Welcome to the First Blog Post After 2025
A look at cyber security, new regulations, artificial intelligence, useful apps, and everyday digital safety as we move into a new year.
đ¨ Cyber Attack Warning for West London Residents
The personal details of hundreds of thousands of people may have been stolen in a cyber attack on a west London council. Kensington and Chelsea Council has written to households to warn that criminals could use the information to make scams appear more legitimate.
A spokesperson said the attack was carried out “with criminal intent” and advised residents to be vigilant. People are being urged to be wary of unexpected calls, messages, links, or attachments, or anyone claiming to be from the council and asking for sensitive details.
Small samples of the data accessed by hackers suggest some of it is likely to contain sensitive personal information.
Source: BBC News
đŠī¸ New UK Drone Rules Now in Force
Stricter rules have come into force for drones and model aircraft across the UK. Since 1 January, anyone flying a drone or model aircraft weighing 100g or more must complete an online Civil Aviation Authority theory test to obtain a Flyer ID.
This requirement was previously only in place for heavier drones. The free online test grants a Flyer ID that lasts for five years.
In addition, anyone who owns a drone weighing 100g or more that has a camera must also register for an Operator ID with the CAA.
Source: BBC News
đ¤ Artificial Intelligence Supporting Planning Decisions
Artificial intelligence is becoming an everyday part of life, from recruitment and social media to paving the way for medical breakthroughs.
Northumberland County Council is now testing how AI could help make faster and better planning decisions related to flood risk, with hopes of rolling the findings out across the country.
While planning officers will continue to review applications as normal, AI will run in parallel to see if it can identify issues faster or help make writing applications easier.
The council described the project as “really exciting”, while stressing that every decision will continue to be overseen by human experts.
Source: BBC News
â App of the Week: Caffeine Clock
This week’s app of the week is called Caffeine Clock. It’s a simple but focused app that helps you understand your caffeine intake and how long caffeine lingers in your body.
There’s no mandatory sign-in, no cloud accounts to manage, and your data remains stored locally on your device.
The app is free to download on both iOS and Android devices:
đ A Reminder About Password Safety
We’re often told that passwords for online accounts should be strong and never reused, especially for important services like email, banking, shopping, and social media.
This is because if one account is compromised and you reuse the same password elsewhere, attackers can try that password across your other accounts and potentially gain access to them.
Using different passwords for each online account provides an extra layer of security and helps protect your digital life.
