The British Government's new computerised ministerial red box may be protected by an array of security devices but it would still be a tempting target for foreign intelligence agencies, according to a former hacker.

The files on the computer will be encrypted, probably using the government's own classified codes, and will only be unlocked through a combination of a minister's fingerprint and special personal signet ring.

Mission impossible? Not for a determined spy

While these measures may be deter amateur hackers, Robert Schifreen, a security consultant and former hacker, believes they would not foil foreign intelligence agencies for long.

They have some very powerful computers at their disposal, he points out: "I've heard of various agencies being able to crack some of the most complex codes in 40 minutes".

Britain's civil service already has a poor security record when it comes to computer equipment. Losses of equipment of all kinds from government equipment went up by 373 percent between 1991 and 1996, with computer equipment making up the bulk of it.

And during the Gulf War, a laptop containing plans for Kuwait's invasion was stolen from a senior military officer, though a patriotic thief later returned it.

According to US Department of Defence figures, their own computer systems were attacked 250,000 times in 1995, and 65% of those attacks were successful.

Still, as Schifreen points out, "the laptop's security is a vast improvement on what was there before" - a box full of paper.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©