Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge

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Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge

Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge. Aka The Computer Lab

18/08/2026

Law enforcement agencies are closing down an increasing number of marketplaces, but bad actors aren't going away. Instead they’re meeting on other platforms, notably messaging app Telegram.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers from the Cambridge Cybercrime Centre here and collaborators at Carnegie Mellon University CyLab spent a year monitoring communities on Telegram where stolen data was being traded. The team collected 14 million messages and 3.6 million shared files from 1,500 channels where log-in credentials, personal information, card details, etc, were being sold. They wanted to know how the criminals operate and what they're doing to evade detection.

Tina Marjanov, a PhD student here and first author of the research, says the use of Telegram by cybercrime communities has flipped the previous operating model (where criminals traded in large and long-established underground forums) on its head. It's also "making the whole cybercrime landscape more diverse," she says. The research has just been presented at the USENIX Security Symposium 2026.
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https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/news/stayin-alive-how-global-stolen-data-markets-thrive-telegram

17/08/2026

Last week was our Women in Computer Science residential course. This is part of a programme we run every year to give female and non-binary students in Year 12 an insight into studying Computer Science at university.

It was a packed two days. The students attended taster lectures on wearable technology and quantum computing, enjoyed a tour and a formal dinner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, took a workshop on sentiment detection using a lexicon, and talked about careers for women in Computer Science with female alumni who now work in technology, finance and academia.

The programme will be running again next year. Find out more here: https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/outreach/women-in-cs-programme

08/07/2026

We're delighted to see Zhengpeng Feng, one of our PhD students, taking the stage at this week's AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. Frank is part of the team working on the Tessera project, an AI model capable of distilling millions of images captured by satellites into a format that is easily useable by researchers. It's a great project so we're delighted it's being showcased to wider audiences. https://geotessera.org/

01/07/2026

Huge thanks to our alumnus Dr Mark Hayter for his very generous gift to this Department. He is endowing a professorship and a PhD studentship here, inspired by the pioneering computer science work that has taken place at Cambridge since a visionary team developed the EDSAC computer in the 1940's – and, in doing so, helped usher in the use of computers as everyday tools.

Mark is a serial entrepreneur who sold his most recent business (AI chip start-up Rivos) to Meta last year. He credits the eight years he spent studying at the University of Cambridge with helping him develop his boyhood fascination with computers into a string of successful businesses. "I've done well out of the skills I was taught here," he says, "and I think it is right to give back."

Mark has already helped his former college St John's College to offer financial support packages to undergraduates. Now he's helping us support PhD students here, as well as endowing the EDSAC professorship. "This is an incredibly generous gift," says our Head of Department Alastair Beresford. "I'm very grateful to Mark for the support he is giving us."
https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridges-history-pioneering-computer-science-inspires-generous-gift-alumnus

24/06/2026

It weighed two tons. It took up a whole room. And when it came into operation in May 1949, it was a landmark in the history of modern computing. We celebrated this yesterday when we unveiled a blue plaque to EDSAC, the first computer built at the University of Cambridge. https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/news/blue-plaque-edsac-cambridge-universitys-pioneering-first-computer

EDSAC - or Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator - was the first electronic computer to go into general use that did not need to be rewired by hand for every new task. Its development marked the birth of everyday computing. The blue plaque celebrates this achievement and will be installed, later this summer, in the location in central Cambridge where EDSAC was originally built.

We were delighted that the Mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Maria Cleminson, and Tom Bygott from the charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future (which created the plaque for us), could join us at the event. They are pictured here, along with our Head of Department, Prof Alastair Beresford.

19/05/2026

Hedgehogs 🦔 are under threat in this country - particularly in rural areas where their numbers have fallen by 75% since 2000, government surveys suggest. But now, thanks to researchers here at the University of Cambridge, these much-loved animals are getting help from an unlikely ally: . Colleagues here are developing a powerful new AI tool called TESSERA. It analyses data from thousands of satellite measurements and images of Earth to generate exceptionally detailed scientific maps of our planet. After learning about the plight of UK hedgehogs, TESSERA researchers are mapping hedgehog habitats in the UK to find out what's causing their decline. https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/news/tessera-ai-model-helping-protect-hedgehogs-space

13/05/2026

Our Cambridge Cybercrime Centre mines and analyses datasets to extract information about what are up to. This vital research enhances our understanding of what works when it comes to preventing cybercrime. It replaces guesswork with data, and ensures that how we intervene actually cuts down cybercrime, rather than shifting it elsewhere. Next month, our annual Cambridge Cybercrime Conference takes place. Topics it will cover include:
- why cybercriminals get involved with ideological , and
- how restricting customer data sharing by firms can reduce financial .
Interested in joining cybercrime researchers from the UK, US, Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Morocco, Canada & Germany at this event? See more details and how to register here:
https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/news/school-scoundrels-how-cybercriminals-learn-their-trade

30/03/2026

There's a free 'Craft & Code' workshop for girls aged 9-12 here next week. It's a morning of fun for them, using craft materials and BBC micro:bit computers that they can program to do things like display messages, light up, make sounds or respond to movements. It's also part of a project by researchers here who want to understand how children make and create technology. See more details here: https://forms.office.com/e/Hrvp14ETdJ

18/03/2026

Using some envelopes, a pin board, a handful of audience members - and some very special messages - researchers here will this Saturday demonstrate a new secure communications system they've been developing. Called CoverDrop, it helps whistleblowers contact journalists safely and is now part of The Guardian's news app. This talk, for anyone from 12 upwards, will show how the messaging technology works in a fun and accessible way. It's part of a whole day of activities that we're running here on 21 March as part of . https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/developing-secure-messaging-how-researchers-are-helping-whistleblowers-reach-journalists

16/03/2026

We're HIRING... an organised, creative and enthusiastic Outreach Coordinator to deliver our growing Outreach Programme. The role will suit candidates who:
- have a Computer Science degree
- are keen to share their passion for Computer Science
- and want to encourage more people from all backgrounds to engage with this field of work and study.
Interested? Watch the video below. You'll hear our outgoing Outreach Coordinator talking about all the fun outreach activities we're offering at our upcoming Open Day this Saturday, 21 March, as part of the Cambridge FestivalCambridge Festival.
See full details of the role here: https://www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/outreach-coordinator-fixed-term-nr49125

Address

William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue
Cambridge
CB30FD

Website

https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/

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