Critical internet resources

Cyberattack compromises personal data used for DBS checks at UK college

Bracknell and Wokingham College has confirmed a cyberattack that compromised data collected for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. The breach affects data used by Activate Learning and other institutions, including names, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers, and passport details.

Access Personal Checking Services (APCS) was alerted by supplier Intradev on August 17 that its systems had been accessed without authorisation. While payment card details and criminal conviction records were not compromised, data submitted between December 2024 and May 8, 2025, was copied.

APCS stated that its own networks and those of Activate Learning were not breached. The organisation is contacting only those data controllers where confirmed breaches have occurred and has advised that its services can continue to be used safely.

Activate Learning reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office following a risk assessment. APCS is still investigating the full scope of the breach and has pledged to keep affected institutions and individuals informed as more information becomes available.

Individuals have been advised to closely monitor their financial statements, exercise caution when opening phishing emails, and regularly update security measures, including passwords and two-factor authentication. Activate Learning emphasised the importance of staying vigilant to minimise risks.

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Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund INA targets data centres and AI in healthcare

The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is sharpening its focus on digital infrastructure, healthcare and renewable energy as it seeks to attract foreign partners and strengthen national development.

The fund, created in 2021 with $5 billion in state capital, now manages assets worth around $10 billion and is expanding its scope beyond equity into hybrid capital and private credit.

Chief investment officer Christopher Ganis said data centres and supporting infrastructure, such as sub-sea cables, were key priorities as the government emphasises data independence and resilience.

INA has already teamed up with Singapore-based Granite Asia to invest over $1.2 billion in Indonesia’s technology and AI ecosystem, including a new data centre campus in Batam. Ganis added that AI would be applied first in healthcare instead of rushing into broader adoption.

Renewables also remain central to INA’s strategy, with its partnership alongside Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Clean Energy in Pertamina Geothermal Energy cited as a strong performer.

Ganis said Asia’s reliance on bank financing highlights the need for INA’s support in cross-border growth, since domestic banks cannot always facilitate overseas expansion.

Despite growing global ambitions, INA will prioritise projects directly linked to Indonesia. Ganis stressed that it must deliver benefits at home instead of directing capital into ventures without a clear link to the country’s future.

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Miljodata hack exposes data of nearly 15% of Swedish population

Swedish prosecutors have confirmed that a cyberattack on IT systems provider Miljodata exposed the personal data of 1.5 million people, nearly 15% of Sweden’s population. The attack occurred during the weekend of August 23–24.

Authorities said the stolen data has been leaked online and includes names, addresses, and contact details. Prosecutor Sandra Helgadottir said the group Datacarry has claimed responsibility, though no foreign state involvement is suspected.

Media in Sweden reported that the hackers demanded 1.5 bitcoin (around $170,000) to prevent the release of the data. Miljodata confirmed the information has now been published on the darknet.

The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection has received over 250 breach notifications, with 164 municipalities and four regional authorities impacted. Employees in Gothenburg were among those affected, according to SVT.

Private companies, including Volvo, SAS, and GKN Aerospace, also reported compromised data. Investigators are working to identify the perpetrators as the breach’s scale continues to raise concerns nationwide.

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First quantum-AI data centre launched in New York City

Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) and Digital Realty have launched the first quantum-AI data centre in New York City at the JFK10 facility, powered by Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. The project combines superconducting quantum computers with AI supercomputing under one roof.

OQC’s GENESIS quantum computer is the first to be deployed in a New York data centre, designed to support hybrid workloads and enterprise adoption. Future GENESIS systems will ship with Nvidia accelerated computing and CUDA-Q integration as standard.

OQC CEO Gerald Mullally said the centre will drive the AI revolution securely and at scale, strengthening the UK–US technology alliance. Digital Realty CEO Andy Power called it a milestone for making quantum-AI accessible to enterprises and governments.

UK Science Minister Patrick Vallance highlighted the £212 billion economic potential of quantum by 2045, citing applications from drug discovery to clean energy. He said the launch puts British innovation at the heart of next-generation computing.

The centre, embedded in Digital Realty’s PlatformDIGITAL, will support applications in finance, security, and AI, including quantum machine learning and accelerated model training. OQC Chair Jack Boyer said it demonstrates UK–US collaboration in leading frontier technologies.

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Hong Kong to speed up tech hub plan with China

One of S.A.R. of China, Hong Kong, is preparing to accelerate its cross-border technology hub plans with mainland China as the city seeks new growth drivers to offset its fragile economy.

Chief Executive John Lee is set to deliver his annual policy address on Wednesday, with the Northern Metropolis project expected to take centre stage.

The initiative aims to transform a sparsely populated area into a base for advanced industries and innovation, while reducing reliance on finance and real estate.

According to state-owned media, the government will ease financing rules to attract companies in AI, renewable energy and medical technology.

An urgency that comes despite signs of recovery, as the economy of Hong Kong grew at its fastest pace in over a year last quarter. Yet home prices continue to fall, unemployment has risen, and public finances remain stretched.

