Enquiry ordered into justice staff data loss

Rob Stringer

Barely a month after the loss of criminal details on a memory stick, Jack Straw has launched an enquiry into the computer hard drive containing details of 5 000 employees of the justice system lost in July 2007.

The loss only came to light recently after the Justice Secretary was passed a letter sent to tabloid newspaper, News of the World.

The details of employees of the National Offender Management Service in England and Wales were lost by private firm EDS.

Justice Minister David Hanson said that "I await the enquiry to see the details of the information, but my assessment is that the confidentiality and the security of staff will, I hope, not be compromised," adding that it was "a historical loss which I do not believe will ultimately compromise the safety and security of those who work for us".

Fellow Justice Minister Michael Wills commented that "We're giving the information commissioner new powers, we're introducing new penalties for the reckless or knowing misuse of data. We have to see an end to this sort of incident.”

National chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, Colin Moses said that "It is a breach that we believe could ultimately cost the taxpayer millions and millions of pounds, because, if the information lost is personal and sensitive, it may well mean staff having to move prisons, move homes and relocate their families."

Andrew Clarke, senior vice president, International of Lumension Security commented that:

“It is a sorry state of affairs when newspapers are informing the Government of their data loss. But, it is good to see that the media is doing its job as ‘watchdog’. This is just the latest in a very long list of data losses and more attention needs to be given to the transportation methods of data and its security. It’s extremely worrying that the Justice Minister remained blissfully unaware of this latest situation; how many more does he not know about?

Clarke warns that “It will be almost impossible for the Government to back track to find out what data has been leaked over the years, whether it be on disc, misplaced laptops or USB drives. So, we need to make sure that, moving forward, all data is fully protected. Protecting data is not just about encrypting the data on the stick, it is about controlling who can gain access to it and why they need it.

He adds that “Once more the Government is facing embarrassment and the peoples’ trust is dwindling further. Protecting sensitive data is not beyond control and the Government needs to ensure these cases cease to exist. The only way to prevent data loss from removable devices is to take control of inbound and outbound data from all endpoints, and encrypt all data during transmission.”

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