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Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs say

Health service has given US tech firm ‘unlimited access’ to certain data to build integrated platform, according to reports

MPs have warned that an NHS decision to grant Palantir access to identifiable patient information in its plan to use AI to improve the health service is “dangerous” and will fuel public fears that data privacy is not being prioritised.

NHS England has allowed staff from the US tech firm and other contractors to access patient data before it has been pseudonymised, despite internal fears of a “risk of loss of public confidence”, the Financial Times reported.

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© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

‘Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software

Exclusive: Lab tests discover ‘new form of insider risk’ with artificial intelligence agents engaging in autonomous, even ‘aggressive’ behaviours

Robert Booth UK technology editor

Rogue artificial intelligence agents have worked together to smuggle sensitive information out of supposedly secure systems, in the latest sign cyber-defences may be overwhelmed by unforeseen scheming by AIs.

With companies increasingly asking AI agents to carry out complex tasks in internal systems, the behaviour has sparked concerns that supposedly helpful technology could pose a serious inside threat.

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© Photograph: Andrey Kryuchkov/Alamy

© Photograph: Andrey Kryuchkov/Alamy

© Photograph: Andrey Kryuchkov/Alamy

Burner phones and lead-lined bags: a history of UK security tactics in China

Starmer’s team is wary of spies but such fears are not new – with Theresa May once warned to get dressed under a duvet

When prime ministers travel to China, heightened security arrangements are a given – as is the quiet game of cat and mouse that takes place behind the scenes as each country tests out each other’s tradecraft and capabilities.

Keir Starmer’s team has been issued with burner phones and fresh sim cards, and is using temporary email addresses, to prevent devices being loaded with spyware or UK government servers being hacked into.

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© Photograph: Simon Dawson/Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street

© Photograph: Simon Dawson/Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street

© Photograph: Simon Dawson/Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street

‘Mortified’ OBR chair hopes inquiry into budget leak will report next week

Reuters news agency says it obtained document after visiting URL it predicted file would be uploaded to

The chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said he felt mortified by the early release of its budget forecasts as the watchdog launched a rapid inquiry into how it had “inadvertently made it possible” to see the documents.

Richard Hughes said he had written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the chair of the Treasury select committee, Meg Hillier, to apologise.

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© Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/Treasury

© Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/Treasury

© Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/Treasury

London councils enact emergency plans after three hit by cyber-attack

Kensington and Westminster councils investigating whether data has been compromised as Hammersmith and Fulham also reports hack

Three London councils have reported a cyber-attack, prompting the rollout of emergency plans and the involvement of the National Crime Agency (NCA) as they investigate whether any data has been compromised.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), and Westminster city council, which share some IT infrastructure, said a number of systems had been affected across both authorities, including phone lines. The councils shut down several computerised systems as a precaution to limit further possible damage.

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© Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy

© Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy

© Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy

Personal details of Tate galleries job applicants leaked online

Sensitive information relates to more than 100 individuals and their referees

Personal details submitted by applicants for a job at Tate art galleries have been leaked online, exposing their addresses, salaries and the phone numbers of their referees, the Guardian has learned.

The records, running to hundreds of pages, appeared on a website unrelated to the government-sponsored organisation, which operates the Tate Modern and Tate Britain galleries in London, Tate St Ives in Cornwall and Tate Liverpool.

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© Photograph: Justin Kase zsixz/Alamy

© Photograph: Justin Kase zsixz/Alamy

© Photograph: Justin Kase zsixz/Alamy

Capita fined £14m for data protection failings in 2023 cyber-attack

Hackers stole personal information of 6.6m people but outsourcing firm did not shut device targeted for 58 hours

The outsourcing company Capita has been fined £14m for data protection failings after hackers stole the personal information of 6.6 million people, including staff details and those of its clients’ customers.

John Edwards, the UK information commissioner who levied the fine, said the March 2023 data theft from the group and companies it supported, including 325 pension providers, caused anxiety and stress for those affected.

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© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

Digital ID cards: a versatile and useful tool or a worrying cybersecurity risk?

