IT for government and public sector

Victims of 2023 Capita data breaches head to High Court

More than 5,000 people impacted by data breaches arising from two cyber incidents affecting outsourcer Capita have joined a group action lawsuit Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Michelle Donelan aims high on tech innovation growth

The science, innovation and technology secretary wants the UK to match US VC investment as a proportion of GDP Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Paula Vennells fails to practice what she preaches in Post Office scandal

Reverend Richard Coles tells Computer Weekly how a recent ITV drama ‘moved and enraged’ a public that had missed the unfolding of the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern history, in front of their noses Continue Reading

By

• Reverend Richard Coles

Fujitsu ‘morally obliged’ to contribute to subpostmaster financial redress amid ‘insane’ delays

Fujitsu has apologised for its role on the Post Office scandal and said it is ‘morally obliged’ to contribute to the financial redress of victims Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Republic of Ireland publishes progress update on digital strategy

Update reveals 2.3 million people in Ireland now have MyGovID accounts, and the Irish government plans to launch a new digital portal for businesses, as well as establishing an AI advisory council imminently Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NAO head calls for clean data and modern government IT

Better IT procurement, better IT systems and better data are among the recommendations Gareth Davies is giving to Parliament Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The human toll of ransomware: how IT pros suffer during incidents

Any ransomware attack causes significant challenges for a business or organisation going through such incident. But ransomware attacks also have tremendous impact on the staff – especially IT teams – working on mitigating the attack’s effect Continue Reading

By

• Pia Hüsch, Jamie MacColl and Gareth Mott

British Library catalogues back online after ransomware attack

The British Library has restored online access to its main catalogue of nearly 40 million items on a limited basis as it continues the long and arduous process of recovering from a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI likely to worsen economic inequality, says IMF

While artificial intelligence will replace some jobs and complement others, the International Monetary Fund says that, in most of the scenarios it envisages, the technology will likely deepen macro-economic inequalities Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

British Library cyber attack explained: What you need to know

In this essential guide, Computer Weekly investigates the cyber attack on the British Library that has rendered IT systems inoperable and caused service disruption to thousands of users Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia hacked ex-MI6 chief’s emails – what they reveal is more Dad’s Army than deep state

A Russian hacking group that published emails of ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy, but it was more Dad’s Army than the ‘deep state’, Computer Weekly and Byline Times reveal Continue Reading

By

• Sophie Hill

How legal disclosure failures disrupted the Post Office Horizon inquiry

From overly narrow search terms, overzealous deduplication of documents and failed email migrations, poor management of legal discovery has delayed justice for postmasters in the Horizon inquiry   Continue Reading

By

• Martin Nikel, Thomas Murray

IT failure caused weekend chaos at Sussex hospitals

The critical incident at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, caused by IT issues on Sunday night, has now been resolved Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NCA director sacked after WhatsApp and email security breaches

Nikki Holland, former director of investigations at the NCA, was sacked for “misconduct” after sending sensitive NCA information over personal email and WhatsApp Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How the UK is supporting the Ukraine tech community

The launch of a TechBridge between UK and Ukraine allow IT experts from each country to collaborate and share experiences Continue Reading

By

• Nusrat Ghani, Department of Business and Trade

The Post Office Horizon buck stops where?

The cover up began to conceal the impossibility of delivering what was agreed with Number 10 in December 1998 ... but ... who was responsible and was the added encouragement of unethical conduct ... Continue Reading

By

• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

Post Office scandal inquiry hits mainstream after dramatic start to year

Long-running statutory public inquiry restarts with hugely increased interest following ITV’s dramatisation of the two decades-long scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government seeks public views on impacts of AI-generated porn

The government’s Pornography Review will look in part at the use of AI throughout the industry to generate sexually explicit content without people’s consent Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

MHRA launches roadmap for medtech regulations

The roadmap covers plans for regulations on medical technologies, including implantable devices, artificial intelligence and healthcare software, with core elements of a new framework to be in place by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cisco fixes high-impact flaw in unified comms platform

Cisco unified comms customers are urged to patch a critical vulnerability in Unity Connection, a messaging and voicemail product Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Redefining the cyber domain to tackle the challenges of tomorrow

Emerging technologies have brought about a new age of cyber – and we need a 360-degree collaborative approach more than ever to succeed Continue Reading

By

• Saj Huq, Plexal

Hundreds of subpostmasters to have convictions quashed in blanket exoneration

The government has chosen to introduce legislation that will enable it to exonerate hundreds of subpostmasters as a group Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Windows Kerberos, Hyper-V vulns among January Patch Tuesday bugs

