Opinion

Opinion

• Addressing the backup dilemma to ransomware recovery

  Everyone knows good backups are essential if one is to recover from a ransomware attack, but using them effectively poses challenges that IT teams need to know about  Continue Reading

• Open source for good

  Imagine volunteering to build a home for a struggling family and the entire community shows up to help – that is what open source is all about  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Responsible vulnerability disclosure is a joint effort

  By working hand-in-hand, developers and security researchers can both play a vital role in ensuring newly-discovered vulnerabilities are addressed appropriately, writes Paddy Francis of Airbus CyberSecurity  Continue Reading

• Five tips to bridge application management service gaps

  The watermelon effect is defined in the ITIL 4 Foundation guide as a breakage between the SLA client wants and what the service provider delivers  Continue Reading

• New strategies needed to close the cyber security skills gap

  Teaching cyber security in schools is a long-term solution to a present-day problem  Continue Reading

• Invest in cyber security with confidence using a structured approach

  Cyber security has never been more challenging or important in rapidly changing business, regulatory, IT and threat environments. There is a need for a more structured approach to investment  Continue Reading

• Britain needs its amazing migrants

  Fintech entrepreneur Michael Kent explains why Britain needs migrants and why government policy and media horror stories will damage the UK’s economy and reputation  Continue Reading

• Keeping the UK in the global race to adopt digital identity

  The UK government’s proposed digital ID trust framework is a step in the right direction, but more is needed to ensure the successful adoption of digital identity across the economy  Continue Reading

• ICO cookie consent: How will the plan affect businesses?

  A data privacy and compliance expert considers what the ICO’s proposals for an overhaul of cookie consent procedures could mean for businesses  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Embracing vulnerability management for the greater good

  When it comes to vulnerability management, CISOs should define a responsible disclosure policy so that they can receive and manage identified vulnerabilities transparently, practically and collaboratively, says Paul Watts of the ISF  Continue Reading

• Local Digital Capital Index: A framework for levelling up

  How can the tech sector ensure digital equality across the UK in support of the government's levelling-up agenda? TechUK is trying to set the benchmarks  Continue Reading

• UK AI strategy focused on economic growth, resilience and ethics

  Chris Eastham of law firm Fieldfisher looks at the government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and the merits of the 10-year plan and its approach  Continue Reading

• Will the end of furlough help fill tech vacancies?

  The closure of the government’s furlough scheme may not help the tech sector fill the most technical vacancies, but it could bolster available talent for the longer term  Continue Reading

• Rebooting the hospitality sector with technology

  Technology is playing a crucial role as the hospitality sector rebounds after the coronavirus pandemic  Continue Reading

• Why UK firms should reconsider jurisdiction in technology contracts after Brexit

  UK companies may need to reconsider how they draft some IT contracts with suppliers since the country left the European Union  Continue Reading

• Facial recognition cannot be a standalone authentication method

  As more organisations look to facial recognition to improve their digital identity practices, they must remember that it cannot stand in isolation  Continue Reading

• UK data plans aim to boost growth but will they isolate the UK from its international friends?

  The UK government has made strong statements about the nation’s post-Brexit data strategy but must be careful not to undermine its global credibility  Continue Reading

• Managing cyber risk through integrated supply chains

  High-profile supply chain cyber attacks have caused huge disruption this year. PA Consulting’s Carl Nightingale considers key questions business leaders should be asking of their organisations  Continue Reading

• Dear Chancellor: Unlocking private sector collaboration is the key to tech growth

  Chancellor Rishi Sunak asked the tech sector for ideas to promote growth – startup hub Plexal makes its case in response  Continue Reading

• Putting data at the heart of policymaking will accelerate London’s recovery

  A new initiative to encourage better data sharing between London’s private and public sectors can play an important role in recovering from the pandemic  Continue Reading

• IR35 reforms: Tech firms warned off relying on high-risk compliance workarounds

  Several months have passed since the onset of the IR35 reforms in the private sector, but compliance with the rules remains an ongoing process, warns Brookson Legal’s Matt Fryer  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Optimising privacy, post-GDPR

  Airbus CyberSecurity CTO Paddy Francis explores the impact of regulation on data protection, and how it has changed how one goes about optimising data privacy in the enterprise  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: A response to planned data protection changes

