Attempts to view porn from Parliament's computers are being kept SECRET 'to stop MPs from falling victim to hackers'
Attempts to access porn from Parliamentary computers are being kept secret to stop MPs falling victim to hackers.
For years the Commons has routinely disclosed information on websites viewed from its network.
The details have often proved highly embarrassing - revealing that up to 200,000 bids to surf X-rated sites have been blocked a year.
The authorities have always argued that most of the efforts to view porn were inadvertent or down to so-called malware.
However, information is now being suppressed on the grounds that it 'may present a security risk if it were to remain publicly accessible'.
Previous responses to FoI requests giving details of the sites viewed have also been deleted from the Parliamentary transparency log.
The protections at Westminster have been dramatically stepped up in the wake of a huge cyber attack two years ago.
Systems have been improved and MPs and peers have been urged to take precautions such as toughening passwords.
But security expert Graham Cluley told MailOnline: 'How is it a security risk to know that a bunch of (predominantly) middle-aged white guys prefer to browse for porn in the office rather than on their home PCs (where their wives might notice)?'
Mr Cluley suggested it would be fairly obvious to hackers what kind of sites MPs and thousands of other computer users on the Parliamentary estate would visit.
'The bad guys don't discriminate about the sites they infect, and will often target websites that they know their potential victims are likely to visit... imagine, for instance, how much traffic political gossip message boards, or the likes of Guido Fawkes are likely to receive from inside the Houses of Parliament.'
He added: 'I just hope those computers are protected with up-to-date anti-virus, are regularly patched, and that the MPs aren't being dumb with their passwords.'
The Daily Mail commenters have it right for once:
WANKERS.