Microsoft starts 2024 right with another slimline Patch Tuesday drop, but there are some critical vulns to be alert to, including a number of man-in-the-middle attack vectors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Scotland ‘sleepwalking’ to mass surveillance with DPDI Bill

The independent checks and balances over biometrics and biometric-enabled surveillance must be strengthened to prevent Scotland from sliding into a surveillance state along with the rest of the UK Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Babuk Tortilla ransomware decryptor made available

A joint effort between Cisco Talos, Avast and the Dutch police will bring relief to many victims of a variant of the Babuk ransomware known as Tortilla Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Study reveals cyber risks to US elections

With the 2024 US presidential election cycle beginning, a study produced by Arctic Wolf has highlighted big gaps in preparedness and resourcing at government bodies across the US Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Former Post Office CEO hands back CBE amid public backlash

Former Post Office CEO hands back her CBE after public backlash following dramatisation of her role in Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

‘Hero’ subpostmaster accuses government of diversion tactics through ‘weaselly’ statistics

Campaigning subpostmaster calls out government’s use of ‘weaselly’ statistics to hide its slow progress Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fujitsu gets stay of execution as MPs support exoneration of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters

Fujitsu will have to wait until the end of the Post Office Horizon scandal public inquiry to hear how MPs will punish it Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Trauma and fear means victims of the Post Office scandal are suffering in silence

Just like victims of child abuse, it is likely that issues of trauma, fear, feelings of shame and a complete loss of trust in authority are some of the powerful inhibitors preventing victims of the Post Office scandal from coming forward Continue Reading

By

• David Enright

Government to push NHS roll-out of digital pathology

Department for Health and Social Care wants to increase use of digital pathology in cancer screening, following a recommendation by the UK National Screening Committee Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

British Library ransomware attack could cost up to £7m

The cost of recovering the British Library’s ransomware-stricken IT systems could be up to £7m, it has emerged Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office scandal furore is moment to change digital evidence rules

The current rules around digital evidence are partly to blame for the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Inside the Met Police’s investigation into EncroChat crime gangs

The Met’s senior investigating officer responsible for investigating criminals using the EncroChat encrypted phone network tells the inside story of the UK’s biggest organised crime bust in a BBC podcast series released this week Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Metropolitan Police launches second criminal investigation in Post Office scandal

New investigation will examine potential crimes by the Post Office in its recovery of money from subpostmasters accused of theft and false accounting Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Information Commissioner questions DWP plan to monitor bank accounts of benefit claimants

The Information Commissioner has warned that legislation to give new powers to the Department of Work and Pensions to check bank accounts of benefit claimants for indications of fraud lacks appropriate safeguards Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Artificial intelligence to the front in Sweden’s National Technology Strategy

Sweden focuses in on artificial intelligence in its latest far-reaching national IT strategy Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

China’s UNC4841 pivots to new Barracuda ESG zero-day

The Chinese state threat actor behind a series of cyber attacks on Barracuda Networks customers embarked on a campaign targeting the supplier’s email security products in the run-up to Christmas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data: the golden thread of military defence

Information has been the lifeblood of warfare for centuries and modern data strategies are no different. From frontline fighters to logistics, manufacturing, R&D, and recruitment, data is crucial Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2023

From a secret campaign by right-wing Brexit supporters against science journal Nature to Investigatory Powers Act 2016 revisions that will make it easier for police and intelligence agencies to access databases on the population, here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 investigations and national security stories of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top 10 AI regulation stories of 2023

From the UK government’s publication of its long-awaited AI whitepaper to its convening of the world’s first AI Safety Summit, here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 AI regulation stories of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Decoding zero trust in endpoint security: A practical guide for CISOs

The exponential increase in endpoints has vastly expanded the average organisation’s attack surface – address this by applying zero-trust best practice to endpoints Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2023

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Top 10 police technology stories of 2023

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 police technology stories of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Top 10 government IT stories of 2023

In the year that gave life to four new government departments, Whitehall bosses have continued to fly the flag for technology, with mixed results and success. Here are the stories that made waves in 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Top 10 Middle East stories of 2023

Middle Eastern countries are on digital journeys, with many pinning their futures on expertise in advanced technologies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Immigration clampdown could worsen UK IT skills shortage

The UK government’s recent clampdown on immigration could exacerbate the IT skills shortage in the country, especially in web design and development Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2023

Ransomware gangs dominated the cyber criminal underworld in 2023, a year that will prove notable for significant evolutionary trends in their tactics Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office gets government handout as Horizon replacement costs increase ‘significantly’

The increasing costs associated with replacing the Post Office’s controversial IT system have forced the government to hand it over £100m extra Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Beyond the office walls: Safeguarding remote workers from attack

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Lewis, Nominet

Zero-trust principles: Your gateway to securing remote workers

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Michael Healey, Turnkey Consulting

Evolving best practice: What next for securing remote work?

