VAR hits back at government security apathy

Garlick: Gordon Brown's claims are astonishing

The head of a specialist security VAR has hit back at Gordon Brown’s claims that the government cannot guarantee personal data security.

Brown was quoted in an article by The Times saying that because most data losses are down to “mistakes” which were “human”, there was nothing the government could do to guarantee the safety of data entrusted by the public.

Nick Garlick, managing director of Nebulas Solutions Group, was astounded at the claims.

"The implications of Gordon Brown's recent comment that the Government can't guarantee the safety of personal data are quite astonishing,” he said. “Imagine the ramifications if the chief executive of a major bank or multinational made a similar comment: shareholders and customers would demand action immediately.

“Brown's comment shows only too clearly how ignorant the government is about technology and how little it has invested to protect sensitive and confidential information. The recent spate of security breaches is entirely preventable. Data loss prevention technology and encryption techniques are widely available to address exactly these kinds of situations. Combining these technologies with security policies, which set out what individuals and departments can and cannot do in relation to confidential data, would have prevented these situations.”

Garlick added that the comments would result in a “further loss of confidence in the government”.

“In light of this, Brown's comments are an open invitation to hackers, online criminals and organised crime to redouble their efforts to steal this data. As recession looms, the rise of online fraud is a certainty and personal data theft will have far great financial rewards. It is time for the Government to address its ignorance, invest in the technology to prevent security breaches and most importantly implement - and enforce - policies to address this appalling situation,” he said.