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Thousands of PCs, phones and tablets stolen and lost by UK public sector
bodies prompting fears of huge national security risk

Date:
Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:22:30 +0000

Description:
UK government reports over 2,000 missing devices in just one year, raising
cybersecurity concerns.

FULL STORY

Have you ever lost a phone or computer and worried about what someone might
find on it? 

Thousands of devices have gone missing from UK government departments in the
past year, raising serious concerns about cybersecurity and data protection. 

Analysis by The Guardian , based on freedom of information disclosures, found
the government lost over 2,000 laptops, phones and tablets in the past 12
months, with a replacement cost estimated at around 1.3m.

Surprisingly large numbers

The Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Defence, and the Cabinet
Office each reported hundreds of missing tech items. 

The Ministry of Defence alone recorded 103 missing laptops and 387 phones in
just five months of 2025. Other departments affected included HM Treasury, 
the Bank of England, and the Home Office. 

We treat all breaches of security very seriously and we require all suspected
breaches to be reported. All incidents are subjected to an initial security
risk assessment, with further action taken on a proportionate basis," an MoD
spokesperson said. 

Playing down fears, the defence department added, Encryption on devices
ensures any data is safeguarded and prevents access to the defence network. 

This sentiment was echoed by the Bank of England, which said it takes the
security of devices and data very seriously and has suitable protection in
place. 

The same official line was trotted out by a government spokesperson who said,
We take the security of government devices extremely seriously, which is why
items such as laptops and mobile phones are always encrypted so any loss does
not compromise security. 

Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey,
wasnt quite so reassured, telling The Guardian , These are surprisingly large
numbers. When you are talking about so many [it creates] a large attack
surface [for hackers]. If 1% were system administrators who had their phones
stolen, thats enough to get in. 

He added, If devices were open when stolen, as frequently happens with phones
snatched on the street, criminals could keep them open and drill down into 
the device and once the phone is open, by design it is readable and
accessible.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/thousands-of-pcs-phones-and-tablets-sto
len-and-lost-by-uk-public-sector-bodies-prompting-fears-of-huge-national-secur
ity-risk

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