British Police On High Alert After Supply Chain Breach

Uploaded on 2023-08-28 in GOVERNMENT-Law Enforcement, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-IT & Telecoms

London’s Metropolitan Police are on serious alert because of a leak of data from their suppliers’ IT system and now Scotland Yard police are working with the IT company to review the extent of the breach. The security breach took place when cyber criminals successfully breached the IT systems of a contractor in charge of producing warrant cards and staff passes.

The IT supplier had access to names, ranks, photos, vetting levels and pay numbers for officers and staff, but did not hold personal information such as addresses, phone numbers or financial details, the Met has said.

All 47,000 personnel have been notified about the potential exposure of their photographs, names, and ranks.
Rick Prior, the vice-chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents staff, said any potential leak “will cause colleagues incredible concern and anger”. He said: “Metropolitan police officers are as we speak out on the streets of London undertaking some of the most difficult and dangerous roles imaginable to catch criminals and keep the public safe... To have their personal details potentially leaked out into the public domain in this manner, for all to possibly see, will cause colleagues incredible concern and anger. We share that sense of fury … this is a staggering security breach that should never have happened.”

The Met has also said the matter had been reported to the National Crime Agency and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was also informed.

N. Ireland Police Data Breach

These events follow an admission by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that personal data on all its serving members were wrongly published in response to a freedom of information (FoI) request. Details of about 10,000 PSNI officers and staff included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they were based and the unit they worked in.

After the PSNI breach was revealed, Norfolk and Suffolk constabulary announced that the personal data of more than 1,000 people, including crime victims, was included in another FoI response.

Recently South Yorkshire police referred itself to the ICO after noticing “a significant and unexplained reduction in data stored on its systems”. The force said it was urgently working with experts to recover footage filmed by officers as they attended incidents or engaged with the public, which in some cases could be used as evidence in court.

Guardian: National News: Sky: The Jourmal: Yahoo: Image: Mary R Smith

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