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Scott Burman

'No hiding place' for those responsible for Post Office Horizon scandal

MPs want individuals to be held to account for their roles in causing the Post Office Horizon scandal, which destroyed thousands of lives Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ALPHV/BlackCat operation down, but maybe not out

Multinational law enforcement has targeted the operations of the notorious ALPHV/BlackCat cyber extortion gang, but the group’s members appear to remain defiant Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Levelling the playing field: Could a UK cloud strategy weaken the hold of the hyperscalers?

Over time, global hyperscale has taken a majority share of the UK market. How best could the government respond to Ofcom’s review to sustain local industry while best serving customers? Continue Reading

By

• Fleur Doidge

Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2023

In the year we said goodbye to NHS Digital, the NHS has made some serious strides in digitising the health service, but many challenges remain. We look back at the stories that made the headlines in 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Top 10 Benelux stories of 2023

The Benelux region is researching some of the latest digital technologies of the future with efforts to ensure the region keeps pace in quantum computing and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 cloud stories of 2023

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cloud stories of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Government reveals its own slow progress in compensating Post Office scandal victims

Few of the subpostmasters who unearthed the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history have been compensated so far, four years after their court victory Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Testing to improve remote worker security

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Rowland Johnson

Top 10 information management stories of 2023

Generative AI was inescapable as the leading theme of the information management stories of 2023 gathered here. But also selected are pieces about data and healthcare, and the inexorable rise of the CDO Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Security Think Tank: Anytime, anywhere access is achievable

Remote working has enabled people to work from almost anywhere but has piled pressure on cyber pros. Three years after Covid, how are best practices evolving and what can we expect going forward? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

Interview: Ex-UKCloud chairman airs economic fears over growing dominance of US hyperscalers

More than a year has passed since UKCloud went into liquidation - its former chairman outlines his concerns about the economic impact of the UK cloud market floundering in the face of the US hyperscalers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Police defend facial recognition target selection to Lords

Senior police officers confirm to Lords committee that facial recognition watchlist image selection is based on crime categories attached to people’s photos, rather than a context-specific assessment of the threat presented by a given individual Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government advised to overturn all Post Office scandal convictions

An independent board set up to advise the government on compensation for innocent subpostmasters has recommended that all the Post Office scandal convictions are ‘unsafe’ and should be overturned Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron to step down in 2024

NCSC chief exec Lindy Cameron, who helped lead and elevate the national dialogue on cyber security through major events such as Covid-19, SolarWinds Sunburst and Colonial Pipeline, is to step down in the New Year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Current Post Office executive in denial of Horizon cover-up

Executives at the Post Office today are still in denial of the part they played in destroying the lives of thousands of people Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

No UK AI legislation until timing is right, says Donelan

The UK government will not legislate on artificial intelligence until it has a better understanding of the technology, so is instead focusing on building up regulatory capacity and conducting safety-focused research, says digital secretary Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Microsoft’s Christmas present for cyber teams: no zero-days

Barely 30 vulnerabilities, and no zero-days, have been fixed in the final Patch Tuesday drop of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Critical UK infrastructure a ‘hostage of fortune’ to ransomware

A lack of ransomware planning and preparedness at the highest levels of government is leaving UK operators or critical national infrastructure dangerously exposed, according to a Joint Committee report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MoD fined after breach of Afghan staffers’ data put lives at risk

The MoD has been fined £350,000 by the ICO after an email blunder exposed data on Afghan nationals who had worked with British forces and were at risk of Taliban reprisals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Outdated data protection practice key factor in PSNI data breach

The August 2023 data breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland arose chiefly from an outdated approach to data protection and compliance at the force, according to an independent review Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Former Post Office investigator called subpostmaster campaigners ‘crooks’

Former Post Office investigator labelled subpostmasters attempting to clear their names as ‘crooks’ Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK names Russian FSB agents behind political hacking campaign

Russian hacking group, Star Blizzard, was part of a Russian intelligence operation aimed at interfering with UK politics and the democratic process, says government. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Keith Woolley, chief digital information officer, University of Bristol

