October 6th 2023.
A new disclosure has revealed that more than 70 digital devices and paperwork belonging to the Ministry of Defence have gone missing over the span of five months. Of the 71 items that have yet to be located, 55 are stated to have gone missing from secure MoD sites.
Among the items listed as missing are USB sticks, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and CDs. Some of these have gone missing from official premises, while others have been lost in public places or on public transport.
The most alarming item on the list is a hard drive marked "top secret" which went missing on an MoD site six months ago and has yet to be accounted for. The UK's security and intelligence expert, Professor Anthony Glees, said that this case is "scarcely credible" and raises "suspicions". He also noted that the problem of unaccounted-for items appears to be recurring over the five-month period.
The Ministry of Defence maintains that all laptops, tablets, and removable media are encrypted to minimise the impact of any loss. However, the UK is among countries that are strengthening their defences against nation-state hackers.
In July, The Agency reported that hackers in China were behind an attempted theft of UK and European foreign policy data. Later, hackers linked to Russia were said to have posted thousands of pages on the dark web. This shows how blurred the lines between civilian and military actors have become in the global cyber battlefield.
The list of 71 items only covers losses from March 1, 2023 to July 17 due to the expense and time it would take to cover a longer period. The Ministry of Defence also states that some of the losses may have been due to simple errors, or recording errors, meaning that nothing was actually lost.
The MoD spokesperson said that they take security of defence assets very seriously and have procedures to deter and prevent losses and thefts.
It is clear that cyber attackers pose a serious threat and the Ministry of Defence must remain vigilant in order to protect our national security secrets.
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