IT for utilities and energy
Utility firms and energy companies rely on IT to support their often highly complex operations. The industry is being forced by politial and customer pressure to be greener and technology is central to achieving greater energy efficiency, through major initiatives such as smart meters. Our stories about energy and utility firms examine how IT is helping to enable change and improvement in these companies.
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News
27 Feb 2024
How TeamViewer is charting its growth beyond remote connectivity
TeamViewer CEO Oliver Steil outlines the company’s efforts to build on its remote connectivity and control capabilities to support emerging use cases such as smart factories Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2021
Singapore deploys drones to monitor reservoir water quality
Singapore’s national water agency PUB is deploying autonomous drones at six reservoirs to monitor water quality and other activities to improve operational efficiency Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Apr 2024
Five reasons why – and when – cloud storage is the answer
We look at when cloud storage can be the best choice, with considerations that include performance, scalability and agility, cost, management simplicity, and security and resilience Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2024
Securing the edge: A new battleground in mobile network security
Edge computing is transforming approaches to mobile network infrastructure, but failure to secure it can expose networks and data to cyber threats. Learn more about the dangers and potential solutions Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2024
Austrian AI: from academia to commercial success and beyond
Austria has established itself as a European frontrunner when it comes to artificial intelligence exploration and, importantly, deployment Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2024
IT leaders hiring CISOs aplenty, but don’t fully understand the role
Most businesses now have a CISO, but perceptions of what CISOs are supposed to do, and confusion over the value they offer, may be holding back harmonious relations, according to a report Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Approaches to ransomware need a course correction
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2024
Mandiant formally pins Sandworm cyber attacks on APT44 group
Mandiant has formally attributed a long-running campaign of cyber attacks by a Russian state actor known as Sandworm to a newly designated advanced persistent threat group to be called APT44 Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
CISOs not yet convinced to invest in AI
CISOs say their eyes are fixed firmly on threats like ransomware and supply chain attacks, and while AI is becoming a threat that needs to be dealt with, it’s not yet an immediate spending priority Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Apr 2024
Threat actors look to stolen credentials
In 2023, threat actors wrought havoc on corporate networks by logging in through valid accounts, and as bad actors begin investing in AI to help them identify priority targets, this problem is only expected to worsen in the future Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2024
UK plc failing on multiple cyber measures
Government report shows 50% of businesses and 32% of charities reported a cyber attack or breach in the past 12 months and organisations across the UK are failing on multiple cyber measures Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2024
Is a cyber arms control treaty out of reach?
The world needs cyber arms control more than ever, but the challenges facing a multilateral agreement will be hard to surmount, according to researchers at Germany’s Digital Society Institute Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Banning ransomware payments is not so straightforward
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2024
RDP abused in over 90% of cyber attacks, Sophos finds
Threat actors continue to see great success using simple, tried and tested methods, and many defenders are failing to do the basics Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: How to tackle the scourge of ransomware?
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Apr 2024
Security Think Tank: Ransomware lessons from the armed forces
In the wake of renewed calls for lawmakers to consider enacting legal bans on ransomware payments, the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank weighs in to share their thoughts on how to tackle the scourge for good. Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2024
Organisations getting better at spotting identity fraud
As the barriers to committing identity fraud continue to drop, organisations should consider more sophisticated technical measures to successfully up their game, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2024
Sellafield to be prosecuted over alleged cyber compliance failure
Sellafield Ltd, the organisation responsible for cleaning up and decommissioning the UK's largest nuclear waste site, is to be prosecuted over alleged cyber security failings dating back to 2019 Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2024
Cyber spies, not cyber criminals, behind most zero-day exploitation
Analysis from Google has found that zero-day vulnerabilities are much more heavily exploited for espionage purposes than for financially motivated cyber crime Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2024
Ofgem begins consultation on dynamic price caps
Smart meters make it possible to manage the electricity grid in a more flexible way, but millions are facing connectivity issues Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Shareholders win when businesses do better at cyber
The more advanced a company’s cyber security performance, and the more engaged its board is with security issues, the greater the return for shareholders, a report has found Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2024
