British Parliament cyber-security loophole exposed

This is becoming a massive story within the British Parliament. Posted with consent of the author.

TrendingCentral.com has exclusively learned that a specific piece of software being used within the British Parliament has reportedly been “compromised”, with a Member of Parliament and their staff reporting that they have been able to access files and folders that should not be accessible to them.

In what may constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act, users of the CMITS system, a privately-sold software package designed for handling casework within MPs offices, are reporting that they have been able to access documents and data belonging to other Members of Parliament.

CMITS is designed specifically for Parliamentary usage, and has been bought in and is used by over 130 MPs. It links up with the Microsoft Office suite, and enables e-mail list management as well as the management of business and individual casework that comes through an MP’s office.

Stephen Timms MP has said in a testimonial on the CMITS website, that the software “maintains my records of dealing with over 20,000 people”, while Keith Palmer, then head of office to former Member of Parliament David Miliband, said that, “Problems have been few and far between”.

The company website boasts that ”CMITS has become a very popular application…. every political party is represented in our user group,” and goes on to state that the system has been used to maintain and manage 1.42 million case records, 4.7 million documents, 5.8 million case actions and “a goldmine of useful information”.

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