Hacker Theory Prompts Security Review Call

[William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>]

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/more/cahners-chicago/11407/6088382/1

David Barrett, PA News

The Labour Party must review its electronic security in case the
series of damaging leaked memos were captured in cyberspace by a
computer hacker, backbenchers said today.

The investigation into the leaks - eight in three months - will almost
certainly examine e-mail and other electronic communication between Mr
Blair and his closest circle, introduced only over the last few years
into Downing Street and Chequers.

Labour backbencher Fraser Kemp, a co-ordinator in the party's 1997
General Election campaign, said: "It is certainly the major area of
concern that someone is hacking into Downing Street.

"The series of leaks points to a breach of security and I suspect it's
electronic.

"I don't know what security levels are on the system but it needs to
be looked at."

Labour's Dr Ian Gibson, who sits on the Science and Technology Select
Committee said: "It has not been made clear whether these memos were
on e-mail or other elctronic systems.

"But I would never put anhing sensitive on an e-mail, even to a close
contact, because nothing s 100% secure.

"I will now be asking whether Downing Street have someone who is
responsible to ensure security of their electronic systems."

Downing Street's computer system, equipped with "firewalls" and other
security devices, is supposedly so secure that even senior No. 1 staff
have in the past admitted they would rather not use it because the
procedure was too laborious.

But an expert in electronic security said a hacker with a "modicum of
computing talent" could break just about any security measures given
the right equipment and enough determination.

News editor of Secure Computing magazine Steve Gold said: "There are
very few systems that aren't crackable given the right amount of
computing force and human ingenuity."

The expert, who in the early 1980s was the first Briton convicted for
hacking, a verdict later quashed, added: "But given the background of
the Labour Party, which had a scare a couple of years ago when it was
revealed the pager frequencies were being monitored, I would be
surprised if they had used insecure e-mail."

Barrister Alistair Kelman, who specialises in electronic security
cases, said: "It's possible that a hacker came out with these memos
but, reading the politics of it, I think it's more likely that someone
within the Prime Minister's inner circle is briefing against him."

If this was a breach of electronic security, it may not have been a
case of computer hacking, he suggested.

The memos may have been found by someone examining a discarded
computer disk which had appeared at first glance to have been deleted.

Special Branch detectives may be called in to the leak inquiry if a
serious suspect for emerges, but in the past investigations of this
kind have frequently proved fruitless.


*-------------------------------------------------*
"Communications without intelligence is noise;
Intelligence without communications is irrelevant."
Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
---------------------------------------------------
C4I Secure Solutions             http://www.c4i.org
*-------------------------------------------------*

ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com
---
To unsubscribe email LISTSERV () SecurityFocus com with a message body of
"SIGNOFF ISN".