Open Data Institute launches digital policy manifesto
The Open Data Institute has launched a policy manifesto ahead of the UK general election that outlines policies and issues it believes must be part of the political discussion around digital and data Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2024
NCSC guidance to help CEOs work through cyber incidents
The NCSC has published in-depth guidance on how business leaders should respond to a cyber attack or data breach. Learn about some of the key steps you will need to follow Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2024
UK’s cyber resilience stagnates as more fall victim to attacks
The government is calling on businesses to ramp up their cyber protections as study shows improvements to resilience are stagnating amid an ever-growing volume of attacks Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2024
SAP S/4HANA data migration beset by poor and fragmented strategy
Survey finds customers transitioning to S/4HANA lack strategic thinking and skills, can’t access data, face challenges in data duplication, can’t use AI, and worry about compliance Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2024
The Security Interviews: Alex Yampolskiy, SecurityScorecard
Alex Yampolskiy conceived the idea for risk management specialist SecurityScorecard after getting stung by a SaaS supplier that was being cavalier with its customer data. He tells his story to Computer Weekly Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2024
UK’s AI ambitions pointless while cyber security is still neglected
The UK’s AI ambitions may be at considerable risk without stronger cyber defences across the private and public sectors Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2024
UK government calls on comms firms to limit installation of telegraph poles
After public demonstrations, minister urges communications industry to ‘do whatever it takes’ to share existing infrastructure to avoid ‘inappropriately or unnecessarily throwing up’ new telegraph poles Continue Reading
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News
13 Mar 2024
Microsoft AI-powered cyber service to go live in April
After a year being previewed by beta customers, Microsoft’s much vaunted Copilot for Security service is about to go on general release, promising time savings and improved accuracy for hard-pressed security pros Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2024
March Patch Tuesday throws up two critical Hyper-V flaws
Two critical vulnerabilities in Windows Hyper-V stand out on an otherwise unremarkable Patch Tuesday Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2024
Government not facing up to CNI cyber risks, committee warns
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has accused the government of burying its head in the sand over the cyber threat to UK critical infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2024
Banning ransomware payments back on the agenda
The idea of banning ransomware payments to cyber criminals is back on the agenda, with former NCSC chief Ciaran Martin arguing that tougher measures need to be taken Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2024
Ivanti vulnerabilities explained: Everything you need to know
A series of vulnerabilities in Ivanti products have caused concern worldwide. Delve into some of the key issues arising from the Ivanti disclosures, looking at the vulnerabilities and their impact, what affected users should do, and learn about new developments Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
75% of third-party breaches target software, IT supply chains
Data drawn from SecurityScorecard’s telemetry reveals how supply chain breaches are becoming a weapon of choice for threat actors Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
Users love their cyber teams, but find them frustrating
Despite strong support for security teams, a good number of ordinary workers see them as obstructive to business goals, and would like to see them operate more transparently Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
How TeamViewer is charting its growth beyond remote connectivity
TeamViewer CEO Oliver Steil outlines the company’s efforts to build on its remote connectivity and control capabilities to support emerging use cases such as smart factories Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Black Basta and Bl00dy ransomware gangs exploiting ConnectWise vulns
More ransomware gangs have been observed exploiting two dangerous vulnerabilities in ConnectWise ScreenConnect software, prompting new warnings for users to get patching Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
VulnCheck bug listing to help track new threats quicker
Exploit intelligence firm VulnCheck launches a proprietary Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue in hopes of improving end-user access to intel on emerging threats and reaching those that the likes of CISA do not Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Majority of UK employees ‘willingly gamble’ with security
Human-centric threats originating from employees continue to damage organisations both financially and reputationally, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2024
Cozy Bear and other APTs changing tack as cloud adoption increases
A change in APT tactics has been observed resulting from greater adoption of cloud-based services, according to the NCSC Continue Reading
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News
23 Feb 2024
ConnectWise users see cyber attacks surge, including ransomware
ConnectWise ScreenConnect users who have yet to patch against a critical vulnerability are now being targeted by a barrage of cyber attacks, including ransomware Continue Reading
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Opinion
22 Feb 2024
How can we adapt work practices to protect CISO mental health?
