The firms benefiting from the cybercrime arms race: NCC, Sophos and Darktrace make UK a cybersecurity leader January 21, 2016 Cybercrime fears are on the rise but it’s not bad news for everyone: the IT security sector is booming. With high-profile hacks against firms like JD Wetherspoons and TalkTalk exposing hundreds of thousands’ personal and financial data, and government and big business alike have been racing to tackle the growing threat, with the UK doubling [...]
Best and worst ski currencies: Head to Canada or Norway’s slopes to get the best value for your pounds, but avoid Sweden and the US dollar January 21, 2016 Planning a ski holiday? Choosing the right slopes can make a difference to the tune of hundreds of pounds. If you want your holiday pounds to go furthest, avoid the US and Sweden – but those heading to Canada and Norway will be far better off. Sterling is up against six of the most popular [...]
The IMF’s Christine Lagarde praises blockchain and bitcoin’s potential to slash costs and improve speeds for financial industry January 21, 2016 IMF director Christine Lagarde has joined the massed ranks of those backing blockchain, the hyped technology powering digital currencies like bitcoin, as the IMF lauds its potential in a new report. Presenting the report “Virtual Currencies and Beyond” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Lagarde praised the cryptocurrency's possible benefits. The IMF suggested both digital currencies [...]
BT boss Gavin Patterson warns cyberattacks have soared 1,000 per cent in 18 months January 21, 2016 BT’s networks are having to deal with “hundreds of thousands” of cyber-attacks every single day, chief exec Gavin Patterson told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Attacks have skyrocketed by 1,000 per cent in the past 18 months alone, according to Patterson – and they aren’t just becoming more frequent, but also more [...]
FTSE 250-listed NCC Group share price soars on rising profits and sales boosted by cybercrime fears January 21, 2016 Cybersecurity firm NCC Group has reported soaring sales and profits as growing cybercrime fears drive its results skyhigh. The figures The FTSE 250-listed cybersecurity firm reported revenue up by 50 per cent to £93.5m in its half-year results to 30 November 2015. Adjusted operating profit was up 26 per cent to £15.7m, from £12.4m during [...]
SABMiller’s sales hit hard by plunging emerging market currencies ahead of megabrew deal with AB InBev January 21, 2016 Currency headwinds are still causing SABMiller headaches ahead of its £71bn takeover by rival AB InBev, but the brewer is on a tear in emerging markets. The figures SABMIller’s revenue was down eight per cent in the three months to the end of December, and nine per cent in the year to date. On an [...]
Go on a virtual reality tour inside Buckingham Palace with Google Expeditions January 20, 2016 Ever wanted to see inside the Queen’s official residence? Now you can do it without having to be hassled by the throngs of other tourists, or having to leave your home at all for that matter. Buckingham Palace has become the first UK landmark to feature on Google Expeditions as the tech giant has teamed [...]
TalkTalk hack: Customers flee telco firm after high-profile cyber attack January 20, 2016 Customers are fleeing TalkTalk, with the embattled telco firm’s market share dropping sharply since the high-profile data hack exposing personal data. TalkTalk has lost 4.4 percentage points of its home telecoms services market share, with its slice of the pie down to a mere nine per cent, according to market researchers Kantar Worldpanel. Over 150,000 [...]
Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk win 2015 Luddite Award for their “alarmist” warnings about artificial intelligence January 20, 2016 Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have just “won” the 2015 Luddite Award for their warnings about artificial intelligence. A world-renowned physicist and the entrepreneur behind ventures like Tesla and SpaceX, neither of the two are exactly what you might call afraid of technology. But the worries the two have expressed on the future of AI [...]
How much does being President of the United States age you? Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush’s aging rates compared January 20, 2016 How much does being leader of the free world age you? Quite a lot, as it turns out. (especially if you get caught fondling the intern) The internet has been buzzing over the difference in Barack Obama’s appearance at his first and last State of the Union speech, a mere seven years apart, with recent [...]