News

Hot on the heels of the massive ransomware attack on 12 May 2017, reports are emerging of ransomware attack on Disney.  Unlike the Wannacry attack, which has impacted over 200,000 computers in 150 countries, the Disney attack has been deliberately targeted, with hackers threatening to release segments of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film […]

What a start to Business Continuity Awareness Week!  The theme for this year is Cyber Resilience’, and the week has started with the investigations and continued fall-out from what has possibly been the world’s largest cyber security event which occurred on Friday afternoon. A ransomware attack has spread throughout 150 countries, infecting more than 200,000 […]

Business Continuity Awareness Week (BCAW) takes place this year from the 15th to the 19th of May and focuses on the very topical issue of cyber security.  As a timely curtain-raiser for BCAW 2017, the news emerged on Monday that user IDs and email addresses for customers of the ‘Guardian Soulmates’ dating website had been […]

There is widespread coverage of a large fire that has broken out at a research building attached to The Christie.  The fire started at around 10.35, being brought under control shortly before 1500hrs, although still not extinguished. The nature of this incident would test even the most developed and well-rehearsed business continuity plan, from both […]

Speaking last week at the Institute of Directors; Minister for Digital and Culture, Matt Hancock, announced a new push on the Cyber Essentials programme to encourage all UK businesses to adopt the scheme.  Measure announced include: Updating the Cyber Essentials requirements, to make the scheme easier to use; A marketing campaign to raise awareness and drive […]

Two weeks ago the ICO announced that it had fined a senior barrister £1000 for failing to keep clients’ sensitive personal information secure.  The ICO explained that the barrister had kept sensitive information on 250 clients on a home computer without using any encryption.  Then, during an update of software on the computer, files were […]

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced yesterday that it had fined a private health company, HCA International Ltd, £200 000 for failing to keep fertility patients’ personal information secure. Back in April 2015, a patient found that transcripts of interviews with Lister Hospital IVF patients could be freely accessed by searching online.  A subsequent ICO investigation […]

Whilst a very useful resource, the Electrical Safety First website is not normally that entertaining.  Typically there is a list of battery chargers that pose a fire risk and similar items, but today is different as a recall has just been announced of Anne Summers “Black Power Wands”.  Not only that but the reason for […]

The severe disruption to London Ambulance Service’s IT systems on New Year’s Eve has been widely reported in the media, although little is known at this stage about the root cause.  Hopefully, in due course, any useful lessons identified will be shared throughout the NHS to minimise the chance of a recurrence.  In the mean […]

The announcement yesterday that Merlin Entertainments had been fined £5m for the crash at Alton Towers last year in which 16 people were injured came as little surprise. What has been startling though is Merlin’s dramatic fall from grace over the last 12 months. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the operator was being […]