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07 Sep 2010
Greater Manchester Police is refusing to confirm the ownership of a memory stick handed into the Daily Star, which reportedly belongs to one of its officers.
The newspaper announced in a report at the weekend that it had been passed the memory stick by one of its readers, and that it contained highly sensitive information.
However, Greater Manchester Police will not admit that the USB stick belongs to one of its officers until the device is handed over by the Daily Star.
"The memory stick was found dumped on the pavement outside the police station in Stalybridge, near Manchester," the paper said.
"It was discovered by a 34 year-old businessman who was astounded by the contents when he fitted it into his laptop to check what was on it."
The memory stick is said to contain a Manual On Guidance Of Keeping The Peace, which is produced by the National Police Improvement Agency as a means of teaching officers how to combat extreme violence.
However, in a call to V3.co.uk today, Greater Manchester Police refused to confirm or deny ownership of the memory stick.
"We need to have a look at it first. Our efforts to trace it are ongoing," said an officer, adding that he expected to have the drive by Wednesday.
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Encryption of confidential information should be mandatory
Aside from the obvious security issues exposed within this article, what is equally frustrating is the point that organisations do not seem to be learning from each other's mistakes. It is possible for information stored externally, such as on a usb stick, to be encrypted automatically as it is saved, therefore if it falls into the wrong hands, it is then rendered useless. As an IT Managed Services company, MSC offer data encryption; protecting clients' confidential information. In addition to this, we also advise that employee's only have access to the precise information necessary for the task in hand. The sheer volume within this one usb demonstrates that this practice was not used. One would also have to ask why this information was required to be removed in the first place. Employees should also be educated on company Infosec policy regarding the use of information, particularly when the information is so vital (for example crowd control plans), therefore the potential for human error should be reduced. As the technology is available, organisations should be employing all methods possible to protect not only theirs, but their customers information too. If a reputation is threatened then the amount of faith held with that organisation is significantly reduced.
Posted by: Juliette_msc 07 Sep 2010