retail supply chains are developing to keep up with online and mobile shopping trends. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Infosec17: Society needs to address encryption dilemma

There needs to be a discussion about how to balance the interests of privacy, security and the tech industry, says Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame inductee Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Patent group prepares for tough data protection laws by moving HR to the cloud

CPA Global to replace ERP-based HR system as it gears up to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Islamic State supporters shun Tails and Tor encryption for Telegram

Confidential communications show terror group’s supporters are turning to simple mobile phone messaging apps to exchange messages and distribute propaganda Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Ethical fears hinder growth of artificial intelligence in France

In this issue, read how France’s relatively slow adoption of artificial intelligence is partly the result of public confusion, and partly due to the way the French have approached the ethical debate around AI. Also, read now organisations in Europe are failing to address the most important risks because they do not have a structured approach to complying with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. And find out why, after 17 years, Dutch university TU Delft is saying goodbye to its legacy learning management system. Continue Reading

Rethink risk through the lens of antifragility

Antifragility is an exciting alternative that fuses value and risk, and CIOs and IT executives are well positioned to help Continue Reading

By

• Bill Murray, Leading Edge Forum

Mainframe blindspots expose companies to insider threats

More than three-quarters of CIOs say their mainframe is more secure than other systems, but most admit they are still exposed to insider threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital economy to contribute 7% of Australia’s GDP

Besides improving living standards, digital technologies could also lead to a resurgence of manufacturing in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

UK firms stockpiling bitcoins for ransomware attacks

Large UK firms are prepared to pay out more than £136,000 on average to cyber criminals who launch ransomware attacks, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europe faces shortage of 350,000 cyber security professionals by 2022

European companies are expected to go on the world’s biggest cyber security hiring spree in the next 12 months, driving demand for cyber talent that will far outstrip supply, a report has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR about change management, says startup DPO

There are threats and risks associated with the GDPR, but one data protection officer believes organisations should focus on the business opportunities instead Continue Reading

Enterprises struggle with emergency patching

Companies are struggling to maintain emergency patch cycles, despite the fact that enterprise reliance on legacy systems often means emergency patches are an everyday fact of life, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

WannaCry shows validity of risk-based security, says RSA head

WannaCry and other recent cyber attacks underline the importance of adopting a risk-based approach to security, says RSA president Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Shadow Brokers prepares zero-day subscription service

Businesses may face an onslaught of zero-day attacks soon as the group that leaked the NSA exploits used in the WannaCry ransomware attacks prepares to release more stolen code Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

People can be strongest link in cyber security, says NCSC

People are often seen as the weakest link when it comes to cyber security, but that must change, says the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EternalRocks author throws in the towel after media attention

Security researcher who discovered worm that could have bigger impact than WannaCry says the author seems to have given up Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: The trouble with connected things

In this issue, Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen talks about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices. Also read how Icelandic airline Wow Air averted disaster through the use of application performance monitoring software when it embarked on a major expansion. And find out how, since December 2015, anyone playing popular sandbox game Minecraft has been able to build their worlds on the actual map of Sweden. Continue Reading

Finding customer data is big hurdle to meeting GDPR right to erasure

Global organisations do not know where customer data is stored and use unreliable data removal methods to erase content, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore government to spend S$2.4bn on technology initiatives

Funding will go towards building a national sensor platform, boosting the government’s cyber security capabilities and driving the use of robots Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Interview: Nick Bleech, head of information security, Travis Perkins

Last year, Travis Perkins implemented Splunk to help it to respond more quickly to security threats. Now, the business is looking into machine learning and a single customer view Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Economic and political uncertainty drives organisations to rethink IT strategies

CIO job satisfaction reaches a three-year high as organisations hire more IT staff and invest in innovative digital technology Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

EternalRocks worm combines seven leaked NSA attack tools

Hard on the heels of the WannaCry ransomware attacks, a researcher has found a worm that combines four NSA exploits and associated attack tools, including EternalBlue used by WannaCry Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global ransomware attack could be a security wake-up call

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the global WannaCry ransomware attack that struck the NHS and spread across 150 countries – will it be the wake-up call that finally makes organisations take cyber security seriously? We find out how Moscow is leading the way in smart city digitisation. And our latest buyer’s guide examines customer experience management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

HSBC voice authentication tricked by twins

Twin brothers managed to trick HSBC’s voice recognition security system into giving account access to the wrong person Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Windows 7 accounts for most WannaCry infections

