Blushes at MoD over latest lost laptop blunder

[William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>]

Latest information on the story of the laptop reported here on the
20th of May on ISN, Original report is at:

http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/05/21/stinwenws01039.html

-WK


http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/05/23/timnwsnws01024.html

May 23, 2000

DEFENCE officials tried yesterday to cover up the embarrassment of
losing yet another laptop computer, this one containing detailed plans
for a new 250 billion fighter.

Ministers first had to alert their North American partners in building
the new supersonic jet about the gaffe.

The stolen computer was handed back by a newspaper at the weekend
after the thief apparently had tried to erase hundreds of files about
the Stealth jet to make it easier to sell the machine.

Experts said that huge commercial and political damage would have been
caused if the computer had fallen into the wrong hands.

The official line from Whitehall, though, was that this was just
another unfortunate theft that did not endanger security. Geoffrey
Hoon, the Defence Secretary, said no state secrets had been stolen,
but he conceded that "sensitive commercial material" was involved. He
would not comment on the fact that the computer files included a
private memo on how development was progressing and advising what the
minister should say to his United States counterparts when he visited
there in January.

Critical MPs are demanding new rules to stop the spate of laptops
being lost by civil servants, spies and military chiefs. This computer
was stolen from a senior naval officer travelling on a train and is
the latest in a series of security lapses. In recent weeks an MI5
agent had his laptop taken as he was buying a ticket at Paddington
station in London. It contained information about the Northern Ireland
peace deal. A few days later another laptop was mislaid by an MI6
officer after he had spent the night in a tapas bar.

Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat spokesman on foreign affairs and
defence, said: "Security lapses of this kind simply should not take
place. The MoD may have got off lightly this time, but there must be
an urgent review of procedures. Taking work home is all very well, but
not when there's a risk that potentially sensitive material may reach
the public domain."

A defence official said last night: "This is getting to be a habit we
can do without. It is always embarrassing when these things happen,
but there is an ongoing security review".

The thief of this latest computer obviously did not realise what he
had taken. Police are investigating reports that the thief approached
a computer expert to erase the hundreds of files about the Anglo-US
Joint Strike Fighter Project.

The cache included diagrams of the jet which could win Britain 50
billion in contracts and 20,000 jobs.

The MoD said: "It is not exactly a secret that we are involved in a
joint programme with the Americans, though we obviously would rather
not have lost this computer."


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