MoD had hundreds of data breaches in a single year

Hundreds of Ministry of Defence (MoD) data breaches have been revealed as questions intensify over its ability to keep sensitive information safe in the wake of the Afghan data leak.

- HOLLY BANCROFT DAVID MADDOX

The latest MoD figures show there were 569 incidents in 2023-24 – up from 550 the previous year – which included electronic devices being lost and protected documents not being disposed of properly.

In one incident last year, the details of 272,000 staff - including names and bank details – were breached when one of its systems, run by an external contractor, was hacked by a “malign actor”.

In another case, the MoD was fined £350,000 by the Information Commissioner for a breach related to the handling of emails linked to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy – the scheme to bring Afghans with links to British forces to safety in the UK.

Lord Beamish, chair of the powerful intelligence and security committee (ISC), has demanded that the MoD explain why high-security information is being held on low-security systems.

It follows the revelation this week of a catastrophic data breach, which exposed up to 100,000 Afghans to potential reprisals from the Taliban, costing the UK taxpayer billions and prompting a two-year cover-up through the use of an unprecedented superinjunction.

Further concerns emerged on Thursday after it was revealed that British spies and special forces soldiers were also potentially exposed by the incident.