OTTAWA -- A former top British spy says governments must approach security "holistically" to prevent the sort of espionage perpetrated by a Canadian naval intelligence officer.
Sir David Pepper, who led Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency, says insider threats from rogue employees must be taken as seriously as cyber-attacks from the outside.
Pepper, retired director of the U.K.'s Government Communications Headquarters, insists looking at the whole picture is key.
Canadian Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, who recently pleaded guilty to selling secrets to Russia, used floppy discs and USB drives to smuggle the sensitive data from an intelligence centre in Halifax.
Delisle had access to information shared by the so-called Five Eyes allies -- Canada, Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
At an Ottawa security conference, Pepper said vetting processes and security management must be examined to correct problems when an insider goes astray.