The administration is unlikely to offer sweeping property incentives, such as tax cuts or looser rules for mainland buyers, given fiscal constraints. Instead, it may revive the long-dormant Tenants Purchase Scheme, first launched in 1998, which allows public housing tenants to buy their flats at reduced prices.

Analysts say that without bold reforms, the housing market will stay under pressure as oversupply and weak sentiment weigh on values.

Hong Kong’s $7.2 trillion stock market could benefit if new listings and inflows are encouraged, especially as developers look to stimulus and lower mortgage rates to support sales.

However, with the economy of China also slowing down, doubts remain over whether deeper integration and technology investments can provide a lasting boost.

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Millions of customer records stolen in Kering luxury brand data breach

Kering has confirmed a data breach affecting several of its luxury brands, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Brioni, and Alexander McQueen, after unauthorised access to its Salesforce systems compromised millions of customer records.

Hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility, alleging it exfiltrated 43.5 million records from Gucci and nearly 13 million from the other brands. The stolen data includes names, email addresses, dates of birth, sales histories, and home addresses.

Kering stated that the incident occurred in June 2025 and did not compromise bank or credit card details or national identifiers. The company has reported the breach to the relevant regulators and is notifying the affected customers.

Evidence shared by ShinyHunters suggests Balenciaga made an initial ransom payment of €500,000 before negotiations broke down. The group released sample data and chat logs to support its claims.

ShinyHunters has exploited Salesforce weaknesses in previous attacks targeting luxury, travel, and financial firms. Questions remain about the total number of affected customers and the potential exposure of other Kering brands.

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Codex gets smarter with GPT-5, targets GitHub Copilot and rivals

OpenAI has optimised its new GPT-5 model for Codex, its agentic software development tool, boosting performance on both quick coding sessions and long, complex projects. CEO Sam Altman said Codex already accounts for 40% of platform traffic.

GPT-5 Codex can now build full projects, add features, run tests, refactor large codebases, and conduct detailed code reviews. It dynamically adjusts the time spent ‘thinking’ based on task complexity, allowing both interactive pair programming and extended autonomous work.

OpenAI stated that the model can run independently for over seven hours, completing refactorings, fixing test failures, and delivering finished code. Early tests indicate that it catches critical bugs more reliably, allowing developers to focus on the most important issues.

The upgraded Codex is available via terminal, IDE integrations, the web, and GitHub, and comes bundled with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise subscriptions. OpenAI launched Codex CLI in April and a research preview in May.

With GPT-5 Codex, OpenAI aims to capture market share from GitHub Copilot, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and startups such as Anysphere and Windsurf. The company claims the new version delivers faster, higher-quality results for developers at every stage of the software lifecycle.

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UK to benefit from Google’s £5 billion AI plan

Google has unveiled plans to invest £5 billion (around $6.8 billion) in the UK’s AI economy over the next two years.

An announcement comes just hours before US President Donald Trump’s official visit to the country, during which economic agreements worth more than $10 billion are expected.

The investment will include establishing a new AI data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, designed to meet growing demand for services like Google Cloud.

Alongside the facility, funds will be channelled into research and development, capital expenditure, engineering, and DeepMind’s work applying AI to science and healthcare. The project is expected to generate 8,250 annual jobs for British companies.

Google also revealed a partnership with Shell to support grid stability and contribute to the UK’s energy transition. The move highlights the economic and environmental stakes tied to AI expansion, as the UK positions itself as a hub for advanced digital technologies.

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Lumex chips bring advanced AI to mobile devices

Arm Holdings has unveiled Lumex, its next-generation chip designs built to bring advanced AI performance directly to mobile devices.

The new designs range from highly energy-efficient chips for wearables to high-performance versions capable of running large AI models on smartphones without cloud support.

Lumex forms part of Arm’s Compute Subsystems business, offering handset makers pre-integrated designs, while also strengthening Arm’s broader strategy to expand smartphone and data centre revenues.

The chips are tailored for 3-nanometre manufacturing processes provided by suppliers such as TSMC, whose technology is also used in Apple’s latest iPhone chips. Arm has indicated further investment in its own chip development to capitalise on demand.

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Industry leaders urge careful AI use in research projects

The 2026 Adwanted Media Research Awards will feature a new category for Best Use of AI in Research Projects, reflecting the growing importance of this technology in the industry.

Head judge Denise Turner of IPA said AI should be viewed as a tool to expedite workflows, not replace human insight, emphasising that researchers remain essential to interpreting results and posing the right questions.

Route CEO Euan Mackay said AI enables digital twins, synthetic data, and clean-room integrations, shifting researchers’ roles from survey design to auditing and ensuring data integrity in an AI-driven environment.

OMD’s Laura Rowe highlighted AI’s ability to rapidly process raw data, transcribe qualitative research, and extend insights across strategy and planning — provided ethical oversight remains in place.

ITV’s Neil Mortensen called this the start of a ‘gold rush’, urging the industry to use AI to automate tedious tasks while preserving rigorous methods and enabling more time for deep analysis.

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