Shifts in federal cyber priorities put stress on security teams
Recent shifts in US federal cybersecurity efforts, most notably cuts to key CISA programs and the disbanding of the Cyber Safety Review Board, are having an impact beyond Washington according to a new report.
Security automation company Swimlane surveyed 500 IT and security decision-makers across the US and UK The findings show how private-sector leaders are now shouldering greater responsibility for resilience, investment and public‑private coordination.
Could the UK government really ban VPNs?
As we’ve been reporting over the past week interest in VPN use in the UK has spiked following concerns about the Online Safety Act and its age verification rules.
Inevitably the government has noticed the surge in VPN use and while it insists it has no plans to ban their use the science secretary, Peter Kyle, says it will be looking “very closely” at how they’re being employed.
Concerns mount around UK Online Safety Act
As we reported earlier this week, the UK’s new Online Safety Act has seen a surge in interest in the use of VPNs and an online petition for its repeal has been signed by over 400,000 people.
An article published yesterday by The Critic argues that the legislation is badly drafted. Industry figures too are raising doubts about the effectiveness of the act, its likely wider impact on cybersecurity and its potential for overreach.
UK VPN interest surges in response to new Online Safety Act
The UK’s new Online Safety Act came into force this week, aimed at protecting youngsters with age verification to access adult and harmful content. However, it’s seen other material being blocked and sparked concern among free speech campaigners about government censorship.
It’s not too surprising then that there’s been a lot of interest in VPNs since the act came into force. VPNMentor has seen a 6,430 percent peak surge in VPN demand since the act’s introduction.
EU urged to pause rollout of new AI rules
Businesses and politicians are calling on the EU to pause the rollout of its wide-ranging new AI Act which became law last year. The act relies on technical standards which have been slow to emerge. Provisions of the act such as new rules for General-Purpose AI (GPAI) models, due to apply on August 2nd, still lack essential guidance.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson has called the new rules ‘confusing’ and said that he worried the continued rollout could lead to Europe falling behind technologically or specific applications not being available on the European market.
UK tech leaders want the government to stop buying US cloud
New research reveals a surge in interest in data sovereignty among UK IT leaders since the implementation of the United States government's historic raft of tariffs in April.
The study from Civo, of over 1,000 UK-based IT leaders, shows more than 60 percent now feel that the UK government’s use of US cloud services exposes the country's digital economy to significant risks, damages its domestic industry, and threatens data security.
International fraudsters target US government programs
International bad actors -- like fraudsters from Russia and China -- are driving one in eight fraud attempts in the US, seeking everything from access to government services to loans, according to a new report.
During the pandemic, government agencies were flooded with fraudulent applications that went undetected by outdated methods. This study from Socure shows AI-powered technologies are enabling fraudsters to supercharge their efforts, hitting government agencies and commercial entities at once, with relentless speed, and at scale.
UK government uses AI 'Humphrey' tool to review consultation responses
Fans of the 1980s British sitcom 'Yes Minister' will know the character Sir Humphrey -- a senior civil servant whose main role seemed to be to prevent ministers from implementing their policies. You may also know that Humphrey is the name of the Downing Street cat.
With its tongue firmly in its cheek then, the UK government is introducing 'Humphrey', a bundle of AI tools designed to speed up the work of civil servants and cut back time spent on admin, and money spent on contractors.
New edge appliances allow organizations to deploy AI securely
Enterprises and governments share a common interest in safeguarding private information, but often the rollout of AI systems can unwittingly put sensitive data at risk.
Trusted AI specialist Seekr is announcing a new all-in-one AI system -- built for government agencies -- to ensure that AI can be deployed in air-gapped environments, standalone data centers, and contested environments.
Ransomware attacks against government agencies on the rise
New analysis by Comparitech shows that government entities remain a frequent target for ransomware gangs.
Of the 39 confirmed attacks -- where the organization publicly acknowledges what's happened -- in April, 21 were on businesses, nine on government entities, six on healthcare companies and three on educational institutions.
Could this be the end of CVE? And what does it mean for cybersecurity?
The CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database is widely used across many cybersecurity tools, allowing the tracking of vulnerabilities.
The CVE program has been in existence for 25 years but today MITRE -- the non-profit organization which looks after the database -- has announced that its contract with the US Department of Homeland Security to operate the CVE Program hasn't been renewed.
Regulation and its role in protecting critical infrastructure [Q&A]
Protecting critical national infrastructure (CNI) against attack is a huge undertaking for governments and for those organizations that deliver CNI services.
New regulation in Europe -- the NIS2 Directive -- includes an increased focus on resilience for CNI, covering traditional critical services like banking, utilities, transport and public safety as well as new provisions for digital service providers. In 2025, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) will enforce more stringent resilience and security requirements on the financial sector. And in the UK, the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will demand more investment in security too.
Apple has removed its strongest data protection from UK users -- why and what does it mean?
Apple's Advanced Data protection allows the data that its users store in iCloud to be end-to-end encrypted. On Friday of last week the company announced that it would be removing this tool from users in the UK.
The move follows a demand from the UK government to allow 'backdoor' access into data in order to investigate crime. The problem is that even Apple can't access ADP protected data and the company argues that a backdoor would be exploited by attackers.
Public sector professionals worried about the security risks of AI
AI adoption is gaining momentum in the public sector as elsewhere, with benefits like predictive analytics and issue detection, but concerns still linger.
Around four in 10 respondents to a new study by SolarWinds, focused on public sector staff, say they are extremely or very concerned about potential risks associated with adopting AI, such as data privacy and compliance, making full-scale implementation a cautious process.
UK government set to make all your licenses and other official documents available via a digital wallet
Hot on the heels of its plans to turbocharge AI usage, the UK government has today announced that it wants to introduce a new GOV.UK Wallet, a digital wallet that will hold official documents.
Starting with Veteran Cards and Driving Licenses this year, it will expand to take in things like Blue Badges for disabled drivers, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) letters, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and every other credential issued by the government.
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