Cyber leaders are finding it harder to keep up with security requirements than just two years ago, risking a domino effect of dissatisfaction, burnout and eventually, resignation Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
CVE volumes set to increase 25% this year
The number of reported Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures is likely to grow significantly in 2024, hitting a new high of almost 35,000, according to Coalition, a cyber insurance specialist Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Southern Water customer data was taken in ransomware attack
Southern Water has started to contact customers whose data was stolen in a January 2024 ransomware attack on its systems Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2024
Microsoft patches two zero-days for Valentine’s Day
Two security feature bypasses impacting Microsoft SmartScreen are on the February Patch Tuesday docket, among more than 70 issues Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2024
Hunter-killer malware volumes seen surging
Latest Picus Security report on malware tactics, techniques and procedures reveals an increasing focus on disabling security defences Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
NCSC warns CNI operators over ‘living-off-the-land’ attacks
Malicious, state-backed actors may well be lurking in the UK’s most critical networks right now, and their operators may not even know until it is too late, warn the NCSC and its partners Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 Feb 2024
Security Think Tank: The phishing forecast for 2024
Egress' Jack Chapman and James Dyer explore how phishing attacks are set to grow in their scope and sophistication this year, with generative AI playing a big role Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2024
South Staffs Water faces group action over Clop ransomware attack
South Staffordshire Plc, the parent company of South Staffordshire and Cambridge Water, is facing legal action from customers whose data was compromised in a 2022 Clop ransomware attack Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
UK’s McPartland Cyber Review to probe trust in technology
The UK government has launched a cyber security review that will investigate how best to give businesses the confidence they need to use new technologies Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2024
US sanctions Iranians behind CNI cyber attacks
US government issues new sanctions against six Iranians suspected of being behind a series of cyber attacks targeting critical national infrastructure, notably water supply systems Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2024
Bugcrowd sees surge in vulnerability submissions, led by public sector
Crowdsourced vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty platform Bugcrowd says it saw a 151% uptick in submissions related to government and public sector organisations in 2023 Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
WebKit vulnerability sparks Apple’s first major security update of 2024
A zero-day in the open source WebKit browser engine that powers Safari has sparked Apple’s first major patch roll-out of the new year Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Southern Water confirms cyber attack after Black Basta claims
Southern Water, which supplies millions of customers in southeast England, has confirmed it has fallen victim to a cyber attack, although its services appear to be running normally Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
AI will heighten global ransomware threat, says NCSC
The benefits of artificial intelligence to cyber criminals being well-known, the NCSC now assesses it’s likely AI will soon be widely used to enhance ransomware attacks Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
Treat cyber risk like financial or legal issue, says UK government
UK government and NCSC launch proposed code of practice on cyber security governance to help directors and business leaders toughen their defences Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
Leak of 26 billion records may prove to be ‘mother of all breaches’
The discovery of a dataset comprising 26 billion stolen records may prove to be record-breaking in both its size and the danger it poses to ordinary people Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2024
PSTN switch-off threatens access to adult social care services
The Public Switched Telephone Network switch-off is threatening vulnerable Londoners access to adult social care and other vital services, as councils are left to manage the cost without financial support from the centre, says London chief digital officer Theo Blackwell Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jan 2024
Biometric revolution in IAM: The future of authentication
The IAM landscape is experiencing profound change thanks to the advent of biometrics. Learn about the latest advantages and key benefits of biometrics in identity Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Jan 2024
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
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News
11 Jan 2024
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
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News
10 Jan 2024
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
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News
09 Jan 2024
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
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News
04 Jan 2024
Celona and Palo Alto partner to enhance private 5G network security
Wireless services specialist Celona and security firm Palo Alto Networks are coming together to enhance device protection for organisations operating private mobile networks Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2024
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
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News
02 Jan 2024
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
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Feature
28 Dec 2023
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
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News
21 Dec 2023
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
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
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
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
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
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Opinion
20 Dec 2023
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
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News
20 Dec 2023
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
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Opinion
19 Dec 2023
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
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Opinion
19 Dec 2023
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
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News
13 Dec 2023
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
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News
13 Dec 2023
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
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News
05 Dec 2023
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
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News
01 Dec 2023
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
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News
27 Nov 2023
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
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News
13 Nov 2023
Rogue state-aligned actors are most critical cyber threat to UK
The prospect of rogue nation-state-aligned attackers bringing down the UK’s critical infrastructure is keeping the NCSC up at night Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2023
Revealed: How Russia’s Sandworm ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure
New Mandiant intelligence reveals how the APT known as Sandworm has been evolving its playbook, twisting legitimate executables known as LoLBins into malicious tools as it seeks to disrupt daily life in Ukraine Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2023
Netherlands starts building its own AI language model
Dutch government allocates €13.5m to develop an open artificial intelligence language model according to national values and guidelines. Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2023
Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson on her AI Safety Summit goals
As the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park takes place, Computer Weekly caught up with Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to find out what one of the UK’s most prominent AI advocates wants from proceedings Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2023
Nuclear regulator raps EDF over cyber compliance
The Office for Nuclear Regulation says EDF has come up short on needed measures to improve cyber security standards at several critical UK nuclear facilities Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2023
Government to pump £30m into NHS medtech
The government hopes the funding, which is available to integrated care systems across the country, will ease winter pressures through the help of technology Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Oct 2023
AI vs software outsourcing: An opportunity or a threat?
