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  • FOI request (FOI-82214678)

    IT Health check

    Requested Fri 20 July 2018
    Responded  Mon 13 August 2018

    I would like to ask the following questions under the Freedom Of Information act 2000. Care has been taken to ensure the questions do not compromise IT security  but if you believe the information is exempt from the Freedom Of Information Act 2000, please provide the considerations from the relevant public interest test.

    In which months of the year do you generally receive the penetration testing requirement of the annual IT Health Check (ITHC)?

    In which months of the year do you procure the penetration testing services for the ITHC?

    For you last ITHC, how many days were required by the provider to complete the ITHC. Where possible, please break it down by onsite, external and reporting days?

    Did you purchase external services to assist with your ITHC remediation actions?

    Did you require further penetration testing after your PSN code of compliance submission (due to ITHC failure or major infrastructure changes)?

    How was your last ITHC contract awarded, i.e. framework, quotes or public tender?

    How many virtual servers do you have on premise?

    Do you have any managed security services? Please list.

    Do you have any other compliance, i.e ISO27001 or N3?

    Do you have any security infrastructure projects in the next 12 months?

    What is your IT security training budget?

    Do you purchase any security infrastructure training for IT staff and / or red team security training?

    Who is responsible for managing security infrastructure? Please provide their contact details

    Who is responsible for procuring security infrastructure? Please provide their contact details

    Who is responsible for procuring ITHC services? Please provide their contact details

    Who is responsible for procuring training for IT staff? Please provide their contact details

    What is cost threshold that mandates a public tender?


    Response

    Q1 - January

    Q2 - December/January

    Q3 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q4 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q5 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q6 - Quote

    Q7 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q8 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q9 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q10 - Request Refused - please see Notice of Refusal below

    Q11 - We do not have a discrete security training budget

    Q12 - As required

    Q13 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

    Q14 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

    Q15 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

    Q16 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

    Q17 - Contract value exceeds £50,000.

    Notice of Refusal

    Disclosure of information relating to ICT infrastructure and 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 infrastructure and 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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