IT operations management and IT support

Ransomware attack on London schools highlights warnings

Ransomware attack on Harris Federation comes just days after a fresh NCSC alert for the education sector Continue Reading

The Security Interviews: How to secure an F1 team in a pandemic

A multi-year digital transformation programme paid off for F1 team Williams Racing when the 2020 season was abruptly postponed thanks to Covid-19. Learn how the team’s CIO has been supporting remote working and protecting data Continue Reading

How Gulf SMEs are building digital resilience amid the pandemic

SMEs in the Gulf region have accelerated their digital transformations during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

UK courts face evidence ‘black hole’ over police EncroChat mass hacking

French investigators have refused to disclose how they downloaded millions of messages from a supposedly secure cryptophone network used by organised criminals – leaving UK courts to grapple with a forensic ‘black hole’ of evidence Continue Reading

Preparing for enterprise-class containerisation

As more workloads are deployed in containers, IT teams will need to assess how to manage container sprawl, reduce cloud bills and support databases Continue Reading

CW Innovation Awards: Sime Darby ups ante in service management

Sime Darby Industrial’s inService Suite has returned more than 100,000 hours to the company in a digitisation initiative that has improved efficiency and customer engagement Continue Reading

Retailer FatFace pays $2m ransom to Conti cyber criminals

Retailer FatFace paid out a $2m ransom to restore its data following a January 2021 cyber attack by the Conti ransomware syndicate Continue Reading

Remote working burn-out a factor in security risk

After a year of working from the kitchen table, stress and burn-out are increasing, giving rise to more security risks – and Millennials seem to be particularly affected Continue Reading

Cyber security complacency puts UK at risk, says NCSC head

National Cyber Security Centre CEO Lindy Cameron, in her maiden speech in the role, warns of challenges ahead for the UK and sets out the future agenda for cyber Continue Reading

Warning: AWS IAM behaves differently to directory services

IT admins use group policies to manage user access via Active Directory, but AWS takes a subtly different approach, which can be exploited Continue Reading

Four in five UK businesses seek new security suppliers

Decision-makers are ready to buy new security technology, but suppliers must pay close attention to how they present themselves Continue Reading

Government faces judicial review into plans for Post Office Horizon inquiry

Subpostmasters that suffered great hardship at the hands of the Post Office are applying for a judicial review of a government inquiry into the scandal, which they see as a "whitewash" Continue Reading

The 3-2-1 backup rule: Has cloud made it obsolete?

The 3-2-1 backup rule was made for small-scale use in the pre-cloud era when tape still ruled. Is it relevant in the 2020s, or can we repurpose its fundamental principles? Continue Reading

Apparent drop in cyber incidents highlights underlying problems

UK organisations report fewer cyber security incidents, but the headline data masks more serious issues, according to a report Continue Reading

Post Office was told in 2013 that Fujitsu witness was unreliable in subpostmaster prosecutions

The Post Office was warned that a former Fujitsu employee had misled courts when giving evidence on its behalf Continue Reading

UK faces significant cyber talent shortfall

Cyber security sector is struggling to attract the talented workforce it needs Continue Reading

How to choose the right email security service for your organisation

With email security threats growing rapidly, businesses can quickly identify and block these by using a top email security service. Here’s how to select the right provider Continue Reading

Employees must be given the right to disconnect

As enterprises increasingly turn to workplace monitoring technologies and more of the workforce moves to remote or hybrid working, unions are campaigning for workers’ ‘right to disconnect’ and not engage in digitally enabled work after hours Continue Reading

NUHS taps RPA in Covid-19 swab tests

Singapore’s National University Health System deploys RPA bots to automate patient registration during Covid-19 swab tests as part of broader efforts to improve efficiency Continue Reading

NCSC beefs up support for education sector after spate of attacks

Refreshed guidance from the NCSC recommends a defence-in-depth strategy as schools and universities face a renewed wave of cyber attacks Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Attacks on CNI – an evolving frontier in warfare

In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them? Continue Reading

Post Office staff instructed to shred documents that undermined its claims Horizon was robust

Barrister advising the Post Office in 2013 stated that destroying documents would "amount to a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice" Continue Reading

$50m ransomware demand on Acer is highest ever

Record-breaking double-extortion cyber attack saw REvil gang exfiltrate financial data from Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Continue Reading