While artificial intelligence offers unprecedented opportunities for growth, efficiency and automation, it also raises pertinent questions about the future of software outsourcing Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Sep 2023
The trust deficit in CNI: How to address a growing concern
When it comes to addressing the trust deficit in CNI, technological advancements, evolving threats, inadequate regulations, insufficient investment, public awareness, and international cooperation are all critical components that need attention Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2023
Government seeks industry views on cyber threat to UK CNI
The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is seeking evidence from the cyber sector as it launches an inquiry into the resilience of the UK's critical national infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2023
Patch Tuesday: Microsoft fixes zero-days in Word and Streaming Service
September 2023 brings a light Patch Tuesday, with two zero-days and five critical vulnerabilities listed in the latest release Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2023
European enterprises to spend more on generative IT to close gap on US
European organisations are upping their spending on generative AI innovation, but face challenges recruiting the right people to support this Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2023
Honeywell goes quantum to protect utilities from future threats
Honeywell and quantum computing specialist Quantinuum will integrate quantum-hardened encryption keys into future smart meters Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Sep 2023
Interview: Ashish Gupta, head of EMEA, HCLTech
It’s not just enterprises that changed their operating models during and after Covid, but also the suppliers that took them on the journey, HCLTech Europe’s head explains Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2023
Plymouth Uni spearheads research into wind farm cyber resilience
Project hosted at the University of Plymouth in Devon aims to develop cyber security measures to protect the UK’s increasingly important offshore wind farm assets Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2023
Top-performing CISOs reserve time for professional development
Survey of chief information security officers conducted by Gartner sheds light on habits shared by the top-performing members of the profession Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2023
Cyber attacks in 2023 develop quicker as average dwell times plummet
The median attacker dwell time shrunk from 10 to eight days in the first seven months of 2023, and in the case of ransomware attacks it is down to just five days Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2023
Cyber attack on Aussie energy services firm may hit UK CNI
Energy One, an Australia-based supplier of tech services to the energy sector, is investigating the possibility that some UK customers may have been caught up in an ongoing cyber attack on its systems Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2023
Lancaster Uni lends cyber support to nuclear decommissioning body
Lancaster University’s cyber team has joined with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to help support and protect its 300-year mission, while enhancing its own capabilities in the process Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2023
Tetra radio users’ comms may have been exposed for years
A number of flaws in the encryption algorithms used in the secure Tetra radio communications standard have potentially left users exposed to snooping Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2023
SGN pens IT service desk outsourcing deal
Utility company SGN renews its internal IT services managed services contract with new supplier Continue Reading
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News
28 Jun 2023
GDPR tax reclaim scheme preys on fears of SMEs
IT suppliers are a target of companies offering a tax reclaim scheme that preys on small businesses’ fears around General Data Protection Regulation compliance Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2023
Johnson Controls opts for container-based app delivery with Portworx
Buildings management giant built a suite of customer-facing products using containers and opted for Pure Storage Portworx for hybrid cloud container management and data protection Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2023
EDF deploys Dynatrace to fuel site reliability engineering drive
The energy company has adopted the observability platform to support in-house software development Continue Reading