Can the Government keep any data safe?

Question

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080822/tuk-home-office-loses-data-on-criminals-dba1618.html

I work in I.T. for an education department for the Government, and they've had very expensive encrpytion software installed on their laptops. It's very time consuming and we've had to fix a lot of problems with it, for what are very impatient and often rude government workers.

But this ensures that should the laptop fall into the wrong hands, the data can't be accessed.

However if people are just going to take the data and put it on usb sticks (in the above case) or onto CDs (as in what happened earlier this year) and misplace them, then why bother having the expense of this encryption?

And it IS very expensive - around £200 for each and every laptop.

I know by the people who have problems with their computers that we have a bunch of idiots working for the Government. Eg "my computer won't switch on". Turns out it wasn't plugged in!

Need better staff working for and being contracted by the Government. Data is so sensitive and these idiots just leave it lying around for anyone to get hold of.

Or they've sold it onto someone who can do something with it.....

Answer 1

no they can't

Answer 2

its an absolute disgrace.... they should be sacked  

Answer 3

You can create the most secure software in the world, but if your administrators or software writters are disgruntled..... your vulnerable, so I say no, there is no security.

Answer 4

Just a comment to the person who said you cant email sensitive material, Its called the SIPRNET its a classified network where you email information.  And your right they do need to tighten up security.  In ND, 2 airmen guarding very important classified keycards fell asleep during their watch..... I turn on CNN and see the classified information i just briefed to the general on tv minus some details. Tell me, why is cnn giving out information to endanger our troops(I.E, Troop movements and whereabouts, future missions)

Answer 5

WELL they CANT seeing as I KNOW EVERYTHING:D

they cant keep DATA safe from....

Mi secrect agents!:D

hehe

x

Answer 6

This has probably been happening for years and only recently has news like this actually hit the headlines.

It is disgraceful however and the government needs to sort themselves out, big time!

Answer 7

Why haven't they been using VPNs to tunnel around the internet - just set up a WAN ?  The general workforce shouldn't need to take data off site although it does have to be backed up elsewhere in case the building burns down.  

They do seem amazingly clueless.  

Answer 8

Perhaps the IT contractor had put it on a stick for a purpose . Maybe he was transferring it to another drive but lost the stick before he got to transfer it ?

Surely you thought of this, working in IT??

It's safer to transfer it by stick than to email it as a Zipped folder. Surely YOU know this?? Secure data like that is NOT permitted to be emailed on Govt networks.

I wonder what Dave S thinks.....?

Edit. I  hope you never just posted this from your work place? Calling the client an Idiot ! tsk tsk...

Answer 9

No - The system will always be flawed, because, unfortunately, some Human Beings are corrupt...

And some of these corrupt Human Beings work in the  Information Commissioner's Office (Who have recently advised me that it is O.K for Banks, such as the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, to process Financial Information about Identifiable Individuals OUTSIDE of the protection of the DPA1998 - You now might as well throw away this piece of legislation).

Answer 10

I doubt it very much they couldn't run a tap let alone the country, they are without doubt a bunch of Muppet's.

Answer 11

Encryption is merely a false sense of security. All encryption profile can be cracked within a finite computational time. If your data would be changed in that period of time, you are very save; because even the encryption has been cracked, the data already invalid. However, if the data is about personal data which will not be changed in your whole life, e.g. your driving license or social security number, then it is totally wasting money to use encryption. Whatsoever has been changed, crackers already got your data.

For improvement,

1. you need to educate your staffs to raise their sense of security

2. you need to add the workload of security into your job planning and to ensure the balance of workload.

3. use faster machine, e.g. core2duo or even quad-core.

4. enhance the security policy which was focused on the system security. Of course, You can extent Intel's LaGrande Technology so that your can automated all security procedure without troubling the user.