Data could not be digitally exported, but could be copied.
A Scottish council has apologised after information including Ukrainian refugees and their hosts was briefly leaked.
According to media reports, Angus Council apologised for the “serious data protection breach” on Friday which it “moved swiftly” to fix and said it had referred the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Internal Investigation
In a statement, the council said it launched an internal investigation after personal data from an online test system was released into the public domain via posts to two closed Homes for Ukraine themed Facebook groups.
It is understood that the data contained personal details of prospective Ukrainian guests and their Angus-based hosts who are part of the Homes for Ukraine Resettlement programme.
The council also confirmed that the data was contained within a system, not a file, so was not available to be digitally exported, although it could potentially have been copied.
“The council moved swiftly to disable the link once it had been made aware of the breach,” it said. “It is as yet unclear how this happened and is currently part of the council’s investigation, which, if appropriate, will be reported to Police Scotland.”
Data Protection
Angus Council will be contacting those affected directly where possible to advise them of the data breach, apologise and offer support.
In an email to SC UK, the ICO confirmed that it had received a data breach report, and was assessing the information provided.
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
