Claims of ‘cyber-attack' dismissed by UK space and laser lab in Didcot
A national research laboratory working in laser development and space technology has denied it was hit by a 'cyber-attack' this week.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is based in Harwell Science and Innovation Campus at Chilton near Didcot.
Initially set up in the 1950s, it has around 1,200 staff working across its Central Laser Facility, Diamond Light Source, Space Centre and Particle Physics Department.
It is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), a government agency set up almost 20 years ago.
An interior view of its ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Earlier this week a person who wished to remain anonymous said that the laboratory had been suffering 'disruptive and very frequent internet issues thought to be due to cyber-attacks'.
READ MORE:
They said there have been days when there's been no connectivity for hours at the pioneering UK scientific research facility.
In response, STFC confirmed that something happened on Monday June 16 but refused to disclose what, other than it wasn't the result of a hacker.
The spokesperson said: 'There was no cyberattack and systems were back to normal before 5pm. We do not talk about operational activities outside STFC.'
Experience the pulse of Oxford at your fingertips 🗞️ With our flash sale, Oxford Mail keeps you updated for less: only £4 for 4 months or save 40 per cent on an annual subscription. Don't miss out on what's happening locally #DigitalDeal #LocalJournalismhttps://t.co/phh384Sgme pic.twitter.com/j8wJrLoxkk
— Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) June 16, 2025
The danger of computer hackers has been a well-publicised topic in recent months with Marks and Spencer's online services disrupted since April.
Last week, the retailer reopened its website to shoppers although it has been estimated the cost of the attack – caused in part by human error – will be around £300 million.
Speculation has been mounting that it was caused by hacking community Scattered Spider, but that has not been confirmed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Pokémon GO's Future? Night Events and Country Specific Pokémon, Says Dev
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors A senior developer at Pokémon GO has laid out the game's future - and it looks promising. According to senior product director Michael Sterenka, who spoke to Newsweek during Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris over the June 13th-15th weekend, players can expect the introduction of special night events, as well as more Pokémon specific to certain countries. "I've always wanted to figure out what we can do for nighttime experience,' Sterenka said. Pokémon GO Fest 2025 happened in Paris from June 13–15, 2025 Pokémon GO Fest 2025 happened in Paris from June 13–15, 2025 Pokémon GO "There are definitely safety considerations in place for that. If you have your phone open and you're not really looking where you're going and it's dark outside, that could be a little bit tricky, but I've always felt like that was an area worth exploring for us and something I'd love to figure out in the future." Don't expect nighttime events anytime soon, though. Like anything implemented in Pokémon GO, developer Niantic wants to make sure everything is well and truly battle-tested before it's introduced to the smash hit mobile game, which has been running since 2016. "We don't have anything planned currently on that front, but if I could pick one thing to add to the event experience, that would be the thing that I would do." The second item on Sterenka's wishlist is even more ambitious: regional diversity that brings different experiences based on where you are in the world. For instance, if you play Pokémon GO in France, you'll be able to catch a greater range of different Pokémon than a player in, say, Brazil. This functionality is, to a lesser extent, already in the game. One Pokémon, Stonjourner, is a timed UK-exclusive. Comfey, meanwhile, currently only appears in Hawaii. But Sterenka is dreaming bigger than just Pokémon. "Pokémon GO being such a location-based game, we always want to build experiences that are authentic to the places that people play in. So we do that right now for broader campaigns or maybe country specific activations...I would love for something that actually has regional differences, and based on where you're playing, similar to how we lean into all the amazing features here at Parc de Sceaux." Some Pokémon you can catch during Pokémon GO Fest 2025 Some Pokémon you can catch during Pokémon GO Fest 2025 Pokémon GO Parc de Sceaux hosted Pokémon GO Fest 2025, and offered a preview of what might be coming down the line. The premier event in the Pokémon GO calendar offered numerous incentives for the thousands of players in attendance, including new missions, rare items, and previously hard-to-obtain Pokémon. There were also distinct habitats for players to explore. Each habitat housed its own set of field research tasks themed around the habitat they're linked to. The Moonless Volcano area, for example, featured fierce and fiery Pokémon like Numel and Houndoom, while the Hypnotic Tundra boasted Piplups and Spheals. On top of this, there were nine free daily raid passes, an increase from three hours to eight hours of party play, and surprise Pokémon that popped out while taking snapshots. It all seemed designed for one purpose: to get players out of the house and interacting with each other in the real world. A giant inflatable Pikachu dominates Pokémon GO Fest 2025 A giant inflatable Pikachu dominates Pokémon GO Fest 2025 Pokémon GO For Sterenka, that's exactly what makes the game so popular. "Pokemon GO is the most family friendly, accessible game in the world. And when you look around here, it's proof of that. You see people who you would probably never see together otherwise, all coming together to play this wonderful game that everybody loves." "We really try to encourage people to meet up in person and have these real-world social experiences. So it's really not like any other game out there, and in fact, a lot of people who play Pokémon GO don't consider themselves gamers, and this is more of sort of a lifestyle app that leverages the fun of catching Pokémon to really get people outside and enjoying the world around them." Pokémon GO Fest 2025 Ticket Price A ticket for Pokémon GO Fest 2025 costs $14.99/£14.99. You can buy tickets from the in-game shop and Pokémon GO web store. Buying your ticket in advance is recommended. Those who bought tickets before April 15th received a Skiddo encounter after completing the timed research. Buying from the web store got you three premium battle passes, five rare candies, and five max revives. Pokemon GO Fest 2025 Start Time: When Was GO Fest Global 2025? GO Fest 2025 ran from June 13–15, 2025. It started at 10am CET and ended at 6pm CET on both days. What is Pokémon GO? Pokémon GO is a free-to-play augmented reality mobile game originally released in 2016. Developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices, it sees players catch, trade, and compete with Pokémon who appear in your real-world location.