  The ISF’s Emma Bickerstaffe assesses how organisations might respond to proposed changes to the UK’s data protection regime  Continue Reading

• The rise of the chief risk officer

  The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen chief risk officers take their rightful place in the boardroom  Continue Reading

• UK’s new data protection strategy risks costing business more than it gains

  The apparent business benefits of pursuing data adequacy agreements around the world may not be as enticing as they at first appear  Continue Reading

• Protecting children in the digital playground

  The ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code ushers in a new set of standards that advance children’s rights in the digital age  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Managing data securely throughout its lifecycle

  Managing data in a secure manner is key to ensuring its integrity and therefore its value to the organisation, as well as reducing risk from breaches and misinformation  Continue Reading

• Using geospatial data to unlock innovation in the property sector

  Louise Weale from Ordnance Survey argues that geospatial data is key to unlocking business innovation in the property sector  Continue Reading

• Supply chain cyber security is only as strong as the weakest link

  A spate of high-profile cyber attacks has highlighted the criticality of supply chain security and put new pressures on security leaders. How can we ensure that cyber security remains robust down the full length of supply chains?  Continue Reading

• How the cyber security market is evolving

  The cyber security market has gained even greater importance in the post-Covid era and continues to grow and evolve. But what factors are driving trends in that market and what should your organisation consider when making cyber security investments?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Steps to a solid data privacy practice

  Petra Wenham of the BCS shares her expertise on building, or rebuilding, a solid business data privacy practice in a post-Covid-19 world  Continue Reading

• Basel III: How fintech can provide allocated gold for banks

  Banking rules that were over 10 years in the making as a response to the financial crisis have finally come into effect, marking a seismic shift for European banks and their dealings with gold – potentially completely altering the landscape of ...  Continue Reading

• The ransomware debate – to pay or not to pay?

  The debate around banning ransomware payments is highly nuanced, and we must take care to avoid overt victim-blaming, in favour of an open and honest approach, says SASIG’s Martin Smith  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Data privacy not in isolation, but on a spectrum

  The gap between data privacy and data governance is narrowing, and security leaders need to be aware of the implications, says KuppingerCole’s Anne Bailey  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Data privacy and ethics in a post-Covid world

  The radical change caused by the pandemic requires new approaches to data privacy practice, says PA Consulting’s Daniel Gordon  Continue Reading

• Why the government’s Innovation Strategy must not become a missed opportunity

  The UK has a problem with R&D spending, but the new government plan to address this leaves too many important decisions unresolved  Continue Reading

• Firms struggle to manage their innovation ecosystems

  A lack of governance and performance mechanisms is hindering firms from getting the most out of suppliers in their innovation ecosystems  Continue Reading

• The unintended consequences of digital transformation

  Digital transformation offers organisations a way to change fundamentally the way they operate  Continue Reading

• Five tips to ensure your crisis comms plan is ready for a cyber attack

  Business leaders take note: standard crisis communications plans are inadequate if you have fallen victim to a cyber attack. HPL’s Ted Birkhahn shares five tips to make sure you are ready to face the public  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Purchasing enterprise PCs during a global chip shortage

  How can organisations purchase enterprise PCs during a global chip shortage? They need to outsmart the crisis  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Consider cyber policies and procedures as you welcome employees back

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Government-led innovation can help cyber startups find a market

  There are many reasons why early-stage cyber startups often struggle to get off the ground, but government-backed programmes can help them find a path  Continue Reading

• Sparsely staffed offices: the new post-pandemic cyber gap

  With many offices still operating at limited capacity, a red teaming expert reveals how his job is getting easier, and why this is a problem  Continue Reading

• The Secret IR Insider’s Diary: It’s all gone quie...

  The ‘Q’ word isn’t one that’s really used in incident response, says the Secret IR Insider, largely because as soon as you use it, something happens  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: A return to the office is not a return to normal

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Is tech team remuneration opening up a new form of cyber risk?

  Failing to reward cyber security staff in line with increases for other members of the tech team could open up new risks to organisations  Continue Reading

• Can a web app ever be truly secure?

