Eighty-Five Percent of Public Lack Confidence in Local Government's Computer Security, Survey Reveals

Eight-five percent of users of online government services believe that their local authority's IT systems have probably already suffered a security breach at the hands of cybercriminals, according to a survey released today by Sophos. The survey, which polled 241 members of the public, also revealed that in such circumstances, 86 percent of users would hold the local authority itself responsible, rather than the hackers.

While 62 percent of the public believe that the private and public sectors are as bad each other when it comes to defending this personal data, almost a third of users believe the public sector does a worse job, compared to just 7 percent who stated that the private sector is at greater fault.

Experts warn that while these figures may not be reflective of actual hacking incidents, central and local government organizations clearly need to brush up their image and ensure their security solutions are up to date in order to boost public confidence. The survey also revealed that 57 percent of the public do not believe that local authorities are doing enough to protect information stored on their network, with 93 percent stating that they do not know, but would like to know, what steps these organizations are taking to defend themselves against hackers.

With HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) yesterday admitting to losing sensitive information including addresses, date of birth, national insurance numbers and even bank details of about 25 million child benefit recipients in the U.K., experts note that it is no surprise that user confidence in the security of government services is low.

"One of the major challenges facing the public sector is that an increasing number of its services are going online for the public to use -- great idea, but only if you have a proven security strategy in place that your users believe in. Granting open access without one could dent public confidence as well as put the network at risk," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. "What's more, it's not just storing these details online which leaves them vulnerable to theft. Yesterday's revelation about the security breach at HMRC is a clear indication that the government must do more to protect this information whether it's online on a CD, or wherever -- after all, it is the general public's data at risk."