CNET
44 minutes ago
- CNET
T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement Checks Are Arriving: Here's the Scoop
Checked your bank account lately? Is there an unexpected deposit from a company you don't recognize? It could be the money you're due from T-Mobile's 2022 class-action settlement. Those who qualify were told to expect settlement checks in April, but then that was moved till May. And now, in mid-June, as cited by Android Authority, Reddit users are saying they are seeing money in their bank accounts. Some are saying they received $56, but others are reporting amounts as high as $375. The account may come from T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement -- which you'd clearly understand -- or from Kroll Settlement Payouts. A representative for the settlement did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The settlement is the result of a class-action lawsuit filed against T-Mobile after a 2021 cyberattack exposed the personal data -- names, addresses and Social Security numbers -- of 76 million US customers. In 2022, T-Mobile agreed to a $350 million settlement to resolve claims that its negligence led to the data breach. It remains the second-largest data breach settlement in US history, following Equifax's $700 million settlement in 2019. How much will you get? If your data was exposed but you haven't already filed, it's too late to get in on the settlement. T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million into a settlement fund that will be used to make cash payments for out-of-pocket losses and lost time, make cash payments, provide identity-defense services, provide restoration services, make payments to notify class members and administer the settlement, pay the class representatives who brought the suit, and pay attorney fees and costs. According to The Hill, payments might be smaller than $25 for some, as priority will go to those who can prove they suffered out-of-pocket losses. Those who lived in California at the time of the data breach are eligible for $100. And those who spent money at the time to recover or avoid identity theft or fraud -- like freezing their credit, spending money on credit monitoring services, incurring losses or were told to document their losses -- are eligible for up to $25,000, according to The Hill. Those who made a valid claim for identity-defense services will be sent information on how to activate those services. Monetary payments will be made in the manner each customer selected at the time they filed, which could mean a paper check will be mailed, or a digital deposit will be made. You can read the full documents for the lawsuit online.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Climate change impact on food ‘like everyone giving up breakfast'
The impact of climate change on food production will be equivalent to everyone on the planet giving up breakfast, a study has warned. Every additional degree Celsius of global warming will drag down the world's ability to produce food by 120 calories per person per day, or 4.4 per cent of current daily consumption, the American research found. Global warming will dramatically alter which parts of the world will be able to grow crops in the coming decades, reducing the total amount of food that can be produced. 'When global production falls, consumers are hurt because prices go up and it gets harder to access food and feed our families,' said Solomon Hsiang, a professor of environmental social sciences at Stanford University and a co-author of the study. 'If the climate warms by three degrees, that's basically like everyone on the planet giving up breakfast.' The researchers modelled the future farming impact in 54 different countries for six crops – corn, soybean, barley, wheat, rice and cassava. They factored in changes farmers are likely to make to adapt to the altering climate, in order to make their most accurate projections yet. Arable heartlands are predicted to be hit hardest, the study found. Production of corn in the US, for example, could drop by as much as 40 per cent by the end of this century. The UK and northern Europe could see a 10 per cent rise in corn production, but the global outcome is a net negative. 'Places in the Midwest US that are really well suited for present day corn and soybean production just get hammered under a high warming future,' said Andrew Hultgren, a study author and an assistant professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 'You do start to wonder if the Corn Belt is going to be the Corn Belt in the future.' But while the US and other 'bread basket' regions are major losers in the future, according to the study, other regions will become better-suited, including Russia and China. 'This is basically like sending our agricultural profits overseas. We will be sending benefits to producers in Canada, Russia, China,' said Prof Hsiang. 'Those are the winners, and we in the US are the losers. The longer we wait to reduce emissions, the more money we lose.' The study looked at a range of different global warming scenarios up to and including 2100 to determine the range of possible outcomes. 'Any level of warming, even when accounting for adaptation, results in global output losses from agriculture,' said Dr Hultgren. The modelling points to a 50-50 likelihood that global rice yields will increase on a hotter planet in the future because rice cultivation benefits from warmer nights. However, it is up to 90 per cent likely that yields will decline by 2100, the scientists found, The study authors wrote: 'We find that global impacts are dominated by losses to modern-day bread baskets with favourable climates and limited present adaptation, although losses in low-income regions are also substantial.' The paper is published in Nature. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
