UK Electoral Commission systems breached for over a year
Systems at the Electoral Commission, the body which oversees elections in the UK, have suffered a breach exposing electoral registers which hold the data of anyone registered to vote between 2014 and 2022. The Commission’s email system was also exposed in the breach.
In a statement on its website the Commission says it identified the incident in October last year but that systems were accessed as long ago as August 2021.
Europe stays on top for broadband speeds
Comparison site Cable.co.uk has released its annual analysis of broadband speed tests around the globe.
As in last year's report Western Europe tops the regional charts with an average download speed of 118.69Mbps, with North America second on an average of 94.02Mbps.
Cyber Essentials? What's that then?
New research from Lookout finds that 40 percent of security pros have no clue about the UK Cyber Essentials framework -- the government backed program that aims to help UK organizations improve their cyber resiliency against the most common cyberattacks.
The research, carried out at Infosecurity Europe, surveyed 246 security professionals and finds only 28 percent of organizations had fully implemented Cyber Essentials. Of those that had not implemented the scheme, 58 percent say a lack of awareness or understanding is the reason why they hadn't.
Value of cybercrime equivalent to the third largest global economy
Whoever said 'crime doesn't pay' clearly did so before the advent of the internet. A new report shows that if cybercrime was a country it would be the third largest global economy, valued at $10.5 trillion by 2025. Some 33 billion records are estimated to be stolen in 2023 -- a huge increase of 175 percent from 2018.
The latest Cybercrime Statistics Report from Independent Advisor, shows that last year the cost to US businesses of an average cyberattack amounted to a huge $4.35 million. In addition, 83 percent of organisations got attacked more than once.
Majority of Brits are concerned about their digital identity and take steps to protect it
A new study of over 1,200 members of the UK public shows that 72 percent of respondents say they are concerned about the privacy of their digital identity, while 75 percent are concerned that the mobile apps they have are utilizing data to track their online and, sometimes, offline activity.
Perhaps more significant though is that 81 percent of people have bothered to read the small print and then decided to actively deny the permissions that an app is hoping to be given.
We're all techies now say enterprises
Three years on from the pandemic forcing businesses to digitize in a hurry, more and more enterprises now identify as 'tech companies.'
Research from product experience platform Pendo finds nearly 49 percent of 'traditional' enterprises in the UK now consider themselves as technology companies, and are adopting more 'tech-like' strategies, roles and tools to drive innovation and growth.
Solving the UK's digital identity dilemma
Earlier this year, a report was published in the UK with the aim of tackling the UK’s productivity and innovation crisis. Tony Blair and Lord William Hague are fronting the recommendations made, with a particular view to encourage the widespread adoption of digital ID cards. This has driven a discussion around the general public’s distrust towards government-controlled data schemes.
What’s interesting is that much of the UK population probably don’t realize just how many government IDs they already have; think tax returns, benefits, council payments and, of course, driving licenses. But even so, does this mean the UK is ready for a formal digital identity card? Many are more than happy to keep these various forms of ID in a disjointed manner, despite the inconvenience and inefficiency. Yet, the key issue here is trust, and the public needs to believe there is no overreach when they log in to a service.
77 percent of UK citizens are concerned about online privacy
A new survey shows that 77 percent of people in the UK are concerned about the privacy of their data online, but 15 percent don't do anything at all to protect themselves online.
The study, carried out for Proton by YouGov, reveals concern is even greater among those who have been a victim of a hack, or know someone who has.
Two-thirds of UK IT leaders think GDPR has harmed consumer trust
Five years on from the introduction of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 66 percent of UK IT leaders polled in a new survey from Macro4 say the regulation has made customers less willing to trust businesses with their personal information.
On its introduction the landmark legislation was hailed as raising awareness of the need to protect personal information. Indeed a year after its introduction 36 percent of adults said it made them trust organizations more with their data.
Only 18 percent of staff think hybrid working has improved productivity
New research, from UK-based IT consultancy and services provider Doherty Associates, finds that only 18 percent of workers in two key sectors think that hybrid working has substantially improved productivity.
The survey of 889 employees working in the UK capital markets and legal industries looked to uncover how the working-from-home revolution and subsequent technological adoption have impacted productivity.
US and UK are the countries most attacked by ransomware
In the 12 months from April 2022 to March 2023 the US and UK were the countries that suffered the most ransomware attacks.
However, the latest Malwarebytes ransomware report shows that the USA suffered a little over seven times more attacks in the last twelve months than the UK. It's perhaps not a coincidence that the USA's economic output, measured by gross domestic product (GDP), is also about seven times larger than the UK's.
UK telcos not ready for 'One Touch Switching'
The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom's 'One Touch Switching' initiative -- intended to make it easier for consumers to change broadband providers -- has been delayed as service providers aren't ready.
Whilst it was announced in 2021 and meant to come into force this Monday (April 3rd), One Touch Switching has now been pushed back and Ofcom has begun an enforcement program.
UK government loses hundreds of IT devices
UK government departments are losing hundreds of devices each year according to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted by encrypted drive manufacturer Apricorn.
The Home Office declared 469 lost and stolen devices between September 2021 and September 2022, with the Ministry of Defence not far behind with 467 mobiles, tablets and USB devices unaccounted for.
New UK privacy laws aim to cut red tape for business
The UK's new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill is set to reduce costs and burdens for British businesses and charities, and remove barriers to international trade.
We know from when it was first brought before parliament last summer that it will also cut the number of repetitive data collection and cookie pop-ups online.
UK manufacturing in 2023: Sustainability, digitalization and the power of data
It has undoubtedly been a turbulent few years for the UK manufacturing industry. On top of the supply chain headaches caused by Brexit and the pandemic, spiraling energy prices have presented new financial challenges in recent months. All of this comes as larger, darker clouds loom overhead, with recent S&P Global/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI data showing that the UK manufacturing industry is on the brink of a recession.
To succeed, or even just keep afloat, in this environment, it is now more important than ever for manufacturers to innovate and drive greater operational efficiency. So, what are some of the actions manufacturers need to take to be successful in 2023?
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