Skip to content

Ex GCHQ employee risk to national security

Discussion
4 2 1.6k 1
  • wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Just seen this news article about a breach of security at GCHQ.

    https://news.sky.com/story/ex-gchq-employee-pleads-guilty-to-causing-risk-to-national-security-13339410

    Given this is GCHQ, the information taken was classified as “Top Secret” and in the wrong hands could cause the UK significant harm, you have to ask yourself about the level of “security” in place here.

    Surely, you’d have basic controls in place to prevent data leakage by at least locking down USB ports, and who on secondment has access to highly restricted areas??

    Crazy.

  • Just seen this news article about a breach of security at GCHQ.

    https://news.sky.com/story/ex-gchq-employee-pleads-guilty-to-causing-risk-to-national-security-13339410

    Given this is GCHQ, the information taken was classified as “Top Secret” and in the wrong hands could cause the UK significant harm, you have to ask yourself about the level of “security” in place here.

    Surely, you’d have basic controls in place to prevent data leakage by at least locking down USB ports, and who on secondment has access to highly restricted areas??

    Crazy.

    wrote on last edited by
    #2

    @phenomlab you would think they would have that security setup with strict policies. I mean even the hospital here as the usb ports locked down so you can’t use a usb drive or your phone to plug into the computer. Sometimes it makes me wonder if someone just forgot about that part or if there was something in that information they wanted leaked, which wouldn’t make sense if it puts people or a whole nation at risk.

  • @phenomlab you would think they would have that security setup with strict policies. I mean even the hospital here as the usb ports locked down so you can’t use a usb drive or your phone to plug into the computer. Sometimes it makes me wonder if someone just forgot about that part or if there was something in that information they wanted leaked, which wouldn’t make sense if it puts people or a whole nation at risk.

    wrote on last edited by phenomlab
    #3

    @Madchatthew Yes, it’s hard to fathom and makes zero sense. The firm I work at locks down USB ports meaning you can at least charge a device, but you can’t use it as a mechanism for mass storage. I can’t believe also that security is so lax that someone without adequate clearance can waltz into a restricted area and take what they want.

  • @Madchatthew Yes, it’s hard to fathom and makes zero sense. The firm I work at locks down USB ports meaning you can at least charge a device, but you can’t use it as a mechanism for mass storage. I can’t believe also that security is so lax that someone without adequate clearance can waltz into a restricted area and take what they want.

    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    @phenomlab said in Ex GCHQ employee risk to national security:

    I can’t believe also that security is so lax that someone without adequate clearance can waltz into a restricted area and take what they want.

    Yeah I can’t believe that either. It is crazy


Related Topics
  • Claude Mythos in cyber security

    Chitchat security artificial intelligence
    4
    5 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    phenomlab
    @crazycells I did see something similar to that article, yes. I never fully understood why anyone would want to give unfettered and complete access to AI without first understanding exactly what it had control of, and what it intended to do with that access. This isn’t the first “horror story” and it won’t be the last.
  • 12 Votes
    8 Posts
    9k Views
    phenomlab
    @crazycells good question. Gmail being provided by Google is going to be one of the more secure by default out of the box, although you have to bear in mind that you can have the best security in the world, but that is easily diluted by user decision. Obviously, it makes sense to secure all cloud based services with at least 2fa protection, or better still, biometric if available, but email still remains vastly unprotected (unless enforced in the sense of 2fa, which I know Sendgrid do) because of user choice (in the sense that users will always go for the path of least resistance when it comes to security to make their lives easier). The ultimate side effect of taking this route is being vulnerable to credentials theft via phishing attacks and social engineering. The same principle would easily apply to Proton Mail, who also (from memory) do not enforce 2fa. Based on this fact, neither product is more secure than the other without one form of additional authentication at least being imposed. In terms of direct attack on the servers holding mail accounts themselves, this is a far less common type of attack these days as tricking the user is so much simpler than brute forcing a server where you are very likely to be detected by perimeter security (IDS / IPS etc).
  • 4 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    WesleyMoura
    @phenomlab Sorry to delay in responding, yes as i mentioned above, i had to remove my redis from docker and reinstall a new image with this command docker run --name=redis -p 127.0.0.1:6379:6379 -d -t redis:alpine and now when i test my ip and port on https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/ the status of my redis port is closed. I think which to configure firewall in droplet digital ocean is a good idea too, and i will configure soon. Thanks for the help!
  • 5 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    phenomlab
    Missed out on this deal ? Windscribe offer a limited free version. More about that here https://sudonix.org/topic/13/which-product-is-the-best-for-vpn/164?_=1652206628456
  • Securing your webserver against common attacks

    Blog security headers
    1
    1
    1 Votes
    1 Posts
    861 Views
    No one has replied
  • Changing Passwords Regularly Actually Weakens Security

    Blog security blog
    1
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    2k Views
    No one has replied
  • Wasting a scammer's time is hugely entertaining

    Blog security blog
    1
    1
    1 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Browsing without a VPN? Think Twice...

    Moved Security vpn security privacy
    12
    2 Votes
    12 Posts
    4k Views
    phenomlab
    And if you ever needed another reason to use a VPN, here it is. https://news.sky.com/story/google-blinks-first-in-11-month-privacy-showdown-with-uk-regulator-12479198