GCHQ cannot account for thousands of storage devices

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 19:27 · Archive

Britain's intelligence agency GCHQ cannot account for thousands of storage devices including USB sticks, hard drives and memory cards, according to a report by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO), the official watchdog that polices how Britain's intelligence agencies use their spying powers.

The devices, estimated to be in the thousands, may contain highly sensitive data. Some could hold information classified as 'TOP SECRET'. The data may include information collected or held under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which covers intercepted communications such as emails, texts and telephone calls, as well as information extracted from people's computers or phones. It is currently unclear how many of the missing devices have been permanently lost; GCHQ is undertaking further work to attempt to locate and account for as many as possible.

Brian Leveson, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, expressed concern about the long-standing nature of the problem. He stated that GCHQ 'still cannot tell me what has happened to removable media that may hold sensitive data, years after I first raised it with them.' The IPCO report notes: 'We remain very concerned about this issue and are disappointed with the time it has taken GCHQ to investigate.'

GCHQ acknowledged the failings in a statement. A GCHQ spokesperson said: 'As IPCO have reported, our management system for removable media was previously not sufficiently robust to effectively track the items that were registered for use.' The agency added that it has taken action against all of IPCO's recommendations.

This is not the first time the issue has surfaced. Last year IPCO disclosed that both GCHQ and fellow intelligence agency MI5 had been unable to locate considerable numbers of storage devices, some of which potentially contained information classified as 'TOP SECRET'.

How it is being reported

• Spies may have lost thousands of hard drives filled with secrets, report warnsThe UK's spy watchdog, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO), said spooks at GCHQ are unable to account for thousands of storage devices like USB sticks and memory cardsThe Mirror · 30 Oct, 13:01
• British intelligence agency misplaced 'thousands' of storage devices, years later still can't say how manyOther agency errors included an unchecked software bug that led to Terrorism Act detentionsThe Register · 30 Oct, 11:45
• Britain’s spy agency doesn’t know where thousands of its memory sticks areIntelligence agency GCHQ acknowledges its plan for keeping track of USB sticks and other devices with potentially sensitive data on were 'not sufficiently robust.'Politico Europe · 29 Oct, 17:04

In this story: GCHQ · Investigatory Powers Commissioner · Brian Leveson · MI5 · Britain

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