UK

Surge in UK corporate data leaks fuels fraud fears

Cybersecurity experts in London have warned of a sharp increase in corporate data breaches, with leaked files now frequently containing sensitive financial and personal records.

A new report by Lab 1 reveals that 93 percent of such breaches involve documents like invoices, IBANs, and bank statements, fuelling widespread fraud and reputational damage in the UK.

The study examined 141 million leaked files and shows how hackers increasingly target unstructured data such as HR records, emails, and internal code.

Often ignored in standard breach reviews, these files contain rich details that can be used for identity theft or follow-up cyberattacks.

Hackers are now behaving more like data scientists, according to Lab 1’s CEO, mining leaks for valuable information to exploit. The average breach now affects over 400 organisations indirectly, including business partners and vendors, significantly widening the fallout.

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UK MoD avoids further penalty after data breach

The UK’s data protection regulator has defended its decision not to pursue further action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over a serious data breach that exposed personal information of Afghans who assisted British forces.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the incident caused considerable harm but concluded additional investigation would not deliver greater benefit. The office stressed that organisations must handle data with greater care to avoid such damaging consequences.

The breach occurred when a hidden dataset in a spreadsheet was mistakenly shared under the pressures of a UK military operation. While the sender believed only limited data was being released, the spreadsheet contained much more information, some of which was later leaked online.

The ICO has already fined the MoD £350,000 in 2023 over a previous incident related to the Afghan relocation programme. The regulator confirmed that in both cases, the department had taken significant remedial action and committed extensive public resources to mitigate future risk.

Although the ICO acknowledged the incident’s severe impact, including threats to individual lives, it decided not to divert further resources given existing accountability, classified restrictions, and national security concerns.

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Historic UK KNP transport firm collapses after ransomware attack

A 158‑year‑old UK transport firm, KNP Logistics, has collapsed after falling victim to a crippling ransomware attack. Hackers exploited a single weak password to infiltrate its systems and encrypted critical data, rendering the company inoperable.

Cybercriminals linked to the Akira gang locked out staff and demanded what experts believe could have been around £5 million, an amount KNP could not afford. The company ceased all operations, leaving approximately 700 employees without work.

The incident highlights how even historic companies with insurance and standard safeguards can be undone by basic cybersecurity failings. National Cyber Security Centre chief Richard Horne urged businesses to bolster defences, warning that attackers exploit the simplest vulnerabilities.

This case follows a string of high‑profile UK data breaches at firms like M&S, Harrods and Co‑op, signalling a growing wave of ransomware threats across industries. National Crime Agency data shows these attacks have nearly doubled recently.

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M&S Sparks scheme returns after cyber attack

Marks & Spencer has fully reinstated its Sparks loyalty programme following a damaging cyberattack that disrupted operations earlier this year. The retailer confirmed that online services are back and customers can access offers, discounts, and rewards again.

In April, a cyber breach forced M&S to suspend parts of its IT system and halt Sparks communications. Customers had raised concerns about missing benefits, prompting the company to promise a full recovery of its loyalty platform.

M&S has introduced new Sparks perks to thank users for their patience, including enhanced birthday rewards and complimentary coffees. Staff will also receive a temporary discount boost to 30 percent on selected items this weekend.

Marketing director Sharry Cramond praised staff efforts and customer support during the disruption, calling the recovery a team effort. Meanwhile, according to the UK National Crime Agency, four individuals suspected of involvement in cyber attacks against M&S and other retailers have been released on bail.

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Police scan faces amid safety concerns at carnival

The Metropolitan Police will deploy live facial recognition (LFR) around this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, the first official use at Europe’s largest street festival, which draws roughly 2 million people during the August bank holiday.

Mobile LFR cameras will scan crowds within a three-mile radius to identify wanted individuals, including knife offenders, rapists, and robbers. The operation is supported by an additional £1 million in security funding and approximately 7,000 officers on duty each day.

Past trials in 2016 and 2017 flagged 102 innocent people, prompting civil liberties backlash and trial abandonment.

The Met acknowledges past issues but asserts that accuracy has improved; the National Physical Laboratory saw no statistically significant racial or gender bias. Still, false positives continue to occur, and privacy advocates remain wary.

The deployment reflects the UK’s wider adoption of biometric surveillance technologies. While officials argue LFR enhances public safety and helps preempt mass casualty events, critics warn it may deepen mistrust among minority communities unless transparency, oversight, and accuracy are further guaranteed. This move reignites debate on balancing crowd security and civil liberties in modern policing.

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Isambard-AI launch brings Britain closer to AI breakthroughs

The UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer, Isambard-AI, has officially launched in Bristol. Developed with HPE and NVIDIA, the £225 million system marks a major step in national research capability.

It can compute in one second what the global population would take 80 years to process. Housed at the National Composites Centre, it aims to drive breakthroughs in healthcare, robotics, climate science and more.

Built by the University of Bristol’s Centre for Supercomputing, the machine is part of the UK Government’s AI Research Resource (AIRR) and was launched by Science Secretary Peter Kyle.

