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Message
From: Dave Hulbert [imceaex-
_0=mms_ou=exchange+20administrative+20group+20+28fydibohf23spdit+29_cn=recipients_cn=dave+2ehulbert8ff12b5a-
ad11-4323-aa83-e0874e17b20a@c72a47.ingest.local]
Sent: 30/01/2015 18:41:
To: _p Lesley J Sewell
Subject: cessing Horizon
Attachments:image001.png; image002.jpg; image003.png; image004.png; image005S.png; image006.png
Kev
Good outcome and thanks for pulling all of this together today. Really appreciated.
Have a good weekend.
Head of IT Services
Post Office Ltd
From: Melanie Corfield
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 06:17 PM
To: Kevin Lenihan; cenit,
Cc: 'pete.newsome GRO ; Dave Hulbert; Lesley J Sewell; Dave M King; Julie
George; ‘James.Davidsor GRO }
Subject: Re: UPDATE Qi : URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
Thanks again to everyone. This all provides the reassurance needed for Paula in my view re any Qs that come up on this.
if we get more queries on any aspect I will Jet you know.
Mel
Mel Corfield
Communications Team
From: Kevin Lenihan
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 05:50 PM
jark Underwood}-} Melanie Corfield
Mark / Mel,
James has had a look at your answer to Q1. And thinks there’s too much detail for Paula ~ this was written for a different
type of audience. He has captured the same points but in a more appropriate format :-
He states :-
Having looked again at the request from Paula, it appears that the fundamentals around this question (remote access}
are not understood. I suggest that Paula is briefed along the lines of the following.
1) No transaction data is held locally in any branch. Transactions are completed and stored in a central database
and copies of all data is sent to a secure audit database.
2) Sub-postmasters directly manage user access and password setting locally so system access (to create
transactions) are limited to approved local personnel only who are responsible for setting their own passwords.
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Users are only created following an approval process which requires authorisation by the sub-postmaster. Ail
subsequent transactions are recorded against the id used to log on to the system.
3} Once a transaction has been completed, there is no functionality (by design) for transactions to be edited or
amended. Each transaction is given a unique number and ‘wrapped’ in a digital encryption seal to protect its
integrity. All transactions are then posted to a secure and segregated audit server.
4) On approval, there is the functionality to add additional transactions which will be visible and have a unique
identifier in the audit trail. This is extremely rare and only been used once since go live of the system in 2010
(March 2010}
5) Support staff have the ability to review event logs and monitor, in real time, the availability of the system
infrastructure as part of standard service management processes.
6) Overall system access is tightly controlled via industry standard ‘role based access’ protocols and assured
independently in annual audits for iSO 27001, Ernst and Young for [AS 3402 and as part of PCI audits.
I suggest that we take James advice on this and combine that with the Q2. Answer as proposed.
Mel / Mark — Pf assume that you are okay with this final position unless I hear differently. James has advised that he is
contactable over the weekend, so if you need more information / clarification on any points please direct via me and I'll
co-ordinate.
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Lenihan f Senior Information Services Manager
loor, 148 Old St
London FCIV 9HQ
From: Mark Underwood1
Sent: 30 January 2015 17:01
To: Kevin Lenihan; Davidson James: Melanie Corfield...
Cc: Newsome Pete. - _ GRO_
Dave M King; Julie George
Subject: RE: URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
2 Dave Hulbert; Lesley J Sewell;
Fine by me. Mel — let me know if you need me to do anything further
Mark
From: Kevin Lenihan
Sent: 30 January 2015 16:59
To: Mark Underwoo:
Cc: Newsome Pete I GRO
Dave M King; Julie George — —
Subject: RE: URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
Dave Hulbert; Lesley J Sewell;
Mark,
i have the bullets that James provided earlier in relation to Q2 :-
Q. "you have said this is such a vital system to the Post Office, what testing do you do and how often? When was the
last time?”
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Answer:-
* There is a Joint permanent test team
Permanent test facilities are in place
In constant use to test enhancements and maintenance releases (software upgrades, patching etc}
Ail code regression tested to ensure stability of the environment
All change approved formally by change process
Processes (change, release etc) audited annually by Ernst and Young as part of IAS 3402 standard
Ail access and system segregation, security audited by external PCI auditors for PCi accreditation
Consequently system stability is high and availability has run consistently above target over many years
i suggest that any words in association to the above are primarily to make the above flow, and they are the facts. lam
happy to reconstruct the above into sentences but don’t want to dilute the facts provided.
I propose that we provide Mel with the answer to Q.1) as you have stated below (I have already agreed that content
with Dave King, Info. Security. AND the bullets provided by James to Q2. so that the final article is crafted by a Comms.
expert.
Mel / James / Mark — are you all okay with this or do you need me to do anything else ?
