Fresh data loss embarrassment for govt
The government has launched an inquiry investigating how a memory stick containing access details for a government information website was misplaced.
A stick containing usernames and passwords for Gateway, which provides numerous government services such as tax returns and pension information, was found in the car park of a pub and handed to the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed the storage device contained details of usernames and passwords to the Gateway service, adding that the website had been shut down temporarily as a precaution.
She said: “We are taking this issue extremely seriously and a full and urgent investigation is under way.
“We have moved immediately to make sure there is no conceivable risk to users of the government Gateway, and are convinced the integrity of the government Gateway has not been compromised.
“On the basis of an initial examination of the contents of the memory stick, it is our experts’ opinion that the contents would not allow anyone to breach the very strong security safeguards protecting the website.”
The storage device was in the possession of an employee of Atos Origin that had been contracted by the DWP. A spokesman for the company said a “direct breach” of its operating procedures had taken place and that a member of staff had misplaced the USB stick
A spokesman for the company said: “The company takes the loss of this device very seriously and we are currently carrying out a full investigation of both the circumstances surrounding its loss and the data content of the stick.
“It is clear that the employee removed the device from company premises in direct breach of our own operating procedure.
“Atos Origin is working very closely with the government and the police. The company takes full responsibility for this loss and will discipline the individual involved.
“As this may become a criminal matter for the individual concerned, it is inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage.”
The government has been rocked by a number of breaches of its security protocols over the last year.
Investigations have been launched into laptops being misplaced after being taken outside the Ministry of Defence (MoD) headquarters. Work and pensions secretary James Purnell has also apologised after leaving confidential papers on a train.
