Fergie's Tech Blog

MI5 e-Mail Alert Subscription Service 'Not Secure'

Tom Espiner writes on ZDNet UK:

The terror alert email service being offered by the British secret service is not secure, according to a Spy Blog, a libertarian organisation that monitors security and surveillance developments.

MI5 launched an email alert service on Tuesday which informs subscribers of any changes to the national security threat levels. However, a Spy Blog investigation claims to have found that subscriber details will be sent out of the country, unencrypted, to a server based in the US.

In a process Spy Blog describes as "a shambles", subscriber names, addresses and email addresses are collected on an SSL-encrypted web form. However, the information collected is then sent unencrypted to a UK-based digital marketing company called Mailtrack, via America.

posted by Fergie @ 1/12/2007 10:46:00 AM