FOI request (FOI-87792682)

IT Health Check

Requested Tue 11 September 2018
Responded  Fri 14 September 2018

2. Other than your ITHC, do you purchase any other Penetration services; if so, during which month?

3. As a local authority, you should use providers of ITHC who are CREST of Tiger Programme accredited; Do you enforce stricter requirements than this, i.e. Check Team accredited?

4. How do you award your penetration/ITHC contracts, i.e. framework, quotations or tender?

5. What is the cost threshold mandated before you go to a public tender?

6. Do you have any other compliance requirements, e.g. N3 or ISO 27001?

7. Do you have any IT security infrastructure projects planned within the next 12 months; if so, what and when?

8. Do you have any managed IT security services; if so, what?

9. Do you have a specific budget for IT security; if so, how much?

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

11. Who is responsible for IT security infrastructure procurement? Please provide their contact details.

12. Are you currently reviewing IT security controls or goods through any IT transformation processes?

Response

Q1 - March

Q2 - No

Q3 - Yes - Check

Q4 - Quotations

Q5 - £50,000

Q6 - No

Q7 - Request Refused - Please see below

Q8 - Request Refused - Please see below

Q9 - No

Q10 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

Q11 - Head of Information Technology - 01424 451066

Q12 -  Request Refused - please see below

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.