http://www.itv.com/news/Britain348073.html [Examples of leaks are at: http://cryptome.org/fco-intel.htm - WK] December 22, 2002 Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is facing demands to explain a series of reported security breaches in the Foreign Office computer system used to handle secret intelligence material. A Sunday newspaper has reported the high security Aramis system had to be shut down for three days towards the end of last year after hundreds of top secret documents went astray. The material was said to highly classified information with codewords used by the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. The paper said that it had been contacted by a whistleblower who claimed the system was still so distrusted, intelligence officers were downgrading the security status of classified documents so they could read them on their PCs. It has meant that highly secret material was being used on relatively insecure systems which could easily be penetrated by hackers. The Foreign Office refused to comment directly on the reports but made no attempt to deny the central thrust of the story. "We take any breach of security very seriously. Our security arrangements are under constant review," a spokesman said. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell tonight described the system as a "shambles" and demanded to know when ministers became aware of the the problem. He said that the disclosures raised questions over whether the problems with the computer had been responsible for the lack clear travel before the Bali and Kenya bomb attacks. "It beggars belief that the Foreign Office should be relying on a computer system which is less effective than paper," he said. "In the campaign against terrorism developed countries should have an overwhelming comparative advantage in IT. But the systems have to work. "Inadequate technical support will not only make it more difficult to do an exacting job but is bound to have a detrimental effect on individual morale. "This must inevitably raise questions about ministerial responsibility. What do ministers know about these matters and when did they become aware of them?" The Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Foreign Office's IT systems for handling classified information are among the most secure of any used by diplomatic services worldwide. "Throughout the development of our IT systems, security has been a paramount factor. We continue to invest in our IT systems." - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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