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Lenihan I Senior Information Services Manager
y)
From: Mark Underwoor
Sent: 30 January 2015 15:50
To: Davidson James
Cc: Kevin Lenihan
Subject: RE: URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
Hi Kevin my proposed answer to the first question below (it can be sent in its entirety to Mel and she can pick and
choose). Though this will need to be signed off by James as accurate.
in terms of the second question, I cannot find anything on the testing carried out. It could very well have been sent to
one of my predecessors but I cannot find it anywhere. James are you able to put something together based upon the
email you sent Kevin?
Mark
in terms of QL
This question often phrased by Applicants and Second Sight is:
"Can Post Office remotely access Horizon?"
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Phrasing the question in this way does not address the issue that is of concern to Second Sight and Applicants. It refers
generically to "Horizon" but more particularly is about the transaction data recorded by Horizon. Also, the word "access"
means the ability to read transaction data without editing it — Post Office / Fujitsu has always been able to access
transaction data however it is the alleged capacity of Post Office / Fujitsu to edit transaction data that appears to be of
concern. Finally, it has always been known that Post Office can post additional, correcting transactions to a branch's
accounts but only in ways that are visible to Subpostmasters (i.e. Transaction Corrections and Transaction
Acknowledgements) — it is the potential for any hidden method of editing data that is of concern.
Can Post Office or Fujitsu edit transaction data without the knowledge of a Subpostmaster?”
Post Office confirms that neither it nor Fujitsu can edit transaction data without the knowledge of a
Subpostmaster.
There is no functionality in Horizon for either a branch, Post Office or Fujitsu to edit, manipulate or remove a transaction
once it has been recorded in a branch's accounts.
The following safeguards are in place to prevent such occurrences:
. Transmission of baskets of transaction data between Horizon terminals in branches and the Post Office data centre
is cryptographically protected through the use of digital signatures.
. Baskets must net to nil before transmission. This means that the total value of the basket is nil and therefore the
correct amount of payments, goods and services has been recorded in the basket. Baskets that do not net to nil
will be rejected by the Horizon terminal before transmission to the Post Office data centre.
. Baskets of transactions are either recorded in full or discarded in full — no partial baskets can be recorded to the
Audit Store.
. All baskets are given sequential numbers (known as Journal Sequence Numbers or JSNs) when sent from a
Horizon terminal. This allows Horizon to run a check at the Data Centre for missing baskets (which triggers a
recovery process) or additional baskets that would cause duplicate numbers (which would trigger an exception
error report to Post Office / Fujitsu).
. All transaction data in the Audit Store is digitally sealed — these seals would show evidence of tampering if
anyone, either inadvertently, intentionally or maliciously, tried to change the data within a sealed record.
° Automated daily checks are undertaken on JSNs (looking for missing / duplicate baskets) and on the digital seals
(looking for evidence of tampering).
From: Davidson James! _.
Sent: 30 January 2015 12:42
To: Mark Underwood-I
Cc: Kevin Lenihan
Subject: FW: URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
James Davidson
Post Office
Fujitsu
Web: his /UKYujitsticom
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Fujitsu is proud to partner with Shelter,
the housing and homeless charity
Reshaping ICT, Reshaping Business in partnership with FT.com
wy Please consider the envirenment - do you really need to print #
Mark,
As discussed, can you hook up with Kevin to review what answers have already been provided to second sight as this
should form the Post Office response.
Thanks,
James.
From: Kevin Lenihan [
Sent: 30 January 2015 0:
To: Newsome Pete
Subject: URGENT ACTION : Accessing Horizon
Pete,
My phone call earlier today refers.
Ineed some urgent information as per Paula’s note please. Apologies if you’ve had this before but I’m not aware of the
histary on this — just point me in the direction of who has that answer and Ill pursue accordingly.
Cheers,
Kevin
Kevin Lenihan I Senior Information Services Manager
ECIV 9HQ
From: Paula Vennells}
Date: 30 January 20
To: Mark R Davie: 4 Lesley J Sewell
‘Subject: Urgent: Accessing Horizon
Dear both, your help please in answers and in phrasing those answers, in prep for the SC:
1) "is it possible to access the system remotely? We are told it is."
What is the true answer? I hope it is that we know this is not possible and that we are able to
explain why that is. I need to say no it is not possible and that we are sure of this because of xxx
and that we know this because we have had the system assured.
2) "you have said this is such a vital system to the Post Office, what testing do you do and how
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often? When was the last time?
Lesley, I need the facts on these - I know we have discussed before but I haven't got the answer
front of mind - too many facts to hold in my head! But this is an important one and I want to be
sure I do have it. And then Mark, to phrase the facts into answers, plus a line to take the
conversation back up a level - ie., to one of our narrative boxes/rocks.
Thanks, Paula
Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Ltd
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