With Bristol set to host the UK’s biggest supercomputer, its technology chief is looking to make the most of internal and international collaboration to drive digital improvements Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy threatens trust with legal action in row over alleged email tampering

NHS whistleblower warns his former employer of potential litigation over a dispute concerning allegations of email tampering Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Government launches UK-wide Cyber Explorers Cup

Schoolkids across the UK are being called on to team up and defeat Herbert the Hacker in a new government-backed competition Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office prioritised its ‘bottom line’ over justice

The Post Office was more concerned with saving money and recovering unexplained losses than getting to the bottom of subpostmaster claims that Horizon errors caused shortfalls, inquiry told Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government to trial new border tech

The software, which the government hopes will make it easier for border staff to identify what is inside the container, will be tested in the New Year as part of plans to ‘cut red tape’ for UK exporters Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Operator of Sellafield nuclear facility denies hacking claims

The operator of the Sellafield nuclear site has denied allegations that senior managers covered up a series of cyber security lapses that enabled Chinese and Russian threat actors to compromise its networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Majority of GPs now give patients online access to records

NHS England is close to reaching its target of having nine in 10 GPs offering patients access to their primary care records online Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Undisclosed document could reveal pressure on Fujitsu expert witness in Post Office prosecution

Details of Post Office prosecutor’s meeting with Fujitsu IT expert witness, used in subpostmaster prosecution, not yet disclosed to public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft leaves SME resellers in the dark over Cloud Compute 2 framework snub

SME IT suppliers are calling on Microsoft to explain why it has banned them from reselling its services through the government's new £1.35bn Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Human augmentation tech requires dual use oversight

Researchers investigating human augmentation technologies must acknowledge the potential military applications of their work, and military bodies cannot be allowed to dismiss ethical concerns in their pursuit of national security interests, says NGO Drone Wars UK Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Lords committee urges caution on UK use of autonomous weapons

UK government must ensure proper democratic oversight of its development and use of AI-powered weapon systems, says Lords committee Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Security Interviews: Mark McClain, SailPoint Technologies

SailPoint founder and CEO Mark McClain reflects on how the concept of identity has evolved over the past 20 years, and points to rapid evolution still to come Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office lawyer with his fingerprints all over IT scandal spreads blame

Senior Post Office criminal lawyer was just following orders and claims his only mistake was believing those that told him the Horizon system was robust Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Yarra Valley Water to roll out smart water meters

The move is expected to stem water losses, alert customers to possible leaks and improve the affordability of water Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Government’s Online Fraud Charter welcomed

The government has corralled 11 of the largest tech platforms in the world to commit to its Online Fraud Charter, designed to tackle online scams, fake adverts, and more Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rhysida gang stole hundreds of gigabytes of British Library data

The Rhysida ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the British Library has published almost 600GB of stolen data to its dark web leak site Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Slow government response to Post Office scandal compensation forces new legislation

Subpostmasters who exposed widest miscarriage of justice in UK history still waiting for compensation after decades of fighting Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Paula Vennells’ email fuelled Post Office Horizon cult, inquiry told

Faced with serious questions about the robustness of its core computer system, the Post Office doubled down on reliability myth, public inquiry told Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Making artificial intelligence fit for all our human futures

Lord Chris Holmes explains why he has introduced a Private Member's Bill on AI regulation for discussion in Parliament - and the important precedents he hopes it will set Continue Reading

By

• Lord Chris Holmes, House of Lords

CCRC refers two posthumous subpostmaster appeals to Crown Court

CCRC refers posthumous appeals against convictions to Crown Court for first time Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scope of British Library data breach widens

Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs have ‘little confidence’ in Making Tax Digital success

MPs say HMRC’s Making Tax Digital programme is riddled with widespread and repeating failures, and criticise the programme for failing to be open about the costs and increased burdens on taxpayers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

India's Hexaware creates hundreds of jobs in UK

Hexaware opens IT services operation in Birmingham, with a plan to recruit 250 people in the region by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Microsoft bans SME partners from selling its services via government's Cloud Compute 2 framework

Microsoft is under fire after documents leaked to Computer Weekly revealed it has banned reseller partners from selling its services via the government’s soon-to-be launched Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DWP to surveil bank accounts of benefit claimants for fraud

The UK government has outlined how it plans to tackle benefit fraud by giving the Department for Work and Pensions new powers compelling banks to collect and share data on claimants’ bank accounts Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor