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  • FOI request (FOI-65811636)

    Data and cyber security

    Requested Mon 15 January 2018
    Responded  Mon 05 March 2018

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request information regarding data and cybersecurity incidents in the calendar year 2017 affecting information owned, processed or generated by your local authority.

    [1] Please may you provide me with the number of data breaches that occurred of your organisation's owned, processed or generated information in the calendar year 2017.

    [1.2] Please may you provide me with a list of details regarding these breaches (i.e. when they occurred, how they occurred, and what information was lost).

    [2] If your organisation differentiates between data breaches and data incidents, please may you provide me with the number of data incidents that occurred of its owned, processed or generated information in the calendar year 2017.

    [2.2] Please may you provide me with a list of details regarding these incidents (i.e. when they occurred, how they occurred, and what information was lost).

    [3] Please may you provide me with the number of cyber security incidents that occurred within your organisation in the calendar year 2017.

    [3.2] Please may you provide me with a list of details regarding these incidents (i.e. when they occurred, how they occurred, whether information was exposed, and how the incident was handled, if recorded as a crime by the police and/or whether the National Cyber Security Centre was informed).


    Response

    Request Refused

    Notice of Refusal Disclosure of information relating to ICT security constitutes a security risk as it would leave the Council's computer assets more vulnerable to a malicious hacking attack.

    This means that disclosure would:

    • Make the Council more vulnerable to crime (Section 31)

    • Risk harming the systems on which the day-to-day business of the Council relies (Section 43) Section 31 (Law Enforcement)

    Section 31(1)(a) states that information is exempt if its disclosure is likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime. ICO guidance states that this can be used to protect information on a public authority's systems which would make it more vulnerable to crime. This exemption can be used by a public authority that has no law enforcement function:

    • To protect the work of one that does

    • To withhold information that would make anyone, including the public authority itself, more vulnerable to crime

    The crime in question would be a malicious attack on the Council's computer systems. Since the disclosure of the withheld information would make the Council's systems more vulnerable to such crime, the exemption is engaged.

    The exemption is subject to the public interest test. There is an overwhelming public interest in keeping the Council's computer systems secure which would be served by non-disclosure. This outweighs the public interest in accountability and transparency that would be served by disclosure.

    Section 43 (Commercial Interests)

    Section 43(2) states that information is exempt if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).

    Disclosure of information relating to ICT security puts the council at risk of a malicious hacking attack.

    This would compromise the Council's ability to provide its services and carry out 'business-as-usual' should our systems be compromised. Were our systems to be compromise, the cost of a system recovery would be detrimental to the Council's commercial interests.

    The exemption is subject to the public interest test. There is an overwhelming public interest in keeping the Council's computer systems secure which would be served by non-disclosure. This outweighs the public interest in accountability and transparency that would be served by disclosure.

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