Morning Security Brief: Britain's Cyber Security Strategy; Utility Hack...or Not; Smartphone and Tablet Security

► Britain's £650 million Cyber Security Strategy aims to both improve law enforcement efforts and to better educate British Internet users on the risks of online information theft, as well as to increase support to businesses that function in the cyber world. According to The Register, "One of the most controversial aspects of the strategy calls for private sector firms to work more closely with specialists at UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), establishing an information sharing hub at Cheltenham. Fifteen key firms, including Barclays, BT, Vodafone and Centrica, have been working to develop a pilot information sharing scheme with GCHQ, which will begin in earnest in December. GCHQ will act as a clearing house for information, sharing it with other private sector organisations."

Industry reaction to the release of the strategy can be read in detail here.

► The fallout continues after last week's report that Russian hackers infiltrated the operating system of an Illinois water utility and caused a pump to burn out. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI maintain that no such hacking occurred, and The Washington Postreports that the true agent of the pump burnout was "a contractor who had authorized remote access to the control system. He happened to be traveling in Russia on personal business."

Time's Techland column explores the issue, noting, "A couple of lessons stand out from this dramatic week in cybersecurity. First, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions based on sketchy first reports of cyberattacks." However, "The discussion should be about the possible magnitude of attacks and what can be done to prevent them."

►A new survey says nine of 10 lawyers use smart phones and tablets, most of which maybe unsecured. The survey, conducted in October by ALM Legal Intelligence, states that "to enhance the security of mobile devices, some law firms and legal departments have started using mobile device management software. These tools give employers greater control over how the devices are used, such as restricting certain apps, but 53 percent of users on these platforms say this has limited the usefulness of their smart phone or tablet." The survey also notes that few clients seem to be aware of the security of their confidential information residing on these devices.