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DeliciousSAS hard drive goes missing
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The government has launched a high level investigation into the loss after an audit found that the drive was missing from the Signals Regiment. Information on SAS personnel or activities would be highly valuable on the black market and among criminals and alleged terrorists.
MoD officials insist that the hard drive does not contain any information about SAS operations or their weapons. But an official conceded that the hard drive most likely contained details of the training exercise as well as the names of those who took part in it.
The names of SAS personnel are usually kept confidential for security purposes and due to the sensitive nature of their work.
Defence sources pointed out that the hard drive was most liklely assigned to one person from the signals regiment and that they would have understood the importance of keeping such a sensitive piece of equipment secure.
It is unclear when the hard drive went missing or how long it took the SAS to realise that it had been lost.
Conservative shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox was outraged by the latest in what is a long line of security bludners by the MoD.
"Any loss of data of this nature is deeply concerning, especially if there are security implications," he said.
''We will want to know the full picture from the Ministry of Defence as soon as possible to ensure that neither civilians nor military personnel are at risk."
The MoD insisted that it is making "good progress" in encrypting sensitive computers and operating systems. Unencrypted systems are for the most part not being used in regular duties according to an MoD spokesperson.
The MoD has suffered a number of security blunders in the last 15 months including the theft of a laptop with details of 600,000 current and potential recruits and dozens of highly classified USB sticks and laptops.
How difficult can it be to encrypt MoD computer systems?
Chris - Essex
CORRECTION
There is no such thing as "the Signals Regiment." There is "the Signals corps" or "the Royal Corps of Signals" but there are many Signals regiments, so the second para's first sentence should read "missing from a Signals regiment" OR "missing from a Signals unit." It is quite likely that the MoD statement made the same mistake as it is staffed mainly by (ignorant) civilians.
Mark Baillie - London
We ignorant civilians provide statements specifically for ignorant readers. Did it not occur to you that the MOD statement might have been "edited for brevity" - a common practice outside government...
(ex-R Sigs, current civilian)
Mark Faulkner - Belgium