Security News
Court documents obtained by The Register show that the secret surveillance capability was baked into otherwise mundane bulk SMS sending carried out by MMGRP Ltd. The tax collection agency, which has the power to retrospectively change laws, had been using SMS reminder messages as an enforcement tool. We asked HMRC for comment, posing a series of questions including how long had it used HLR look-up techniques against taxpayers; did HMRC obtain necessary warrants to carry out HLR lookups and, if so, under what legislation and from which courts; how many times it had used this technique; under what circumstances it was deployed; and is the capability present in a contract with its new supplier.
The smishing campaign is concerning as it employs multiple HMRC phishing domains and tactics, with new domains added every day as older ones get flagged by spam filters. Not only do the phishing pages mimic HMRC's web interface meticulously, but they also have entire online banking workflows built into them, depending on who your banking provider is.
Self-assessment phishing and phone scam alert raised The UK’s tax authorities have issued an official warning to contractors to watch out for self-assessment scams - and they don’t mean IR35 for a change.…
Email, social media and telecomms kit abused at the tax collector Almost 100 staff at UK tax collector HMRC faced disciplinary action for computer misuse in the previous two full financial years.…
Gov.uk portal finally lurched back to life after lunch Furious parents have lashed out at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs after the UK tax authority let a key HTTPS certificate expire on its...
And Windows XP is alive and not well in the public sector The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has had another busy year trying to disrupt cybercrime.…
But thousands opting out in 'backlash', says privacy group HMRC's database of Brits' voiceprints has grown by 2 million since June – but campaign group Big Brother Watch has claimed success as...
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has collected voiceprints of some 5.1 million UK taxpayers without their explicit consent, and won’t reveal whether these IDs are shared with other...
Big Brother Watch questions legal basis for data retention Campaign group Big Brother Watch has accused HMRC of creating ID cards by stealth after it was revealed the UK taxman has amassed a...