Alongside the Dawn supercomputer in Cambridge, Isambard-AI will deliver 23 AI ExaFLOPs — equal to the UK population working non-stop for 85,000 years. It is 100,000 times faster than an average laptop and supports drug discovery, personalised medicine and advanced data analysis.

Powered by 5,400 Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips and HPE’s Cray EX platform, it is among the greenest supercomputers globally, running on zero-carbon electricity and using direct liquid cooling to cut energy use by up to 90%.

Plans are underway to reuse its waste heat for nearby homes and businesses. Its sustainable design cuts emissions by 72% versus traditional builds.

The University of Bristol, chosen for its AI and HPC expertise, also offers a government-backed master’s through the Sparck AI scholarship. Vice-Chancellor Professor Evelyn Welch called the launch a milestone for British AI.

Researchers are already using Isambard-AI to analyse data from wearable cameras for assisted living support, and to scan MRI data to speed up cancer detection and treatment planning.

Other teams are modelling disease-related proteins and using AI to detect illness in dairy cattle by monitoring herd behaviour — showing the system’s broad real-world impact.

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Policy gaps widen Europe’s 5G divide

Europe’s 5G deployment is moving at two speeds, with northern and southern countries leading and western and eastern ones falling behind. The disparity stems less from geography and more from policy gaps in spectrum allocation and subsidy execution.

While Europe saw an increase in 5G adoption overall, reaching 44.5% time spent on 5G, the deployment of 5G Standalone remains slow. Spain and the UK are notable exceptions, with proactive policy use and EU funding helping to close the rural-urban divide.

The analysis by Ookla suggests that effective regulation, not technology gaps, will determine how competitive Europe remains in 5G. As data traffic growth slows and operator revenues remain flat, strategic national policies will decide whether Europe keeps pace globally.

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Afghan data breach prompts secret UK relocation

A serious data breach involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who sought relocation to the UK has come to light following a High Court ruling.

The incident occurred in February 2022 when a UK Special Forces HQ official mistakenly emailed a spreadsheet containing personal details to an unauthorised recipient.

Names, contact details and family information of those who feared Taliban reprisals due to their ties to British forces were exposed.

The breach only surfaced in August 2023 after some names appeared on Facebook, prompting fears the Taliban could gain access to the data.

The government created the Afghanistan Response Route in secret to mitigate the risk, separate from the Arap scheme. Around 20,000 were deemed eligible, with 16,000 already relocated to the UK by May 2025, though an estimated 80,000 remain at risk.

A government review concluded the leak was unlikely to trigger mass reprisals, though those affected still consider it a severe failure. The scheme has already cost £400 million, with a further £450 million expected, contributing to a total Afghan relocation bill of up to £6 billion.

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Co-op CEO apologises after cyberattack hits 6.5 million members

Co-op CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq has confirmed that all 6.5 million members had their data stolen during a cyberattack in April.

‘I’m devastated that information was taken,’ Khoury-Haq told BBC Breakfast. ‘It hurt my members; they took their data, and it hurt our customers, whom I take personally.’

The stolen data included names, addresses, and contact details, but no financial or transaction information. Khoury-Haq said the incident felt ‘personal’ due to its impact on Co-op staff, adding that IT teams ‘fought off these criminals’ under immense pressure.

Although the hackers were removed from Co-op’s systems, the stolen information could not be recovered. The company monitored the breach and reported it to the authorities.

Co-op, which operates a membership profit-sharing model, is still working to restore its back-end systems. The financial impact has not been disclosed.

In response, Co-op is partnering with The Hacking Games — a cybersecurity recruitment initiative — to guide young talent towards legal tech careers. A pilot will launch in Co-op Academies Trust schools.

The breach was part of a wider wave of cyberattacks on UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Harrods. Four people aged 17 to 20 have been arrested concerning the incidents.

In a related case, Australian airline Qantas also confirmed a recent breach involving its frequent flyer programme. As with Co-op, financial data was not affected, but personal contact information was accessed.

Experts warn of increasingly sophisticated attacks on public and private institutions, calling for stronger digital defences and proactive cybersecurity strategies.

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AI chills UK job hiring, especially among tech and finance roles

Recent data reveals a sharp drop in UK job openings for roles at risk of automation, with postings in tech and financial sectors falling by approximately 38%, compared to less exposed fields.

The shift underscores how AI influences workforce planning, as employers reduce positions most vulnerable to machine replacement.

Graduate job seekers are bearing the brunt of this trend. Since the debut of tools like ChatGPT, entry-level roles have been withdrawn more swiftly, as firms opt to apply AI solutions over traditional hiring. However, this marks a significant change in early career pathways.

Although macroeconomic factors, such as rising wages and interest rate pressures, are also at play, the rapid pace of AI integration into hiring, particularly via proactive recruitment freezes, signals a fundamental transformation.

As AI tools become integral, firms across the UK are rethinking how, when, and who they recruit.

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