Information Technology Request
Dear Royal Conservatoire of Scotland,
I am writing to make an open government request for all the information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please forward responses to the attached questions below.
I would like the above information to be provided to me as an electronic document.
If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary.
If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed.
I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Gloria Zimba.
1. Do you have a formal IT security strategy? (Please provide a link to the strategy)
A) Yes
B) No
2. Does this strategy specifically address the monitoring of network attached device configurations to identify any malicious or non-malicious change to the device configuration?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Don’t know
3. If yes to Question 2, how do you manage this identification process – is it:
A) Totally automated – all configuration changes are identified and flagged without manual intervention.
B) Semi-automated – it’s a mixture of manual processes and tools that help track and identify configuration changes.
C) Mainly manual – most elements of the identification of configuration changes are manual.
4. Have you ever encountered a situation where user services have been disrupted due to an accidental/non malicious change that had been made to a device configuration?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Don’t know
5. If a piece of malware was maliciously uploaded to a device on your network, how quickly do you think it would be identified and isolated?
A) Immediately
B) Within days
C) Within weeks
D) Not sure
6. How many devices do you have attached to your network that require monitoring?
A) Physical Servers: record number
B) PC’s & Notebooks: record number
7. Have you ever discovered devices attached to the network that you weren’t previously aware of?
A) Yes
B) No
If yes, how do you manage this identification process – is it:
A) Totally automated – all device configuration changes are identified and flagged without manual intervention.
B) Semi-automated – it’s a mixture of manual processes and tools that help track and identify unplanned device configuration changes.
C) Mainly manual – most elements of the identification of unexpected device configuration changes are manual.
8. How many physical devices (IP’s) do you have attached to your network that require monitoring for configuration vulnerabilities?
Record Number:
9. Have you suffered any external security attacks that have used malware on a network attached device to help breach your security measures?
A) Never
B) Not in the last 1-12 months
C) Not in the last 12-36 months
10. Have you ever experienced service disruption to users due to an accidental, non-malicious change being made to device configurations?
A) Never
B) Not in the last 1-12 months
C) Not in the last 12-36 months
11. When a scheduled audit takes place for the likes of PSN or Cyber Essentials, how likely are you to get significant numbers of audit fails relating to the status of the IT infrastructure?
A) Never
B) Occasionally
C) Frequently
D) Always
Dear Ms Zimba,
Thank-you for your request received by the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland, and please accept our apologies for the delay: this was due to
ongoing pandemic difficulties.
With regards to the information you have requested, the RCS are applying a
Section 30(c) of FOI(S)A exemption, as we are of the opinion that
releasing this information would otherwise prejudice substantially, or be
likely to prejudice substantially, the effective conduct of public
affairs.
The Conservatoire has stringent IT security measures and systems in place
to protect the Conservatoire’s IT network, infrastructure and
applications. Releasing information about critical infrastructure and IT
security would represent a potential security risk as it would be useful
information for anyone targeting the Conservatoire with malware. The
Conservatoire relies on its IT systems to conduct its business and to
function effectively. If the RCS systems are breached, then it would
cause severe disruption and therefore substantially prejudice the conduct
of its affairs.
The Conservatoire acknowledges that there may be public interest in
knowing details of the management of the Conservatoire’s IT infrastructure
and security. However, this is outweighed by the wider public interest
which lies in protecting the Conservatoire’s IT services.
I hope this information is useful to you and please do let us know if we
can offer any further assistance.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Cochrane
Head of Information Services
[email address]
[1][IMG]
Please continue to keep our community safe and be Covid considerate. You
can [2]read more about how we’re supporting our students and staff at this
time.
There’s never been a more challenging time for the performing arts. You
can support the artists of the future by donating to the [3]RCS
Scholarship Fund.
If you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been dealt
with, you are entitled, in the first instance, to request a review of the
decision made by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Should you wish to
request such a review, please write to me within 40 working days of
receiving this response. If, after having been informed of the review
panel’s decision, you are still not satisfied, you are then entitled to
appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. Contact details are:
Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, telephone 01334 464 610.
Direct appeals can be made on the Commissioner online appeals service at:
[4]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now