On 11th March 2011, a tsunami off the coast of Japan triggered one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. At the time we wrote the following piece on our blog: “It is reported that the current perilous situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant is the result of the failure of backup generators to supply […]
As we watch in horror at the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, it is perhaps timely to recall Russian aggression here in the UK four years ago. On 4th March 2018 Sergei and Yulia Skripal became very seriously ill after being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. One of the Police officers who attended the incident
Remembering the Salisbury Nerve Agent Poisonings Four Years On Read More »
February saw a remarkably high number of food product recalls in the UK: according to the Food Standards Agency’s website, there were 11 recalls. To put this in context, we have seen around 60 recalls per year for the last few years, so you would only expect to see this number in a month once
Why the Sudden Spike in Salmonella Contamination? Read More »
BA passengers endured a weekend of disruption following an IT outage at the airline on Friday evening. BA’s website and app were inaccessible for hours on Friday evening, preventing customers from checking in online or booking flights. Saturday then saw the worst of the disruption, with all short-haul flights to and from Heathrow cancelled. There
To their great credit, the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) has published the full post-incident report into last year’s Conti ransomware attack. Prepared for them by PwC, the report is a fascinating read and allows us all to learn from the HSE’s unfortunate experience. The initial infection took place on 18th March 2021, when a
What Lessons can we learn from the Conti Ransomware Attack on the Irish HSE? Read More »
As energy prices rose sharply last September, CF Industries suspended fertiliser production in the UK as it was no longer economically viable. However, their manufacturing process also generates 60% of the CO2 used in the UK, primarily supplying the food and drink industry, so the shut-down triggered CO2 shortages across the country. (See previous blog
Whilst discussions of information security tend to focus on high-tech cyber attacks; the reality is that many data breaches are down to human error. Generally the biggest single cause of data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office is simply people sending information to the wrong people. Loss or theft of devices is another significant
Possible Decrease in Lost Devices by UK Government Departments Read More »
Never let it be said that we don’t celebrate good news! Since April 2018, UK banks have had to report “Operational and Security Incidents” affecting personal and business current accounts to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) if they reach any of the following thresholds: 10% of transaction affected; 5000 payment service users affected; and/or 2
Some Good News in Latest Figures from the Financial Conduct Authority Read More »
As usual at this time of year, we look at product recall trends in the UK over the last year. 12 months ago we commented on the gradual upward trend in food product recalls; this year the most obvious pattern is the steep rise in recalls of electrical goods. In fact it turns out that this
What has Caused the Steep Rise in Electrical Product Recalls? Read More »
