Cameron leads security specialists on trip to White House

A number of cyber security firms accompanied David Cameron recently when he paid a visit to the US. The PM was reportedly trying to win support from President Obama to roll back encryption and get more out of US tech firms in attempting to  block content from terrorists.

The 12 companies intended to talk about R&D plans as well as meet clients in the government, commercial, and finance sectors. On the list were firms such as Digital Shadows, Cambridge Intelligence and Darktrace.

However, Cameron has come under fire in the UK from some information security professionals, who believe he is not living in reality by proposing that internet firms implement government backdoors or cease encrypting communications.

The PM is carrying on regardless, asking President Obama to encourage US tech firms to begin encrypting their own communications.

Europol advisor Professor Alan Woodward told SC Magazine UK:

“Do we want to listen into the content of terrorists’ messages? I think most people would say yes. But the problem is the practicality.

“The internet is awash with encryption to try to secure it, and you can’t uninvent encryption, you can’t put that genie back in the bottle.”

David Cameron is taking extreme measures according to some, with cyber crime now becoming a focal point of government activity. Businesses really need to do the same, however, and take IT security recruitment more seriously. Having skilled cyber professionals in the workforce can be the difference between online safety and all-out disaster.