Many cases involved papers being lost or stolen
More than 480 data breaches have been recorded by the Irish Department of Justice over the past three years.
Including the loss of sensitive papers, encrypted devices, and unauthorised access to social media, the breaches occurred across the department including key areas like international protection, the response to the Ukraine refugee crisis, and in citizenship applications.
The 482 separate cases included the loss or theft of 23 devices and two cases of accidental or deliberate loss or destruction of data, reported breaking news.ie.
Around 400 cases related to the unauthorised disclosure of personal information through letters or emails.
There were also more than 50 cases of papers being lost or stolen, which included files from the immigration, citizenship and repatriation units. Of 15 devices that were stolen or went missing, this included phones or laptops from the Probation Service, the Minister of State’s Office, and the immigration section.
An encrypted hard disc was also lost from the criminal justice section of the Department of Justice, FOI records showed.
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.
