One of my colleagues drew my attention to a recent posting on the GetSafeOnline blog pointing out the lack of IT security training at MI6. In the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, a Swiss banker asks Bond to enter a password for a bank account that will hold the $150m winnings from a poker game. What password does he use? The name of his girlfriend. Stupid you might say? But on the the contrary it merely illustrates the daring risk appetite we associate with these bucaneering chaps at MI6. Unfortunately the reality of HMG Security is quite the opposite, as illustrated by the non-memorable 12 random character user identifier needed to prevent anyone else attempting to pay my VAT returns. Of course, a normal commercial organisation would never be able to afford this luxury, given the negative impact on customers and the high cost of help desk transactions to handle their complaints. But there's a simple solution. Just charge the tax payer for the phone call.