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Thread: Data security

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    Data security

    After years of reticence over internet take up by people who have become convinced that their data is not safe, the government demonstrates that nobody needs the internet to damage data security.

    25 million people. That's approximately one in two people. Somewhere is a missing CD-ROM with details of several people who are very near and dear to YOU, and possibly your details as well.

    The incompetence is simply mind boggling. That is, when you sit and think about the idiot responsible for this you find your jaw wobbling and your mouth opening and closing like a fish while you realise that NONE of even the worst expletives you know are adequate to express your feelings.

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    Not a spoon! Lou's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    The incompetence is simply mind boggling. That is, when you sit and think about the idiot responsible for this you find your jaw wobbling and your mouth opening and closing like a fish while you realise that NONE of even the worst expletives you know are adequate to express your feelings.
    What scares me more is that the data has been missing for over a month.

    It doesn't surprise me that this type of thing happens, though. I'm a consultant in data warehousing/BI, and you wouldn't believe the number of clients I've met who don't give a thought to how data gets to whoever is supposed to use it.

    Presumably the discs were strongly encrypted?

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    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Lou View Post
    Presumably the discs were strongly encrypted?
    Well, they were tax records. So you'd need a supercomputer to make any sense of them.

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by David Franklin View Post
    Well, they were tax records. So you'd need a supercomputer to make any sense of them.
    If only that were the case.

    But according to the BBC News site - it contains the name and address of all families with children under the age of 16 - plus the parents' NI numbers, and bank account details.

    If I were a parent, I'd be very worried and angry.

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Lou View Post
    Presumably the discs were strongly encrypted?
    The Radio 4 report I just heard suggests that they were password-protected, but not encypted.
    Love dance, will travel

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    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    The Radio 4 report I just heard suggests that they were password-protected, but not encypted.
    In terms of culpability, I think that's even worse, because it's "Well, we did know this data might fall into the wrong hands, so we did think about security. We just didn't bother to do it properly".

    In this day and age, it would only have taken an extra minute to have encrypted the files.

    Muppets.

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    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    One thing that's probably going to come out of this - the ID card scheme looks dead in the water now. The government can say what it likes about "your data will be secured safely" but 25 million people aren't going to believe them anymore.

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by David Franklin View Post
    One thing that's probably going to come out of this - the ID card scheme looks dead in the water now. The government can say what it likes about "your data will be secured safely" but 25 million people aren't going to believe them anymore.
    We can but hope.

    But just wait for the spin: I give it a few weeks before someone says - but no, this couldn't happen with ID cards buh-coz...

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Lou View Post

    If I were a parent, I'd be very worried and angry.
    I'm a parent, and I'm very worried and really pi$$ed off!

    To$$ers!!

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    Re: Data security

    The only thing that surprises me is that anybody is surprised! Those of us in IT know that anything the government touches IT wise will result in a disaster of wasted money, incorrect specifications, overruns, inadequate functionality and worse service. In two words - gross incompetence.

    What the hell are they doing sending disks around anyway? Hello... 21st Century calling... you send information around your organisation using leased lines or secure VPN tunnels... But never mind, some poor little office worker operating within the culture of the organisation with inadequate line management will take the blame, far better that happens than anybody actually responsible take the blame.

    I have zero confidence in government IT, so this fiasco comes as no surprise to me whatsoever.

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    Re: Data security

    I hear on the news that the police are reassuringly saying that there is no evidence that the discs have fallen into the wrong hands.

    Er...the only 'right hands' would be those of the addressee. He or she hasn't got them. So by definition, they're in the wrong hands.

    There may be no evidence that they have got into criminal hands, but that's hardly reassuring, is it?

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    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    I hear on the news that the police are reassuringly saying that there is no evidence that the discs have fallen into the wrong hands.
    What, you mean criminal gangs haven't called the police to say "Yep, we're a criminal gang, and we've got the ID discs, thanks very much for that, please pass the message along"?

    Oh well, that's OK then, we can all go back to sleep.

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    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    From b3ta:


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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Keefy View Post
    The only thing that surprises me is that anybody is surprised! Those of us in IT know that anything the government touches IT wise will result in a disaster of wasted money, incorrect specifications, overruns, inadequate functionality and worse service. In two words - gross incompetence.
    Hmm, but a decent chunk (prob a majority) of the work in government IT goes to 'those of us in IT' in the form of contracting, consulting, etc. As far as I understand it this was an error of process rather than the technology - the technology just made it easier to lose - after all would they have lost 25 million paper records as easily?

    far better that happens than anybody actually responsible take the blame.
    Didn't the Head of the Revenue resign?

    I have zero confidence in government IT, so this fiasco comes as no surprise to me whatsoever.
    There is no such thing as 'government IT'.

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    Registered User Twirly's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    If these were sent out in the general post month or so ago, isn't that when the postal strikes were on? So in fact, they are probably lying around somewhere with a lot of other "lost post". Maybe they will turn up, maybe they won't. I just hope for the sake of all the families involved that they aren't used for criminal purposes.

    On the subject of IT ****-ups and disasters with our government - yes, they have a bad track record. But does anyone know if other countries have a better track record? i.e. is it something specific to our country, or something specific to the IT industry, regardless of where they are?

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    What, you mean criminal gangs haven't called the police to say "Yep, we're a criminal gang, and we've got the ID discs, thanks very much for that, please pass the message along"?

    Oh well, that's OK then, we can all go back to sleep.
    That's right, bor.

    And they haven't rung up to say they haven't, either!!

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Twirly View Post
    If these were sent out in the general post month or so ago, isn't that when the postal strikes were on? So in fact, they are probably lying around somewhere with a lot of other "lost post". ...
    It was TNT mail – not Royal Mail. (Imagine that!? Her Majesty's Government not using the Royal Mail?!?! Shocking!!!)
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi View Post
    It was TNT mail – not Royal Mail. (Imagine that!? Her Majesty's Government not using the Royal Mail?!?! Shocking!!!)
    OK, not caught up in strikes (they hadn't said which carrier was being used when I listened to the radio this morning), but doesn't mean it's not lost and sitting somewhere perfectly innocently though.

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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Twirly View Post
    OK, not caught up in strikes (they hadn't said which carrier was being used when I listened to the radio this morning), but doesn't mean it's not lost and sitting somewhere perfectly innocently though.
    It's OK. According to El Reg, they're on eBay now....
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Data security

    Quote Originally Posted by Twirly View Post
    OK, not caught up in strikes (they hadn't said which carrier was being used when I listened to the radio this morning), but doesn't mean it's not lost and sitting somewhere perfectly innocently though.
    Oh, sure - there's a reasonable chance it's just been chucked in the bin, or lost.

    But, "reasonable chance" isn't anywhere near good enough. This stuff should be guarded better than nuclear materials. Actually, possibly it is...

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