Unionised drivers call on Microsoft to suspend Uber’s Face API licences

Unionised private hire drivers in the UK are calling for Microsoft to suspend Uber’s licences to use its Face API technology after claims the ride-hailing firm’s ID-checking system has led to drivers losing their jobs and having licences revoked Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Back to square one – ground-up CNI protection

In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them? Continue Reading

CIO interview: Juliette Atkinson, IT director, Bradford University

Bradford University’s IT director took a different route than most to get into IT leadership Continue Reading

Post Office IT scandal executive forced out of job at Football Association of Wales

Angela van den Bogerd has left her role at the Football Association of Wales, following criticism of her part in Post Office IT scandal Continue Reading

Government to bail out Post Office which can’t afford to pay compensation to subpostmasters

The Post Office does not have enough money to pay compensation to the subpostmasters it wrongfully prosecuted Continue Reading

Subpostmasters in Court of Appeal to end 20-year torment

Subpostmasters heading to Court of Appeal to clear their names in what is potentially the biggest miscarriage of justice in English legal history Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Take a realistic perspective on CNI cyber attacks

In light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them? Continue Reading

Capita restructures to simplify its business

Business services supplier creates two core units that focus on public sector and commercial enterprise customers and will sell off non-core assets Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: CNI operators must focus on core issues

In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them? Continue Reading

Banks still lack tech skills at the top

Banks have made progress in adding IT knowledge in their boardrooms, but they need more as digital transformation accelerates Continue Reading

Microsoft releases one-click ProxyLogon mitigation tool

Microsoft’s mitigation tool is designed to help customers without dedicated security or IT teams navigate fixing their vulnerable Exchange servers Continue Reading

How Aberdeenshire Council is using Cherwell’s ITSM platform

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

Microsoft Exchange ProxyLogon attacks spike 10 times in four days

Exploitations of the Microsoft Exchange ProxyLogon vulnerabilities have increased tenfold in just four days Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: CNI operators are in an unenviable position

In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them? Continue Reading

NCSC issues emergency alert on Microsoft Exchange patch

UK’s national cyber agency calls on organisations affected by the ProxyLogon vulnerabilities to patch their Microsoft Exchange Servers immediately Continue Reading

Does email security need a human solution or a tech solution?

People spend a lot of time using email systems, but many do not realise that this makes them attractive targets for cyber criminals. With education and technology, businesses can tackle this problem head-on Continue Reading

DearCry ransomware targets vulnerable Exchange servers

As predicted, ransomware gangs have started to target vulnerable instances of Microsoft Exchange Server, making patching an even greater priority Continue Reading

Brewer Molson Coors targeted in cyber attack

Cyber criminals have disrupted beer production at Molson Coors, one of the world’s largest brewers Continue Reading

Potential miscarriages of justice of Scottish subpostmasters move to full review

The Post Office Horizon scandal gets bigger as subpostmaster prosecutions in Scotland are reviewed Continue Reading

After Emotet takedown, Trickbot roars up threat charts

Malicious actors are turning to new tricks as Emotet fades away Continue Reading

Data-driven innovation needs trustworthy governance

The pandemic has given us a glimpse of what data-driven technology can do for society – and we cannot go back to the status quo Continue Reading

Norwegian government falls victim to Microsoft attacks

Norway’s parliament, the Storting, suffers second major cyber incident in a year as threat groups capitalise on vulnerable Microsoft Exchange Servers Continue Reading

Met Police chooses Capgemini as strategic IT infrastructure services provider

Capgemini has a history of providing the force with day-to-day technology services, and will now deliver its infrastructure services under the Pegasus programme Continue Reading

Welsh FA boss linked to recruitment of controversial former Post Office executive to step down

Football Association Wales CEO Jonathan Ford is stepping down after losing a vote of no confidence triggered by the controversial appointment of Angela van den Bogerd, who was involved in the Post Office IT scandal Continue Reading

Patch Tuesday overshadowed by Microsoft Exchange attacks

Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday update drops amid ongoing fall-out from widespread Exchange attacks Continue Reading

How biotech firm Luminex manages field service

Technicians at Luminex work remotely, but their schedules, spare parts for repairs and customer site visits need to link to tech support and the CRM Continue Reading