  Despite the wealth of vulnerability detection tools and practices, there remains a vast array of web application security breaches  Continue Reading

• Professionals need protection from the Computer Misuse Act

  The UK needs cyber legislation fit for the 21st century, so it is important for the industry to get behind the government’s proposed reform of the Computer Misuse Act  Continue Reading

• Are you betting your future on the worst gambling odds in the world?

  Gambling is a high-risk strategy. Doing nothing in the face of the threat from ransomware and hoping for the best provides some of the worst odds you will ever come across  Continue Reading

• Choose the right ITSM tool for digital era success

  IT service management (ITSM) tools are essential for many organisations to help optimise the design, delivery, support, use and governance of IT, but not all ITSM solutions are created equal, therefore selecting the right one is crucial  Continue Reading

• Why identity is the central problem for the future of the internet

  As debate rages over who has the right to control user identities online, is the concept of decentralised identity about to have its day?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Reopening is an opportunity to reassess wider security posture

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: As offices reopen, address patching and ‘build drift’

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Returning workers to the office: Is your security posture up to date?

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Going back to office networks, only to dismantle them once and for all

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• The secret to building a future-proof cyber security team

  In a post-pandemic digital world, where cyber criminals see a feast of opportunities, what are the secrets to building a world-class cyber security function?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Hydration, hiring, hacking – lessons in post-Covid risk

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• UK data exchanges with EU can continue after adequacy decision - but for how long?

  For now European businesses can continue to send data to the UK without additional safeguards and paperwork. How long will it last?  Continue Reading

• Ethical hacking: What, why, and overcoming concerns

  We find out why and how hitting your own business with a cyber attack can help improve security  Continue Reading

• How Covid-19 accelerated cloud investment in the financial world

  Cloud computing is no longer a thing of the future for banks that want to remain competitive  Continue Reading

• Banking tech fraud: How to trace and recover your money

  Even when stolen assets are sent offshore, the special powers of the English civil court system mean all may not be lost  Continue Reading

• How CIOs can help their organisations accelerate digital transformation

  Companies need to win the trust of their customers to gather the data they need to transform their businesses  Continue Reading

• Universal Credit: What went wrong, and what we learned

  The architect of one of the biggest and most controversial government policies – and IT failures – of the past decade gives his inside view of the project, and how Computer Weekly was a thorn in their side  Continue Reading

• It’s time to hit fast forward for digital jobs

  With huge numbers of people left unemployed by the pandemic, and continuing skills gaps in technology, now is the time to start joining dots and helping more people into long-term tech careers  Continue Reading

• European ‘chat control’ plans in the name of ‘child safety’ threaten end-to-end encryption

  Proposals by European Commission to search for illegal material could mean the end of private messaging and emails  Continue Reading

• Why a data-driven world should consider an oath of ethics

  The Hippocratic Oath is perhaps the most widely known of Greek medical texts – and such an oath is needed in data science  Continue Reading

• Shaping a Digital Strategy to support UK productivity and jobs

  With an all-party parliamentary group calling for evidence on digital skills, there are three key areas that policymakers should address    Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: To secure printers think process, technology and people

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Time to accept printers will leak data

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Why agility is the key to secure software

  Continuous delivery of software product releases demands continuous security. Businesses and regulators are right to wonder whether organisations are valuing cyber security by the design of their products  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: What must a secure print strategy take into account?

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• NHS Digital’s GP data-scraping plan must be publicised and delayed

  The UK government must launch a national awareness campaign and delay this month’s planned GP data slurp, say privacy consultants Ben Rapp and Sara Newman  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Printers can’t be an ‘add-on’ in your cyber strategy

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs does pose security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Steps to a coherent print security strategy

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Can we rely on AI?

  As artificial intelligence comes increasingly to bear on human lives, how ought we to address social and ethical concerns? Is a tighter symbiosis between human systems and AI systems the way forward?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Printer risks go deep into IT history

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs does pose security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Long-term thinking is vital to secure UK’s critical infrastructure

  To face down the threat of cyber warfare against UK CNI, the government needs long-term thinking that looks beyond the next general election cycle, says Advent-IM’s Mike Gillespie  Continue Reading

• Policies key to revolutionising Identity Governance and Administration

  The proliferation of digital identities, applications, data, security threats and compliance requirements means that Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) has never been more important, but not all organisations are approaching it in an ...  Continue Reading

• Online Safety Bill: an opportunity for tech to get it right

  Long-awaited proposals for regulating internet companies still leave much to be defined – and the tech sector must take the lead in finalising a plan that works for society and government  Continue Reading

• Post Office scandal: The rise of computers and the decline of English justice

  The Post Office prosecuted its subpostmasters up and down the country with a zeal that would not have embarrassed the Inquisition  Continue Reading

• Why new EU rules around artificial intelligence are vital to the development of the sector

  Shawn Tan, CEO of global AI ecosystem builder Skymind, explains why the European Union’s new rules on artificial intelligence are a good thing  Continue Reading

• Transparency is essential as we enter the era of ‘government by algorithm’

  The public sector is increasingly allowing algorithms to make vital decisions that affect people’s lives – but how do we know those algorithms work or what they do?  Continue Reading

• Digital bootcamp initiative could kickstart new thinking about technology skills

  The government’s digital bootcamps initiative could help begin to shift the way we think about the roles of technology professionals  Continue Reading

• The shape of fraud and cyber crime: 10 things we learned from 2020

  While a pandemic-driven increase in cyber crime and an exacerbation of existing fraud trends were, to a large extent, to be expected, the LexisNexis Risk solutions UK cybercrime report 2020 still contained a few surprises  Continue Reading

• Why the Post Office Horizon scandal kept me awake at night

  Reverend Richard Coles tells Computer Weekly why there needs to be a statutory public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal  Continue Reading

• Securing the UK's emerging smart cities

  UK councils have a huge opportunity to improve services through the use of smart city technologies - but they must avoid the cyber security risks, says the government's digital minister  Continue Reading

• The practical steps needed to accelerate a UK digital identity ecosystem

  The draft digital identity framework published by the UK government highlights the importance of learning from the private sector and existing standards to accelerate deployment and citizen adoption  Continue Reading

• The case for vaccine passports: the real world versus the digital world

  What are the security issues challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• How to tackle intellectual property crime

  Crimes against intellectual property are big business for organised crime groups, commercial competitors and foreign states alike. In the first of a series of legal columns, David Cowan offers a practical approach  Continue Reading

• Artificial intelligence will maximise efficiency of 5G network operations

  You’ll have heard of developments that would combine 5G networks with artificial intelligence to enable autonomous vehicles, augmented reality glasses, free-roaming robots, delivery drones and more. It’s anyone’s guess when these applications will ...  Continue Reading

• IR35 private sector reforms: What firms need to do now the start date has passed

  While the start date for the onset of the IR35 private sector reforms may have passed, firms in-scope of the revamped tax avoidance legislation may find themselves still with plenty of compliance work still to do  Continue Reading

• Why we need to reset the debate on end-to-end encryption to protect children

  Private messaging is the front line of abuse, yet E2EE in its current form risks engineering away the ability of firms to detect and disrupt it where it is most prevalent  Continue Reading

• Python @ 30: Praising the versatility of Python

  Python recently celebrated its 30th birthday, and pioneers of the language have been reflecting on its significance as an open source project  Continue Reading

• How satellite connectivity can combat the digital divide

  Research shows satellite connectivity is now a credible alternative for demanding customers, and there are various actions that operators can take to help combat the digital divide  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security culture must underpin vaccine passports

  What are the security challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: ‘Legitimate interest’ crucial for vaccine passports

  What are the security issues and challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• London needs a mayor of growth

  Here East’s CEO Gavin Poole on why the next mayor must ensure London remains the tech capital of Europe, and the importance of learning from the past  Continue Reading

• The Secret IR Insider’s Diary – from Sunburst to DarkSide

  From dealing with SolarWinds fallout to ransomware attacks, it’s been a busy few weeks for the Secret IR Insider, but they've picked up some new tricks along the way  Continue Reading

• Post Office’s full and final settlement with Horizon scandal victims in plain English

  The legal settlement with subpostmaster victims of the Horizon scandal that the government and the Post Office say is “full and final” is anything but  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Vaccine passports cannot be taken lightly

  What are the security issues and challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading