UK Government departments report hundreds of lost devices.
UK government departments have suffered hundreds of data breaches potentially putting the data of over 100,000 people at risk
According to data from Freedom of Information requests of the rates and nature of data breaches and device loss reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office during 2023, HMRC was revealed to have declared 18 breaches while the House of Commons had 41 reported breaches.
Compiled by Apricorn, it was also discovered that the Ministry of Justice lost 653 devices; the Home Office reported 153; and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero reported 122 lost.
Jon Fielding, managing director, EMEA at Apricorn said: “However, the effects and repercussions for the government departments and their customers could be hugely detrimental. With so much at risk, a back-to-basics approach may well be required to establish how so many breaches are slipping the net.”
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.
