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NCC supporting London councils gripped by cyber attacks | Computer Weekly

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NCC supporting London councils gripped by cyber attacks | Computer Weekly


Three Greater London councils struck by a cyber attack last week are receiving response support from cyber security experts at NCC Group as they continue to pursue multiple investigations into the incident.

The three neighbouring authorities, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), and Westminster City Council – which operate a number of shared systems between them, first identified the incident on 24 November.

Of the three, RBKC has already disclosed that some historical data has been copied and exfiltrated from its systems, although it has not been encrypted or destroyed.

NCC’s teams were deployed alongside the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), London’s Metropolitan Police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), with its operatives focused primarily on containing the impact of the attack and managing the three councils through the disruption, with a focus on restarting affected systems and public-facing services as soon as possible.

“Attacks on our public services require a diverse team to respond. Our team is working around the clock and under immense pressure as part of a coordinated effort to limit the impact of this incident and to work towards the continued delivery of essential services,” said NCC CEO Mike Maddison.

“As we have seen time and again in similar scenarios, the road to achieving a safe recovery of digital services can be challenging and will take time. This will be a difficult period both for residents in the impacted boroughs and the team members across the tri-borough partnership who are working tirelessly to address this issue,” he added.

Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, added: “Being given the news that we are under attack is what no Council leader wants to hear, but like any public body, there was always that possibility.

“To counter this threat, we had invested significantly in our digital, data and technology services and had up to date cyber defence systems. That system worked well mitigating the damage. Our IT team has been fighting back, investigating the cause, and assessing the impact,” she said.

“We are certain that we are taking all the right steps and we are hugely grateful to have the expertise of NCC Group to advise and support us. Their wealth of experience helping the British Library, universities and other authorities recover from cyber attacks is reassuring as we begin to recover and rebuild,” said Campbell.

Ongoing disruption

A week and a half after the incident was first detected, extensive disruption continues across all three of the affected councils.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, multiple services have been affected, with most of its online offerings unavailable, including council tax accounts; business rates payments; benefits accounts; housing, including repairs; parking permits, fines, and on-street bay suspensions; freedom pass applications; and property licensing.

As of its most recent statement, issued on Friday 28 November, the council said there was currently “no evidence” of its own systems having been compromised, but that it was continuing to enact enhanced security measures as part of its investigation.

The council’s spokesperson said it had been informed by RBKC of the data theft and said it was investigating this issue alongside its neighbours.

Meanwhile, as of Monday 1 December, RBKC has put in place a number of mitigations as it works towards service restoration, although crucially, phone lines continue to be disrupted. It expects disruption to last at least another fortnight.

It said residents experiencing genuine emergencies relating to environmental health, housing and social services should reach out via the phone numbers available here. It will also be opening its customer service centre at Kensington Town Hall for emergency in-person appointments on the weekend of 6-7 December.

On council tax and business rate payments, RBKC’s systems continue to be disrupted for those paying by Direct Debit, so residents are advised to keep funds available in their accounts so that collections can take place once they are back online. Other methods of payment are available as normal.

RBKC’s IT and security budget runs to over £12m per annum and the council said that in this instance, its systems worked as intended, enabling it to detect the cyber attack quicker and take action. This may have limited the scope of the incident.

Westminster Council is also continuing to respond to the incident. In its most recent update issued on Thursday 4 December, a spokesperson said: “We want to reassure residents that council services are running, although some disruption remains. Our priority is to keep services operating and to support the most vulnerable in our community and we apologise for any inconvenience.”

The disruption in Westminster extends across multiple services, including rent and service charge payments; council tax and business rates; housing repairs; local support payment applications; community hall bookings; birth, deaths and marriage certificates; children’s services referrals; complaints; licensing; and online waste and recycling services, including bulky item collections and requests for more recycling bags. Libraries are open as usual but cannot accept new members.

Like its neighbours, it expects the disruption to continue for some time, and it is also working to confirm the precise nature of the data breach.

“We have a team of specialists working to understand the extent and potential implications of any breach of data from shared services. At this time our investigations continue, and we urge everyone to follow advice to keep cyber safe with service users asked to be extra vigilant when called, emailed or sent text messages,” the spokesperson said.

All three councils are encouraging residents, customers and other service users to be extra vigilant with regard to their own personal data, and wary of any unexpected contacts via email, phone or text. More consumer information on staying safe in the wake of a data breach is available from the NCSC.

Hackney Council not involved

Earlier reporting suggested that Hackney Council, which was the victim of a major incident at the hands of the Pysa ransomware gang in October 2020v, had also been impacted by the latest incident. This is now known to be inaccurate.

A Hackney council spokesperson said: “Hackney Council is unaffected by the cyber attack that is reported to be affecting some councils in London. Media reports suggesting otherwise are mistaken.

“We have strong measures in place to keep our services secure and have reminded all staff about their responsibilities to ensure that data is protected.”

Public services on the frontline

Although the big story of 2025 has been one of major cyber attacks on some of the UK’s best-known private sector companies, public services remain in the crosshairs of cyber criminal actors as well, and recent history is littered with examples of such incidents, from last year’s incident at NHS partner Synnovis to the British Library attack, and hits on multiple local authorities across the nation.

“Cyber attacks are a serious and persistent risk to digitised economies. Unfortunately, public services are a prime target for cyber threat actors, whether that be organised crime, nation states, or individuals,” said Maddison at NCC.

“The challenge of securing public institutions is real and growing. Public bodies have large and complex attack surfaces, with online accounts, employees, online resources, locations, and systems to protect.

“The bar to adequately protect such institutions from attack is getting ever higher, with sophisticated and coordinated attackers to counter. We must focus on ensuring the fundamentals are in place to build the future securely. It is critical that initiatives such as the UK’s Cyber Growth Action Plan are adequately funded and prioritised, recognising cyber as a strategic enabler of national resilience and economic growth,” he said.



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This Unique Air Fryer Cooks Your Food in Heat-Proof Glass—It’s on Sale Right Now

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This Unique Air Fryer Cooks Your Food in Heat-Proof Glass—It’s on Sale Right Now


Want to be the hero of your next Super Bowl party? Check out the Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer, an intriguing twist on the air fryer that’s a perfect option for air frying your favorite frozen snacks at your next potluck—it’ll help you win the day by frying up a batch of wings at your buddy’s house. It’s currently marked down as low as $150 on Amazon, depending on your color preference.

  • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

  • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

  • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

Ninja

Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer

Basically, every other air fryer works by circulating hot air through a purpose-built, egg-like basket. But the genius of the Crispi is that its glass fryer tray doubles as a serving tray and a sealable fryer dish. The heating element and fan live in a hat-like unit with clamps that attach to heat-shock-resistant borosilicate glass frying baskets with ceramic-coated trays inside. While the actual “fry” setting can be a little intense, the “bake” setting works perfectly for softer foods like veggies. Either way, the results spoke for themselves in our testing, with crispy fries and nuggets even outside in freezing temperatures.

Our reviewer Matthew Korfhage found the “recrisp” setting particularly useful for bringing leftover pizza slices and noodle dishes back to life. That makes it a great choice for office lunchtimes, where you can leave the Crispi itself in a drawer at your desk and ferry leftovers from home. You only have to wash a normal glass dish, rather than the entire fry basket like most options, so this would also work well for dorms or even camping, if there’s an outlet nearby.

Of course, you’ll have to make a few compromises in order to take your precious air-fried snacks with you on the go. While the glass container does a surprisingly good job of insulating the food during cooking, the temperature range isn’t quite as exact as some of our other favorite air fryers.

You’ll also have to be a little bit flexible on your aesthetic choices. While the pastel-hued Cherry Crush, Frosted Lilac, and Ginger Snap colors are marked down to the lower $150 price, the less pronounced Sage, Stone, and Cyberspace Gray are slightly higher at $160, but still under the usual $180 price tag. There’s also a Racing Green Bundle that includes all three sizes of glass crisping tray for $190, if you think you’ll end up buying them anyway.



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All-Clad Is the Expensive Gold Standard. The Factory Seconds Sale Makes It More Affordable

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All-Clad Is the Expensive Gold Standard. The Factory Seconds Sale Makes It More Affordable


All-Clad Deals used to be difficult to find, but thankfully, the Factory Seconds Sale has come back around for a little while. These sales tend to only last for a few days—this one expires at midnight tomorrow, January 21—though they sometimes are extended. In any case, these sales offer a reliable way to score a solid deal on All-Clad kitchenware, which is normally very expensive. We love and swear by All-Clad, as do many professional chefs.

Factory Seconds are products with minor imperfections that still perform as intended. Sometimes an item is “second quality,” meaning it might have some blemishes or dents. Sometimes an item just has packaging damage. Every product page lists the exact reason for the “Factory Seconds” designation, as well as its warranty; most items are backed by All-Clad’s lifetime warranty. Note that you’ll need to enter your email to access the sale, and flat-rate shipping adds $10. Orders ship in 10 to 15 business days. We’ve highlighted our favorite deals below.

Make sure to check out our related buying guides, including the Best Chef’s Knives, Best Meal Kit Subscriptions, and Best Coffee Makers.

Best All-Clad Factory Seconds Deals

All-Clad D5 Essentials Pan

Photograph: All-Clad

We include this pan at every possible opportunity when it’s on sale because it’s such a solid kitchen companion. Many WIRED Reviews team members have it in their kitchens. The shape allows you to make a pan sauce or sear up some steaks. The high walls prevent grease splatter, and you can use it like a wok or Dutch oven in addition to a regular ol’ pan. It’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.

This roaster is a staple in my kitchen during the colder months of the year. It’s safe to use in the oven and under the broiler at up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has enough room for roasting meats or vegetables in large portions (it can hold up to a 20-pound turkey). You can also transfer it to the stovetop to whip up a quick sauce with the roasted drippings. The manufacturer recommends hand-washing.

This hard-anodized nonstick pan is versatile enough to make just about anything. Eggs, vegetables, a pan sauce, and stir-fries are all contenders. It’s made with a PTFE coating. Make sure not to get it too hot, and use nonstick-safe tools and hand-wash it to preserve that coating for as long as you can.

This nonstick pot has a PTFE coating and therefore should be hand-washed. It can be used to simmer, stew, or steam thanks to its tall sides and included lid. It also comes with a steamer basket for all of your vegetable and/or dumpling needs. The pieces nest together for easier storage.

So technically, this thing isn’t a spatula, but in my house that’s what we’d call it. Whether you’re Team Turner or not, nonstick-safe tools can be difficult to come by and they’re crucial to keep around if you’re cooking on nonstick cookware. I like having backups so I don’t have to constantly do dishes. This turner is heat-safe up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and will come in handy for everything from eggs to grilled cheese sandwiches.

The exact reasoning for this being a Factory Seconds item isn’t listed, but a good cast-iron skillet is indispensable for every home chef. It has two pour spouts for easier siphoning or serving, and the finish is resistant to scratches and stains. The skillet is oven-safe up to 650 degrees Fahrenheit.

What Are All-Clad Factory Seconds?

The Factory Seconds Event is run by Home and Cook Sales, an authorized reseller for All-Clad and several other cookware brands. The items featured in the sale (usually) have minor imperfections, like a scuff on the pan, a misaligned name stamp, or simply a dented box. Every product on the website lists the nature of the imperfection in the title (e.g., packaging damage). You’ll need to enter an email address to access the sale.

While the blemishes vary, the merchant says all of the cookware will perform as intended. Should any issue arise, nearly every All-Clad Factory Seconds product is backed by All-Clad’s limited lifetime warranty. (Electric items have a slightly different warranty; check individual product pages for details.) We’ve used more than a dozen Factory Seconds pots, pans, and accessories, and they’ve all worked exactly as advertised. Just remember that all sales are final, and note that you’ll have to pay $10 for shipping. It’s also worth noting that the “before” prices are based on buying the items new, but we still think it offers a good indication of how much you’re saving versus the value you’re getting.

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‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool

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‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool


Justice for Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson: A team of scientists has observed, for the first time, a cow using a tool in a flexible manner. The ingenuity of “Veronika,” as the animal is called, shows that cattle possess enough intelligence to manipulate elements of their environment and solve challenges they would otherwise be unable to overcome.

Veronika is a pet cow in Austria. Her owners don’t use her for meat or milk production. Nor was she trained to do tricks; on the contrary, for the past 10 years she has developed the ability to find branches in the grass, choose one, hold it with her mouth, and scratch herself with it to relieve skin irritation.

Until now, only chimpanzees had convincingly demonstrated the ability to employ tools to improve their living conditions. Recent studies also point to whales as the only marine animals capable of using complex tools. This European cow is about to join that exclusive group of ingenious animals.

Videos of Veronika circulating online caught the attention of veterinary researchers in Vienna. They visited the farm, conducted behavioral tests, and carried out controlled trials. “In repeated sessions, they verified that her decisions were consistent and functionally appropriate,” a press release stated.

Veronika’s abilities go beyond simply using a point to scratch herself, explain the authors of the study published in Current Biology. In the tests, the cow was offered different textures and objects, and she adapted according to her needs. Sometimes she chose soft bristles and other times a stiffer point. The researchers say she used different parts of the same tool for specific purposes and even modified her technique depending on the type of object or the area of ​​her body she wanted to scratch.

Although they consider using a tool to relieve irritation “less complex” compared to, for example, using a sharp rock to access seeds, the specialists greatly value Veronika’s ability. For now, she demonstrates that she can decide which part of the tool is most useful to her. The finding suggests that we have underestimated the cognitive capacity of cattle, according to the authors.

Why Is Veronika So Skilled?

The team acknowledges that it’s still too early to say that all cows can use tools with the same skill as Veronika. For now, the researchers are trying to determine how this cow developed an awareness of her surroundings.

Researchers believe her particular circumstances played a role. Veronika has lived for 10 years in a complex, open environment filled with manipulable objects—a very different experience from that of cattle raised for milk and meat production. These conditions fostered exploratory and innovative behavior, they say. They are now searching for more videos of cattle using tools to gather further evidence about their cognitive abilities.

“Until now, tool use was considered a select club, almost exclusively for primates (especially great apes, but also macaques and capuchins), some birds like corvids and parrots, and marine mammals like dolphins. Finding it in a cow is a fascinating example of convergent evolution: intelligence arises as a response to similar problems, regardless of how different the animal’s ‘design’ may be,” said Miquel Llorente, director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Girona, who was not involved in the study, in a statement to the Science Media Centre Spain.



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