Why your business needs SOC as a service

Security in the digital era demands that businesses monitor their entire IT estate and resolve all alerts, but for many organisations the most effective way of doing that is SOCaaS Continue Reading

Gartner: Three tips to avoid cloud service suspension

As recent events have shown, public cloud providers have the power to terminate cloud contracts, and seemingly legitimate businesses may be at risk Continue Reading

Prime minister yet to respond to serious subpostmaster concerns over Horizon IT scandal inquiry

Subpostmaster victims who have spent millions bringing the Post Office IT scandal to light have received no reply to their concerns from Boris Johnson Continue Reading

Wipro makes its biggest acquisition ever with $1.45bn takeover

Indian IT services supplier Wipro makes biggest acquisition in its history as it bolsters consultancy offering Continue Reading

Government to change unfair private prosecution rules used to prosecute innocent subpostmasters

Government agrees to change private prosecution rules that were abused by the Post Office in its pursuit of subpostmasters wrongly accused of financial crimes Continue Reading

Mandiant: MS Exchange bugs first exploited in January

Analysis from technical teams at FireEye’s Mandiant tracked activity exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server more than a month ago Continue Reading

Dealing with the challenge of beg bounties

The rise of so-called beg bounties is becoming a challenge for security teams, and can be a drain on time and resources. But what is a beg bounty, and how does it differ from a bug bounty? Continue Reading

Innovation underpinned by trustworthy governance, says CDEI

Public support for greater use of digital technologies such as AI depends on how much trust people have in its governance, says report Continue Reading

A peek inside Grab’s DevOps practices

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Okta picks up Auth0 for $6.5bn

Multibillion-dollar acquisition a vote of confidence in future of identity and access management services Continue Reading

Microsoft Exchange CVEs more widely exploited than thought

US CISA issues emergency guidance as impact of four newly disclosed Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities becomes clearer Continue Reading

Bank of Ireland to reduce branch network by almost half

Bank of Ireland is latest bank to pin its future on digital channels as customers change their banking habits Continue Reading

Qualys caught up in Accellion FTA breach

Security services supplier confirms that some of its data was stolen via vulnerabilities in Accellion’s file transfer product Continue Reading

Five ways that disaster recovery changes in a pandemic

Covid-19 has changed IT. Previously, working remotely was a business continuity measure, but now it is the norm. That means disaster recovery has to adapt to new risks and new ways to respond Continue Reading

Emergency patch addresses MS Exchange Server zero-days

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

How Aberdeenshire Council is using Cherwell’s ITSM platform

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

Goldman Sachs CEO comments highlight need for home working balance

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

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

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

FINN completes Covid-delayed migration to the cloud

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

The most influential people in UK technology

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

Covid accelerates Bradford University remote working project

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

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

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

Dell bets on continued home working to drive PC demand

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

NCSC Cyber Action Plan emphasises SME security

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

Npower shuts off app after credential stuffing attack

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

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

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

Deloitte: How organisations can prepare for new look office work

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

IR35 private sector reforms: What IT contractors need to know

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

Is Clubhouse safe, and should CISOs stop its use?

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

Businesses forced to ask IT service providers for help during pandemic

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

Babuk ransomware unsophisticated, but highly dangerous

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

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

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

Warning on security risk from virtual events platforms

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

Poor data leads to IT squabbles and work stress

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

Malaysia government intervenes to drive 5G forward

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

Microphones, smartphones, laptops among items stolen from BBC

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

2020 a record year for cyber, thanks to Covid

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

Finnish IT sector demand increases after months of decline

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

Security pros agree: We need to take a break

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

Emotional intelligence, empathy increasingly valued in CISOs

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

Law firm and cyber criminals clash over source of stolen data

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

TransferGo to harness Google-inspired tech capability

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

RDP, SSH exposures off the charts thanks to remote working

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

Cancer Council NSW fixes data silos in integration move

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

University benefited from early virtual desktop investments when pandemic struck

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

Goldman Sachs reopens UK digital savings account

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

Low-complexity CVEs a growing concern

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

Is it time to ban ransomware insurance payments?

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

Société Générale adopts work-from-home policy

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

TCS to recruit 1,500 UK tech professionals this year

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

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

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