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This article reports that the financial sector in Great Britain is considering ways to share details about staff sacked for compromising data, to reduce internal security breaches. The move follows the launch last week of a similar initiative by U.S. banks. The Bits Consortium, a group of 100 large U.S.-based financial organisations, said last week that it is developing a database with details of staff dismissed for offences such as exposing customer data or knowingly causing financial losses. A similar effort may follow in Britain. Tom Salmond of Barclays' financial crime team said that insiders pose a big threat to banks' IT security, and that criminal gangs may put forward candidates.

This article reports that there are doubts over the British government's ability to prevent breaches of data security in its proposed National Identity Register (NIR), after two influential committees released critical reports last week. The House of Lords all-party Constitution Committee voiced its concerns that public servants and others may gain improper access to data. It recommended the appointment of an independent body as custodian of the NIR, with the power to investigate complaints. Lorenzo Valeri of the Information Assurance Advisory Council said that any independent custodian would have to balance the needs of citizens against the protection of the registry.

The article reports on the apprehension of youth offending teams (YOTs) on the risks of breached privacy for children using a new database called Youth Justice Management Information System (YJMIS) in Great Britain. It states that the Youth Justice Board (YJB) implements the YJMIS to replace the old system Themis in streamlining the data provided by YOTs. Association of Youth Offending Team Managers vice chairman Lorna Hadley is seeking legal advice for the adoption of the system.

In this article the author discusses the use of information technology by the British Labour Party government led by prime minister Gordon Brown. A number of issues are discussed including the legality of databases compiled by the government, aspects of maintaining database security and questions of privacy arising from information collection.

The article presents the author's comments on the lack of confidence in databases shown by the media in Great Britain. According to the author, sometimes organisational processes help push the role of technology, but such promotion is not necessarily a reflection of industry best practice. He says that in his view, people are aware of the principles of the Data Protection Act (DPA), rather than the fine details of the act.

The article focuses on the security of computer databases. It is absolutely right that the government's apparent inability to establish sensible checks on data access, and failure to keep track of its laptops should provoke a thoroughgoing review. It also mentions about the loss of 25 million people's details in the post by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of Great Britain.

The article explains the security checks that purchasers in Great Britain should carry out before buying a database, to save time and avoid costly litigation. It reveals that there are several issues buyers should consider before buying a database to ensure they get what they pay for. The article emphasizes the need to ensure that the database attracts "database right" protection.

The article reports that the British government is under pressure to scrap its planned national children's database after a report from consultants warning it can never be made totally secure. It is reported that the ContactPoint scheme is intended to help childcare professionals, medical staff and teachers share information on vulnerable young people, to stop potential cases slipping through gaps between the different services.

The article comments on issues concerning the British HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) loss of compact discs (CDs) containing child benefit records for 25 million people. It insists that data handling practices in public and private organisations alike must be more transparent and subject to greater scrutiny to eliminate such problems. The article also informs about the major benefits of better information sharing.

The author offers opinions on the announcement by Alistair Dunning, Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain, that the government had lost computer disks containing personal information on some 25 million citizens. Large databases are essential to modern government and business operations, but slipshod security threatens the privacy of individuals, exposing them to identity theft. The government is urged to submit its information security to independent regulation

The article presents information on the ContactPoint system, a student information database to be launched by the British government in 2008. The intent of the system is to allow organizations serving children to share information, but critics worry that the information could be accessed by pedophiles and unauthorized people. Vulnerable pupils have asked that photographs and telephone numbers never be added to the database.

A list of various courses related to the information technology industry in Great Britain is presented. The course titled "Fundamentals of Data Security and Electronic Trust" is organised by Kryptosec and is available in Gloucestershire, England. The course titled "Forensic Aspects of IT Security" is available in Oxfordshire, which provides essential foundation knowledge to handle a potential computer crime scene. The course titled "ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing," will be organised by QBIT in Birmingham on September 5-7, 2006.

The article focuses on the application of Tibco Inc.'s software to ease police force information processes in Great Britain. It could be noted that Thames Valley Police used this software to facilitate reporting and recording functions. It aims to increase crime detection rates. It has been used in court orders, bail and warrants, as well as the missing persons database. Moreover, it has used business process management software to re-engineer processes and improve information flow.

The article focuses on the results of a survey conducted by Cyber-Ark Software, in which 35 percent of companies from the U.S. and Great Britain believe that their intellectual properties are shared over their competitors such as customer database and research and development plans. It says that the hacking of confidential data has increased in 2008 and 2009, indicating the need for asset protection. Moreover, it says that organizations are conducting control measures to prevent the incident.

The article focuses on instances of database security breach by the government employees of Great Britain. It informs that employees of Her Majesty's (HM) Courts Service have breached security on database containing confidential information and mentions that in April 2010, 26 employees were dismissed for illegally accessing the Customer Information System of the Department for Work and Pension. It states that HM Court Service employees have earlier also been caught for breaching data security.

The article reports on the security limitations of Oracle database discovered by Next Generation Security (NGS) Software Ltd. founder David Litchfield in Great Britain. It says that Litchfield demonstrated an inherent flaw in databases that could allow an intruder to take control of the database system. Litchfield states that the flaw is in SQL Injection attack, which involves replacing text in the search with SQL commands so intruders could simply ask the database to present all passwords.

The article informs that on the website "computerweekly.com," writer Toby Stevens analyses high-profile public and private sector data losses. He charts the most likely course of action that led to the sale, on eBay, of a personal computer (PC) containing customers' bank details. He calls for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to clamp down on banks not using two or three-factor authentication for online or telephone services.

The article reports on the application system chosen by EOS Payment Solutions to provide comprehensive security and manageability to its platform in Great Britain. It choses Secure Computing Corp.'s Sidewinder(R) system to provide comprehensive security and manageability while complying with the new Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). According to Michael Huelsiggensen, General Manager at EOS, it selected such application because it had never been hacked and it addresses PCI requirements promptly and easily.

The article reports on the vital role of social networking in the information security staff in Great Britain. The author stated that the growth of social networking has put much more personal data online, thus to reduce chance of data theft and reputational damage, one must be proactive. He added that searches can build up a profile of an organization's security exposure, this staff must be warned of the dangers of posting information on the web. He emphasized that security professionals can help protect their organization's reputation through strong policies, proactive searching and advice on suitable responses.

The article reports that according to Great Britain Financial Services Authority (FSA), financial services firms are failing to check the information technology (IT) security arrangements of firms they outsource back-office functions to. In its Data Security in Financial Services 2008 report, FSA said it was a "major concern" that firms are not checking that outsourcing suppliers have the right IT security and policies in place for handling their customers' details. The FSA said nearly all firms questioned rely on IT support from third parties.

The article reports on several issues regarding the need to rationalize and standardize multitudinous business intelligence (BI) tools in the information technology (IT) industry in Great Britain. It cites that data has become fragmented in various firms due to the ad hoc way in which they have acquired BI systems. It claims that individual departments have selected products from the database of the firms to examine the data from particular applications. Accordingly, it points out that various organizations in the country have not budgeted for BI as discrete entity.

The article presents information on data security approach of Great Britain government. It states that the Great Britain Department for Work and Pensions sent local authorities an unencrypted e-mail detailing how to password-protect their data. The e-mail detailed the password that was to be used by every authority. It discusses that although the information could have been easily accessed by even an incompetent hacker, and rm password is woefully insecure, it is heartening to see that the government is having a go at security.

The article cites the call of Lord Alec Broers, chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, for Web firms to do more on Internet security in Great Britain. Lord Broers said that Internet service providers and software suppliers should provide more security services and applications for the public. He notes that the responsibility for staying safe online was divided and unbalanced, with the emphasis on users, rather than on suppliers. An investigation on personal Internet security was headed by Lord Broers, which results will provide the first in-depth parliamentary study of the state of Internet security.

The article reports that failure of financial institutions to comply to the requirements under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) concerning information technology (IT) security may subject them to lawsuits in Great Britain. It was inferred that Mifid focuses on maintaining the integrity of data and security of electronic records involved in performing business operations. However, it states that despite the arguments on the ambiguities in the directive, businesses should ensure that computer systems protect company records against breaches. It shows the importance of carrying out business strategies towards effective management of technology architectures and IT security.

The article presents the author's opinion on data security risks in Great Britain-based firms. The author says that several firms have not yet addressed or assessed their core data security risks, or even ensured compliance with the British Data Protection Act. The Information Security Breaches Survey by the Department of Trade & Industry, published in April 2006, revealed that half of all British retailers and utilities companies do not comply with the Data Protection Act.

The article reports that police, security experts and lawyers have warned the Information Technology Departments against corporate data theft in Great Britain. Law firm Mishcon de Reya said data theft was the fastest growing area of corporate fraud and featured in one in every three fraud cases investigated by the firm. The Metropolitan Police's Computer Crime Unit said that although hacking and virus attacks tend to slow down over Christmas, businesses were at greater risk from internal attacks on company data. Detective inspector Chris Simpson, who heads the unit, said that companies usually have a skeleton staff in their offices over the festive period. While there are many reasons for a physical presence in the office, managers must be acutely aware that unsupervised staff may be much more able to abuse internal systems. The firm urged businesses to take steps such as locking down USB ports and CD drives on PCs, and configuring printers so they cannot be used to print out reams of information. INSET: Sober X worm will strike in January.