US intelligence agencies undercut the White House yesterday by disclosing for the first time that Iran has not been pursuing a nuclear weapons development programme for the past four years. The secret report, which was declassified yesterday and published, marked a significant shift from previous estimates. “Tehran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons programme suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005,” it said.
– The Guardian
Staff cuts at the government agency that tackles cybercrime will leave British businesses vulnerable to attack from criminals and industrial espionage, experts say.
It has emerged that the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), formed last year, will have to shed up to 400 staff when the Home Office announces its policing budget this week.
The Government is also being criticised for last year’s merging of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), the police division formed in 2001 to deal with cybercrime, with Soca.
– The Times
Criminals are able to access enough free personal information from the internet to steal the identity of the man who is in charge of Britain’s data security, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
Two weeks ago, the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, was warning about the dangers of posting too much information on social networking websites.
However, in one hour and at a cost of 35p, information technology experts managed to gather more than 20 key pieces of information about Mr Thomas and his family using online sources.
– The Telegraph