Not-so-cryptic verdict on computer safety

ENCRYPTION of user data by Almeria City Hall’s website was described as “completely unsafe.” 

This damning verdict appeared in the second annual report on legal requirements for encrypting personal data by computer security firms Sophos and Securizame in conjunction with law firm Abanlex.

After analysing the computer safety of 77 Spanish city halls, Almeria’s was classified as “F: completely unsafe,” meaning that its data encryption was inadequate.

Only Gerona City Hall was pronounced “A: very safe” although Valladolid received a “B” while Alicante, Tarragona, Lerida and Vigo scraped a “C.”  The remaining 74 cities all received an “F.”

The report did not go into details regarding each city website but did say that in the majority of cases, deficiencies could be easily righted to prevent cyber-criminals and hackers from obtaining users’ details.

The report stressed that although all the websites complied with data protection regulations “there is a difference between complying with a law and having a real awareness of data security.”