As Keir Starmer aims to revive ID card system first proposed by Tony Blair, we look at the arguments for and against

It is 21 years since Tony Blair’s government made proposals for an ID card system to tackle illegal working and immigration, and to make it more convenient for the public to access services.

The same issues are on the agenda again as Keir Starmer revives what became one of New Labour’s most controversial policies. He is about to find out if he can defeat the argument that David Cameron’s Conservatives made before scrapping it. They said the ID card approach to personal privacy was “the worst of all worlds – intrusive, ineffective and enormously expensive”.

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© Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock

What to do if you can’t get into your Facebook or Instagram account

How to prove your identity after your account gets hacked and how to improve security for the future

Your Facebook or Instagram account can be your link to friends, a profile for your work or a key to other services, so losing access can be very worrying. Here’s what to do if the worst happens.

If you have access to the phone number or email account associated with your Facebook or Instagram account, try to reset your password by clicking on the “Forgot password?” link on the main Facebook or Instagram login screen. Follow the instructions in the email or text message you receive.

If you no longer have access to the email account linked to your Facebook account, use a device with which you have previously logged into Facebook and go to facebook.com/login/identify. Enter any email address or phone number you might have associated with your account, or find your username which is the string of characters after Facebook.com/ on your page. Click on “No longer have access to these?”, “Forgotten account?” or “Recover” and follow the instructions to prove your identity and reset your password.

If your account was hacked, visit facebook.com/hacked or instagram.com/hacked/ on a device you have previously used to log in and follow the instructions. Visit the help with a hacked account page for Facebook or Instagram.

Change the password to something strong, long and unique, such as a combination of random words or a memorable lyric or quote. Avoid simple or guessable combinations. Use a password manager to help you remember it and other important details.

Turn on two-step verification in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre. Use an authentication app or security key for this, not SMS codes. Save your recovery codes somewhere safe in case you lose access to your two-step authentication method.

Turn on “unrecognised login” alerts in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre, which will alert you to any suspicious login activity.

Remove any suspicious “friends” from your account – these could be fake accounts or scammers.

If you are eligible, turn on “advanced protection for Facebook” in the “password and security” section of the Accounts Centre.

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© Photograph: bigtunaonline/Alamy

© Photograph: bigtunaonline/Alamy

‘Source of data’: are electric cars vulnerable to cyber spies and hackers?

British defence firms have reportedly warned staff not to connect their phones to Chinese-made EVs

Mobile phones and desktop computers are longstanding targets for cyber spies – but how vulnerable are electric cars?

On Monday the i newspaper claimed that British defence firms working for the UK government have warned staff against connecting or pairing their phones with Chinese-made electric cars, due to fears that Beijing could extract sensitive data from the devices.

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© Photograph: Ying Tang/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Ying Tang/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

Global ransomware payments plunge by a third amid crackdown

Money stolen falls from record $1.25bn to $813m as more victims refuse to pay off criminal gangs

Ransomware payments fell by more than a third last year to $813m (£650m) as victims refused to pay cybercriminals and law enforcement cracked down on gangs, figures reveal.

The decline in such cyber-attacks – where access to a computer or its data is blocked and money is then demanded to release it – came despite a number of high-profile cases in 2024, with victims including NHS trusts in the UK and the US doughnut firm Krispy Kreme.

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© Illustration: Christophe Gowans/Guardian Design

© Illustration: Christophe Gowans/Guardian Design

Threat of cyber-attacks on Whitehall ‘is severe and advancing quickly’, NAO says

Audit watchdog finds 58 critical IT systems assessed in 2024 had ‘significant gaps in cyber-resilience’

The threat of potentially devastating cyber-attacks against UK government departments is “severe and advancing quickly”, with dozens of critical IT systems vulnerable to an expected regular pattern of significant strikes, ministers have been warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) found that 58 critical government IT systems independently assessed in 2024 had “significant gaps in cyber-resilience”, and the government did not know how vulnerable at least 228 ageing and outdated “legacy” IT systems were to cyber-attack. The NAO did not name the systems for fear of helping attackers choose targets.

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© Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

© Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

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