Tag Archives: RAF

RAF Lose the Personal Data of Over 500 Senior Officers

June 1, 2009

Yet another case of data loss has entered the public domain following a Freedom of Information request.

The Ministry of Defence have admitted that computer disks lost at a British Royal Air Force base contained sensitive files on the private lives of senior officers. The extremely personal information had been given by servicemen for an in-depth vetting process to give them high security clearance.
It has been admitted since the files were stolen that more than 500 RAF staff have been warned of the possible consequences to them and their families after the unencrypted data – stored on the hard drives went missing.

An internal MoD memo admitted that some of the details on high-ranking officers would be “front page news” that could tarnish the reputation of the RAF.

An RAF source not affected by the loss said there was “considerable worry in the ranks” over the loss of data that could affect relationships or be used by others to compromise personnel.
With the sensitive vetting details only emerging following a Freedom of Information request that led to the release of an internal MoD memo, together with the news that any data loss may need to be made public, the security and breach of data loss has never been more critical.

Over the past couple of years we have seen a sharp increase in the use of remote, wireless and mobile devices to access computer networks.

Many people now use laptops to carry files and data from place to place and can use wireless connections to work from almost anywhere they please. But there are dangers of data loss with these new advancements.

These changes that enable businesses to be on-the-move are leaving the networks increasingly vulnerable to attack, and the data that the businesses and organisations hold, at serious risk.
There are a number of ways to help reduce the risk of data loss in and out of the work place.

Other then the obvious methods of restricting access to only those who need it, data encryption and the ability to remove data from a mobile device once it has been is lost or stolen are key.
Obviously data backup using a very secure, automated and robust solution is always essential whether it be for critical servers or remote user devices. Also the ability to remove data from a laptop that is out of an organisations control is another solution that is becoming increasingly crucial as users become more mobile.

If you wish to hear how your businesses security could benefit from online backup, disaster recovery, business continuity or data deletion from laptops then please ask today.

Sensitive data lost by RAF bases could put thousands in jeopardy

February 28, 2009

It was recently revealed that top secret data regarding aircraft systems and overseas missions was lost from Lincolnshire RAF bases at least 17 times in a single year. Also included in the missing information were details of operations outside the UK and military weapons. The missing reports were made to the Ministry of Defence by RAF Coningsby and RAF Waddington.

A report from the ministry stated that the information related to mission data, equipment deployment and trials to other countries as well as data from aircrafts and archived intelligence briefings. These figures were only made known after a Freedom of Information request was submitted to the Government.

A spokesperson from the MoD said that any such data loss incident was regretted and would be treated with great seriousness. This data loss incident is just one of the many extremely serious incidents to have taken place since last year. However, the MoD is taking great steps to improve the security of sensitive and personal data.

One of the required steps companies and agencies are being asked to take is investing in an online data backup to ensure the complete protection of sensitive information. Remote data backups like offsite data backups can help restore information quickly should it get lost or stolen.

Learn from the mistakes of the RAF

October 30, 2008

The Defence Ministry thought of hard disks as safe storage devices and are now repenting, for three hard drives were stolen from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency�s office at Gloucestershire at the Innsworth Base.

These hard drives contained the personal records and data of thousands of current and retired RAF staff.
This incident is just one of the many data loss incidents that have happened in recent months. Such incidents happen mainly due to poor data storage and data backup policies in government as well as private organisations.

It does not take much for data to be stolen or lost and although your data is generally safe behind a password and the thief probably doesn�t want the data, it still leaves your business in somewhat of a predicament.

The answer to data storage problems lies in online back up or online data storage.

Many companies have realised the importance of proper data backup and are opting for online backup and online data storage.

Here, you can upload your data regularly and automatically online and since data is only accessible with the help of your unique username and password, you can be assured that it is safe.

In any event of data loss, all you have to do is access your account and download the uploaded data. Government organisations and private companies must rise to the modern problems of data loss and opt for online backup and online data storage.