FOI Request - Citizen Facing Online Services

Request 101003895892

I am a postgraduate student at the University of Strathclyde, conducting research for the MSc in Cyber Security (Graduate Apprenticeship) under the supervision of Dr Sotirios Terzis – (sotirios.terzis@strath.ac.uk). This research has received formal ethics approval from the Computer and Information Sciences department at the University of Strathclyde.

This request is made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and relates only to citizen-facing online services (for example, housing portals, council tax accounts, or benefits portals). It does not concern internal staff systems or administrative tools. The research does involve information on detailed technical configurations for public-facing web portals. Please provide the following information/documents:

1. A copy of (or extract from) your current policy that governs user authentication for citizen-facing online services.

2. The specific password rules that apply when citizens create an account or perform a password reset. Fore example, password character minimum and maximum limits, special character enforcement.

3. Whether MFA is offered or required for citizen-facing services, and, if so, what types are supported (e.g. SMS, email, or authenticator app).

4. A brief description or document outlining how password resets or account recovery are handled for public users (e.g. email verification, security questions, or other processes).

5. The date these policies were last reviewed or updated, and whether the policies align with any national or international guidance (e.g. NCSC, NIST SP 800-63, or ISO 27001).