Convicted computer hackers could be recruited to the UK's
cyber defence force if they pass security vetting, the head of the new unit has
said.
Lt Col Michael White told Newsnight he would "look at
individuals in the round" when assessing applicants.
Recruitment would be focused on "capability
development" rather than "personality traits", he added.
The Joint Cyber Reserve Unit was announced by the government
in September.
Under the £500m initiative, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is
set to recruit hundreds of reservists as computer experts to work alongside
regular armed forces.
The unit will defend national security by safeguarding
computer networks and vital data, and it will also launch strikes in cyberspace
if necessary.
It is hoped the move will address the shortage of people
with the technological skills and knowledge to protect corporations, the
military, and government systems from cyber attacks.
'Civil liberties'
The MoD said the recruitment, which started in early
October, would target regular personnel leaving the armed forces, current and
former reservists with the required skills, and civilians with the appropriate
technological knowledge.
When asked by Newsnight whether someone with the right
skills would be ruled out if they had a criminal record for hacking, Lt Col
White said: "I think if they could get through the security process, then
if they had that capability that we would like, then if the vetting authority
was happy with that, why not?
"We're looking at capability development, rather than
setting hard and fast rules about individual personality traits."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond unveiled plans for the
cyber defence unit last month.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond: "The armed forces,
overall, do not have an absolute bar on people with criminal convictions"
Mr Hammond also told Newsnight he could foresee
circumstances in which convicted hackers could be employed.
"Each individual case would be looked at on its
merits," he said.
"The conviction would be examined in terms of how long
ago it was, how serious it was, what sort of sentence had followed. So I can't
rule it out."
But one former hacker told Newsnight the government had
already undermined its chances of attracting talented individuals.
Mustafa al-Bassam, now a computer science student at King's
College London, was the youngest hacker in the Lulzsec group - which recently
targeted organisations such as the FBI in the US and Britain's Serious
Organised Crime Agency (Soca) in a 50-day hacking campaign.
He told that revelations by former US contractor Edward
Snowden about the extent of mass surveillance carried out by intelligence
agencies - including the US' National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain's GCHQ
- had dissuaded him from using his cyber skills to protect UK national
security.
"I can understand the need for a government to protect
itself, but when you go ahead and stomp on everyone's civil liberties - as
we've seen with all the mass surveillance stories that have been out over the
past year - I think you can rest assured that you're going to repel talented
people," he said.
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