http://www.nationnews.com/story/363291867244009.php 7/31/06. HACKERS WILL HAVE a very difficult time trying to break into the National Insurance Scheme's (NIS) new portal which allows workers and employers to check their status with the department online. This assurance has come from NIS director Ian Carrington, who said the department had employed the services of a company to try hacking into the system and test for any weaknesses. "We hired a firm that has done work even for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in Washington and this kind of work is all they do," he told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY in an interview. According to him, while the hired hackers were unable to penetrate the NIS system, they did make some recommendations about tightening password usage within the department. "I am pretty comfortable in my mind that what we have done is the correct thing but obviously with an institution like this we have to have a continuous monitoring process with high levels of security. . . because there are a lot of young people out there who will try something; you want to know that if they do try something, we know where they have gone, what they have seen, and what we need to correct," the NIS boss pointed out. While not prepared to discuss the cost of introducing the portal, there had been much internal analysis on the cost savings of the project. "What we sought was not to reduce staffing levels but to utilise the efficiencies in different areas to address services that we were not providing," he said. Furthermore, Carrington noted, "We are also seeking to do some automation of routine benefit matters and then focus on the ones that are not as great in number, but much more difficult to process." (GE) _________________________________ Attend the Black Hat Briefings and Training, Las Vegas July 29 - August 3 2,500+ international security experts from 40 nations, 10 tracks, no vendor pitches. www.blackhat.com
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