Statistics show that computers running Windows 7 accounted for the biggest proportion of machines infected with the WannaCry ransomware, while NHS suppliers are blamed for hampering patching by NHS trusts Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Command and control communications key to detecting threats

Malware command and control (C&C) communications are key to detecting advanced threats, according to a security researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Strong cyber security posture reduces impact of breaches

There is a direct correlation between data breaches and falls in stock prices, but the impact is lighter on companies with good cyber security, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ASEAN: Rise of the machines

In this month’s CW ASEAN, we look at how artificial intelligence and machine learning is improving the way ASEAN businesses fend off cyber attacks and better predict how customers react to various marketing efforts. The growing interest in AI in the region has also spawned start-ups such as Singapore’s Adatos, which is pushing the bar by using declassified methodologies and software used by US defense and intelligence communities to produce data-driven insights. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Machine thinking

In this month’s CW ANZ, we look at how artificial intelligence and machine learning is improving the way businesses fend off cyber attacks and better predict how customers react to marketing efforts. The growing interest in AI in ANZ has also turned Australia into a hotbed for data analytics, where consumers are making use of apps to find the cheapest fuel pumps. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Organised crime exploiting new technology

European law enforcement is to focus on collaborating with industry around cyber crime as organised crime groups increasingly exploit new technologies, according to a regional crime threat report Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Toxic data: What it is and how to find it and deal with it

In this podcast, Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, looks at the management of legacy data and how to find and deal with toxic data that could expose your organisation to compliance breaches Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Political turmoil threatens global IT services sector

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the threats to the global IT services sector caused by US president Donald Trump’s protectionist rhetoric, and by the UK’s planned departure from the EU. Home Office IT chief Sarah Wilkinson discusses the challenges of digital transformation in a large government department. And we find out how business leaders need to improve their digital skills. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK government, NHS and Windows XP support - what really happened

In all the debate about the NHS ransomware attack, much has been made of a government decision in 2015 to end a contract with Microsoft to provide support for the ageing Windows XP operating system ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Attackers have no need of zero-days, breach data shows

Cyber attackers do not have to use previously unseen or extremely sophisticated attacks to bypass defences, analysis of publicly reported breaches in the past year reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR: a quick start guide

We look at how UK organisations can prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

NHS hospitals hit in global ransomware attack

Hospitals across England are reporting problems with IT systems that are affecting healthcare treatment, caused by what could be a global ransomware campaign enabled by a leaked NSA exploit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Five cyber security imperatives for all companies

There are five things all companies should ensure they are doing in terms of cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore universities hit by advanced persistent threat attacks

The attacks on NUS and NTU networks appear to be the work of APT actors and not casual hackers Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Blockchain economy on the horizon

Blockchain technologies will enable many new and disruptive business models than the internet itself, an expert predicts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cognitive security is the future, says Martin Kuppinger

Modern computing capabilities combined with cognitive technology has huge potential for tackling unknown attack patterns and addressing the security skills shortage, says Martin Kuppinger Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Casting the IT skills net wider

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as research reveals that three-quarters of non-tech workers would be interested in a job in IT, we examine what’s stopping them from making the move and how cross-training can help. We analyse the key storage elements of building a private cloud. And Bloomberg’s head of data science talks about the benefits of machine learning. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Barclays launches £10m UK digital safety campaign

Barclays is to lead a £10m campaign against digital fraud as research reveals London, Bristol and Birmingham are scam hotspots, with young adults most at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-government privacy advisor calls for 'fundamental review' of Gov.uk Verify identity scheme

Former Cabinet Office privacy group co-chair says the Verify identity assurance programme needs 'honest and fundamental reset' Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Gov.uk Verify and identity assurance - it's time for a rethink

The government's Verify identity platform is not meeting user needs - it's time to step back and review how best to make online identity for public services work Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden

Testing is key to IoT security, says researcher

Building an effective testing process across all elements associated with a product is key to securing the internet of things, according to a researcher in the field Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government privacy advisor quits and slams Cabinet Office for lack of support

Co-chair of Privacy and Consumer Advisory Group resigns and criticises officials for ignoring its advice and attempting to smuggle “inadequate proposals past ministers” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UBS applies data protection for compliance and competitive advantage

Swiss bank UBS aims to get greater value out of investments in sensitive data protection systems by using its security capabilities as a differentiator Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to deal with data under GDPR

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we take an in-depth look at GDPR – the new EU General Data Protection Regulation - with only 12 months left for organisations to prepare for significant changes in data management. We hear how one firm is using machine learning to revolutionise online fashion retail. And we examine how CIOs can apply lessons from buying software to improve digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading