Could cyberattacks leave Europe in the dark?

A new report highlights how growing reliance on digital technologies across Europe, combined with geopolitical tensions and sophisticated threat actors, is creating a perfect storm that could put energy stability at risk and lead to the lights going out.

The study from security awareness training platform KnowBe4 shows the average number of cyberattacks against utilities more than doubled between 2020 and 2022. Specifically across Europe, cyber threats to the energy sector have surged, driven by an epidemic of under-reporting and lack of detection, with recent attacks disrupting operations, compromising sensitive data, and highlighting the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity measures.

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How AI-enhanced cyberattacks are redefining the modern threat landscape [Q&A]

Despite still being in its infancy, it would be hard to overstate the impact that AI has already had on the cybersecurity landscape.

Not only has AI made it infinitely easier and faster to develop a wide range of traditional attacks -- such as phishing, business email compromise and malware -- it has also opened the door to novel strategies and threats. Worse yet, they allow threat actors to develop significantly more targeted and sophisticated attacks, regardless of their knowledge level or skill.

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Microsoft releases KB5055523 update to fix a glut of Windows 11 problems

Windows 11 laptop

It's time to update Windows 11 again. Microsoft has just unleashed the KB5055523 update, and it is chock full of fixes for a series of bugs, problems and irritations in the operating system.

One of the most frustrating issues addressed by the KB5055523 update is a peculiar flaw in Explorer that rendered the ... menu all but useless. But there are lots of other fixes to be found in this security update, as well as new features and options -- especially for Copilot+ PCs.

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Meta brings teen accounts to Facebook and Messenger, and bolsters Instagram restrictions

Meta Teen Accounts

Teen use of social media platforms is something that is concerning for many parents and has become the subject of political and legal debates. Having introduced Instagram Teen Accounts, last year, Meta has now done the same for both Facebook and Messenger.

Just as with Instagram, Teen Accounts on the social and messaging platforms have built-in protections and restrictions.  At the same time, the company is also introducing additional controls and restrictions for teenage users on Instagram.

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HPE launches new virtual private cloud solution

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is launching an expansion of its HPE Aruba Networking Central AI-powered network management solution, including a virtual private cloud environment.

This is aimed at customers who want the agility of cloud but with specific data security, data control or regulatory requirements, and an on-premises option that can operate while being disconnected from the cloud.

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AI boosts cyberwarfare threat amid geopolitical tensions

According to a new report, 73 percent of IT decision-makers globally are concerned about nation-state actors using AI to develop more sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks.

The study from Armis warns that AI-powered cyberwarfare attacks are now becoming a supercharged cyber weapon and urges organizations to immediately close the divide between current cybersecurity programs and future proactive preparation as threats will increase.

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Why 2025 is the year AI will revolutionize construction 

Generative AI is the tech buzzword of the decade -- and the money has followed obediently. In 2025, American Big Tech firms alone announced an investment of $300bn in AI infrastructure. A year earlier, global venture capital investment into AI startups reached approximately $97 billion

One sector that runs the risk of falling behind is construction. ONS Business Insights report only 12 percent of UK construction businesses use AI, which likely reflects (and contributes to) a more skeptical view of AI in the industry. Compared with UK employees across other industries, 11 percent fewer construction employees are excited by the prospect of AI in the workplace and 34 percent of construction workers are worried about the technology. 

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Traditional vulnerability assessment falls short on third-party risks

As organizations increasingly rely on third-party vendors, open-source components, and cloud services to bolster efficiency and scalability, they also open themselves to risks.

Historically they've relied on CVSS scores to measure the severity of risks, but a new report from Black Kite suggests that this method alone is not enough.

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IBM brings new AI capabilities to the mainframe

IBM has announced what it's calling its most advanced mainframe to date, with major new AI capabilities.

Powered by a new IBM Telum II processor, the IBM z17 expands the system’s capabilities beyond transactional AI capabilities, enabling the platform to take on new workloads.

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Meta has officially stopped using third-party fact checkers, relying instead on Community Notes

Check Your Facts

Back at the beginning of the year, Meta announced that third-party fact checking would become a thing of the past on its platforms. The company revealed plans to go down a similar route to X and use Community Notes to allows for crowd-sourced fact-checking instead.

After a short period of testing -- less than a month, in fact -- Community Notes are now starting to appear on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Meta has also confirmed that, with immediate effect, there will be no new fact check labels on content in many parts of the world.

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Microsoft listens to users and revises its WSUS driver synchronization deprecation plans

Microsoft logo

Microsoft had made much of its plans to deprecate WSUS driver synchronization, announcing the intention in the middle of last year. In January, it issued a reminder that service was being closed down, and then again in February.

But now the company has had a change of heart. WSUS support for driver synchronization was due to come to an end this month, but Microsoft has backtracked saying that -- based on “your valuable feedback” -- it has revised its plans and will keep the service active.

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Only a fifth of companies confident their data is AI ready

A new survey, of 1,000 purchasing decision makers across the US, UK, France, and DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) regions, reveals that while AI investment is the top spending priority for nearly half of businesses, only one-fifth of surveyed companies feel confident their data is AI-ready.

The research from Nasuni finds 96 per cent of respondents say they face challenges migrating their file data, creating a major roadblock for AI initiatives. There's also a misalignment in investment priorities, while nearly half of respondents cite AI as their top spending priority over the next 18 months, only a third will invest in the necessary cloud data management.

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Trump’s tariffs just broke the US laptop market -- Framework is the first casualty

Framework just pulled a couple laptops from its US store, and sadly, it’s for political reasons. You see, thanks to new tariffs launched by President Donald Trump, shoppers in the United States can no longer buy two base models of the company’s Laptop 13. The two impacted models are powered by Intel’s Ultra 5 125H and AMD’s Ryzen 5 7640U.

No, folks, this is not due to a supply chain issue or a production delay. Make no mistake -- according to a tweet, it’s simply economics fueled by government policy. In other words, Donald Trump’s tariffs are breaking the laptop market.

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Google brings powerful visual search to AI Mode for Android and iPhone users

Google may be the current king of search, but thanks to competition from artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT and Grok, its continued dominance is becoming less guaranteed. In other words, Google can no longer rest on its laurels with search -- it must either evolve or dissolve.

In an effort to keep up with the times, Google is delivering its AI Mode feature to more users in the U.S. today. This essentially adds new capabilities that combine visual search with the Gemini AI model. Originally limited to Google One AI Premium subscribers, the feature is now available to millions through the Labs program, accessible in the Google app for both Android and iPhone.

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Why companies may be overthinking their cloud transformation

Cloud question mark

Cloud migration is an essential step for companies looking to scale, optimize, and future-proof their operations, but many organizations find themselves overwhelmed by the complexity of migration, often overthinking the process and getting stuck in a paralysis of what if rather than keeping focused on the more important why.

The problem with this hesitancy is that it is slowing progress for their overall digital transformation. Indeed, cloud migration is a complex journey, especially if the organization in question has multiple sites and decades of sunk costs in legacy technologies. But the cloud migration process can still be simplified and executed successfully, provided organizations focus on the right strategies.

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