Catch up on this month’s round-up of the latest hosting and tech news. Here’s what we’ve uncovered since our last edition.
EU Cyberattacks Rise
The EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has reported a rise in cyberattacks aimed at European governments and critical infrastructure. Their latest Threat Landscape Report indicates that public bodies are the targets of 38% of these attacks, which are mainly carried out by state-sponsored groups undertaking espionage and hacktivist activities. Other strategic targets include the transport, digital infrastructure, finance and manufacturing sectors.
DDoS attacks account for 77% of the incidents, with most being undertaken for political purposes rather than financial gains. ENISA also noticed that more state actors were beginning to adopt the same tools and methods as hacktivists.
Phishing remains the most common entry point, causing about 60% of breaches, while vulnerability exploitation is responsible for 21%. The report also highlights the growing use of AI to create convincing phishing messages and automate social engineering.
Robo Weather Boats
Plymouth-based start-up, Oshen, has launched five robotic sailboats, called C-Stars, in the Caribbean’s Hurricane Alley to gather vital meteorological data. Just 1.2 metres in length and equipped to send data in real-time, the autonomous boats were chosen by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Southern Mississippi for the 2025 hurricane monitoring programme. Data from their initial mission, monitoring Hurricane Gabrielle, is already under analysis.
Oshen’s C-Stars aim to improve forecasting accuracy by observing weather interactions between the ocean surface and the lower atmosphere. This plays a crucial role in predicting a hurricane’s strength and path. If successful during the 2025 hurricane season, the C-stars could play a key role in future hurricane observation networks. Oshen, meanwhile, intends to expand its operations, deploying larger fleets to offer denser, more cost-effective data coverage.
Disguised Malware
Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has warned that SMEs in Europe and parts of Africa are being targeted by malware masquerading as trusted software tools. Criminals are disguising harmful files and applications as legitimate programmes, like ChatGPT, Microsoft Office and Google Drive, deceiving users into downloading infected versions.
Between January to April, Austria was the most affected country in Europe, making up 40% of detections, followed by Italy, Germany and Spain. The most frequently identified threats included backdoors, Trojans and downloaders that can breach networks without setting off alarms. In African regions, downloaders and generic ‘dangerous objects’ were the top threats.
Kaspersky warned that smaller companies are increasingly experiencing attacks that were once typical for large enterprises, while they often lack the same level of security or resources. It advises businesses to improve authentication practices, implement software installation policies, and improve employee training to recognise fake downloads and phishing attempts.
UK Robotics Competition
The latest intelligent robots have been put through their paces at this year’s Smart City Robotics Competition at Centre:MK in Milton Keynes. Eight teams from universities and industry, including Cambridge, Cranfield, Sheffield, Nottingham and the local company Swift Robotics, competed in five categories that saw robots undertake real-world tasks, like coffee delivery, home assistance and automated order picking.
The three-day event, part of Milton Keynes Tech Week, highlighted the city’s growing role in the Oxford-Cambridge technology corridor, where one in three local jobs is related to tech innovation. The University of Cambridge’s Mosaic team won the café service challenge, while Cranfield University excelled in the door-handling and shopping tasks.
While not all challenges were completed successfully, organisers noted the rapid advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. From humanoid assistants to quadruped drones, the competition showcased how collaborative research and practical testing are pushing automation forward in areas like logistics, healthcare and daily life.
AI Identity Protection
Malvern-based start-up, FarX, has developed an AI system that merges facial and voice recognition to make login processes more secure on sensitive platforms. Now used in parts of the banking industry, this technology learns from every interaction, improving its ability to verify real users while identifying possible forgeries or deepfakes.
The system, which is patented in both the UK and the US, combines two biometric identifiers into one AI-driven algorithm, providing what the company describes as a richer and more dependable authentication method.
The company’s next phase of development will look at emotional recognition, where systems can detect cues like frustration or satisfaction in a user’s tone or expression. This could revolutionise automated customer service, enabling AI chatbots to understand emotions and respond more naturally.
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