In response to an enquiry from Maria Eagle, Shadow Minister for Defence, James Cartlidge, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, provided revealing statistics on the loss and theft of MoD-issued technological devices up to 2022.

The data indicates a worrying trend, especially concerning hard disk drives.

Cartlidge stated, “The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department,” and added, “Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately and remotely deactivated, and the contents are deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately and remotely locked.”

The table below details the number of lost or stolen devices in the Ministry of Defence from 2019 to 2022:

YearLaptopsMobile PhonesUSBsHard Disk Drives
20192391066025
2020163734924
2021148798527
20222811125140

Cartlidge emphasised, “All Departmental IT is fully security encrypted,” and mentioned that they do not differentiate between lost and stolen devices for security reasons. He also noted, “We do not hold information centrally on the number of devices damaged.”

The data for 2023 has been deliberately excluded from this analysis, as the figures are incomplete (only up to 18 December 2023) and, therefore, cannot be accurately compared with the full-year data of previous years. Using incomplete data could provide a misleading representation of the trend for 2023.

Up to 2022, the data shows a fluctuating pattern in lost or stolen laptops, mobile phones, and USBs, with a particularly notable increase in laptops and mobile phones in 2022. The most significant concern arises from the consistent upward trend in the number of hard disk drives reported lost or stolen, reaching a high in 2022.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Crabfat
Crabfat (@guest_779912)
8 months ago

Didn’t we have this same report on UKDJ a couple of months ago?

Jon
Jon (@guest_779923)
8 months ago
Reply to  Crabfat

Something similar, for sure.

farouk
farouk (@guest_779978)
8 months ago

It would be nice to know how much of the above was lost by civil servants such as : Angus Lapsley, who lost a 50-page dossier, at a bus stop in 2021 was promoted in 2022 to a Nato nuclear role leading a team responsible for ‘defence policy questions, including nuclear issues’ in

Last edited 8 months ago by farouk
Gavin Gordon
Gavin Gordon (@guest_780007)
8 months ago
Reply to  farouk

Two researchers came to light this this year of course, in March 23, including the appropriately named Chris Cash, British researcher arrested under suspicion as a Spy for China (Caroline Wheeler, Sunday Times). Missing IT must be a useful little earner?

Derek
Derek (@guest_780023)
8 months ago

Surely a disciplinary offence, ‘losing’ taxpayer funded property.

Ian
Ian (@guest_780074)
8 months ago
Reply to  Derek

Yes it is. And one that would trigger a security investigation as well.

Ian
Ian (@guest_780072)
8 months ago

Given how many pieces of IT hardware MOD uses, and that ‘lost or stolen’ can also mean ‘forgot which cupboard it’s in’, none of this seems particularly alarming. The drives in question will be encrypted- probably AES-256 bit, and without the encryption key no-one can access the data, (including the login credentials for any networks they may be linked to). There is also no detail as to what classification the lost assets relate to. A lost ‘Secret’ drive is a much bigger deal than a lost ‘Official’ drive.