Blears PC stolen in latest Government information breach

Rob Stringer

In the latest of a string of data breaches, a computer containing sensitive information has been stolen from the office of communities’ secretary Hazel Blears.

The computer contained information relating to subjects such as extremism and the housing market that, although not confidential, would be highly embarrassing if leaked. The government has admitted that some of its officials ‘had not fully complied with guidance on handling sensitive data’ which stipulate that sensitive information should not be kept on personal computers.

Loic Flageul, business development manager at Alcatel-Lucent criticises these guidelines. “Laptops are currently being stolen from, or lost, by organisations with such alarming frequency that many now claim they should be banned from holding sensitive data at all – seriously inhibiting the benefits of working remotely. This knee-jerk reaction is extreme; especially given technology actually exists to prevent these problems from ever occurring in the first place,”

According to department sources, it is not likely that any of the officials involved will be asked to step down following the breach, although some may face disciplinary action. Peter Housden of The Communities and Local Government department stated that, “No damage has been done since the documents sent to her were not classified as secret or top secret. And in any event the computer was password protected.”

But for information security experts this is not always enough.

“This latest blunder clearly demonstrates the failings of the UK government to effectively tackle the issue of data leakage,” remarks Brian Spector, general manager of Workshare’s content protection group.

“While the theft of a laptop is difficult to avoid, simple measures can be put in place to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands… Although the government has taken steps to roll out policies aimed at protecting sensitive information, these policies are not worth the paper they are written on unless they are backed-up through the use of proven technology.”

The theft is the latest in a series of government breaches. Last week, two sets of government documents were left on trains. In one case, where the documents were particularly confidential, a senior Cabinet Office official was suspended.

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