The government’s online verification system Verify, is plagued by major security problems that could leave users vulnerable to online exploitation. According to newly released academic paper, there is a structural flaw in Verify, that could “support undetected mass surveillance“. The government says all its services requiring identity assurance will be using Verify by next year…

The report is particularly critical of the “excessive trust” placed by Verify in its central “hub” which connects users, third party contractors and the government. The hub is set up in such a way that if it was compromised, it could impersonate users – giving access to their accounts and private data. The hub was, of course, created in house…