Weekly Roundup · Week of 14–20 July 2026
The week in business IT & comms
The week's business IT and comms news, boiled down to what actually affects how you run your business. This week: new figures show stolen logins have overtaken software flaws as the way into most ransomware attacks, the government has added cyber attacks and major IT outages to its national risk register, and Openreach is about to trial a basic fallback for phone lines that miss the switch-off. If you only read one thing this week, make it this.
- 01Cyber Security
Stolen logins are now the number one way into ransomware
Security firm Sophos found that 79% of ransomware attacks now start with a compromised login rather than an unpatched system, the first time in four years that software flaws are not the top cause. The fix is multi-factor authentication on email, remote access and admin accounts.
Read the full story - 02Cyber Security
The government adds cyber attacks and IT outages to the national risk register
The 2026 National Risk Register, published on 14 July, added seven new risks including attacks on data centres and a CrowdStrike-style 'digital resilience failure'. The lesson for a small firm is to know which suppliers you cannot run without and have a plan for when one goes down.
Read the full story - 03Cyber Security
Public bodies are being hit by ransomware roughly once a day
Research from Comparitech counted 187 ransomware attacks on government organisations worldwide in the first half of 2026, up 13% on the previous six months. The targets are chosen because they cannot afford downtime, which is exactly the pressure a small business feels too.
- 04The Switch-Off
A fallback for phone lines that miss the switch-off starts trialling next month
Openreach will pilot Emergency Voice Access, a basic voice-only service for copper lines not yet moved to digital, from 3 August in the Salisbury and Mildenhall areas. It is a stopgap, not a plan. It will not carry broadband or alarm and lift signals, so moving to a proper digital line is still the job.
What we’re watching
The national resilience campaign the government flagged is due later this year, and it is worth watching how much of it lands on businesses rather than households. On the phones, Openreach's Emergency Voice Access pilot begins on 3 August, and the final copper line-rental rise still arrives on 1 October ahead of the January 2027 switch-off. If you want a straight answer on what any of this means for your setup, that is a phone call away.
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