Hackers to test MPs' IT systems

Hackers are to be employed to test the effectiveness of the IT security defences for the House of Commons computer systems.

A three-year IT security contract is up for grabs to conduct internal and external penetration testing on routers, firewalls and critical servers using a range of independent vulnerability assessment techniques.

The winning contractor will need to have the CHECK government IT security accreditation and will be required to carry out the tests at least twice a year.

The House of Commons is also looking to buy an intrusion prevention system (IPS) - a combination of intrusion detection software and a firewall - to reduce the risk of denial of service attacks, virus outbreaks and Trojans.

The system will be positioned both at the network perimeter and on each desktop computer inspecting all traffic as it enters or leaves. This will help prevent encrypted attacks and protect the network internally from compromised machines.