THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) has the most vulnerable IT security in Whitehall compared to other departments, it has been revealed.
The MOD has 11 “red-rated” IT systems exposed to critical levels of risk, it was revealed in a written response to an MP in the House of Commons and reported in the Telegraph.
A total of 34 systems currently in operation across various Government departments have been given this rating, the worst-possible score, meaning there is a higher risk of security breaches, as well as the systems being operationally inefficient.
It comes after the UK Government was urged to make a statement to the Westminster parliament on whether the UK’s nuclear base on the Clyde is safe after reports that the infrastructure is “rotting”.
Labour MP Matt Rodda, the party’s artificial intelligence (AI) shadow minister, requested information from several departments on how many red-rated IT systems are currently in use.
In response, Tory defence procurement minister James Cartlidge (below) confirmed on December 4 that there were 11 legacy IT systems defined as “red rated”.
The MP insisted the MOD takes the issue of IT network resilience “extremely seriously, and we are driving forward with a number of initiatives to improve it”.
However, when pushed to publish further details of the IT system problems, Cartlidge refused.
He said: “The information held about Red Rated Systems is sensitive as it highlights potential security weaknesses within the Ministry of Defence’s IT estate.
“For this reason I am withholding this information.”
Elsewhere, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed it had six “red-rated” systems, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) five, and the Home Office and Cabinet Office both reported four each.
The Foreign Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Business and Trade, and Education, all had one system exposed to the highest level of risk.
Rodda (below) said: “The scale of this problem is utterly unacceptable.
“The Ministry of Defence, the department chiefly responsible for the security of Britain, should simply not have this many critical failures in its systems. We can’t even get the basics right.
“The Tories need to act urgently. They must update the public on whether these failures represent national security risks as its own criteria would suggest, and whether these systems are compatible with the gains artificial intelligence is already bringing us.”
Two former Tory ministers echoed Rodda’s concerns after the figures came to light.
Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood told the Telegraph: “This number of IT systems rated ‘critical’, with potential security implications, clearly will raise questions about shortcomings in our resilience exposure to critical risk.
“Given the understandable sensitivities of what can be shared in the public domain, I’d recommend the House of Commons Intelligence and Security is provided with an urgent update and given the assurances there is no compromise to UK security.”
Meanwhile, former armed forces minister Mark Francois said it was “double embarrassing” that the MoD was the worst offender and open to more security breaches than other departments.
“Given the risks of aggressive hacking, the MoD should review these weaknesses in its IT systems as a matter of urgency,” he added.
A spokesperson for the UK Government said: “We take the issue of the resilience and security of our IT networks extremely seriously and we have always ensured government IT systems are keeping pace with technological change.
“The Central Digital and Data Office is playing a leading role in delivering long-term digital transformation across government and this transformation programme is expected to deliver over £1 billion in efficiency savings by 2025.”
It comes after concerns were raised about the UK’s nuclear arsenal by Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings (above), who claimed there was a top-level cover up over how much of a poor state the infrastructure was in.
He claimed that when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak approached him in 2022 for help with the next General Election campaign, one of the conditions he laid was to address the issue of the “dangerous disaster” of the rotting infrastructure at HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane.
The SNP are set to force the UK Government to make a statement on the issue in the Commons this week.
