IT equipment being used by MPs, Lords and their staff went missing at places including train stations over the last year (Picture: Getty)
Dozens of digital devices being used by MPs, Lords and parliamentary staff went missing last year — including in airports and pubs.
A list of almost 100 incidents that has been described as ‘alarming reading’ includes the theft of a laptop from a Westminster IT worker on the Tube and two gadgets being stolen from a car.
Eight of the parliamentary-supplied devices potentially containing sensitive information were stolen from pubs and a bar.
Cyber-security experts responded to the disclosure by saying the equipment losses raise a ‘red flag’ about the way the gadgets are used in a workplace that has access to national secrets.
In the most recent incident listed, a laptop was stolen from the home of a person described as an MP or a member of their staff on December 17.
Two days before, a laptop used by a House of Commons administrative worker was snatched on a train. Another person with the same job title had an iPhone stolen at a train station the previous day, the dataset shows.
A second laptop was stolen from a pub earlier in the month, with the victim again being an admin worker at the lower chamber.
Another of the eight thefts at licensed premises took place in August and involved a laptop being taken from an MP or staffer.
A member of parliament’s digital service – which is responsible for issuing the devices – had a laptop stolen on the Tube in the same month.
Access to physical devices can provide a window of opportunity to hackers according to cybersecurity experts (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
In some cases, two devices went missing at the same time, according to the data released by the Commons.
A laptop and a tablet belonging to an MP’s office were lost at an unspecified airport on September 11.
Another person described as ‘HoC Member/Staff’ had a laptop and mobile stolen from a car on July 17 last year.
In several cases, the location of the loss or theft is marked as ‘unknown’.
Another log, relating to a phone in the possession of an MP’s office which was lost on October 10, simply describes the whereabouts as ‘abroad’.
In total, 94 devices were lost or stolen during 2023, the list shows, with some subsequently being recovered.
Cyber attackers are operating in a global battlefield with the lines between civilian and military actors increasingly being blurred (Picture: Getty)
Oliver Pinson-Roxburgh, CEO of cyber security provider Bulletproof, said: ‘The loss of government devices will always make for alarming reading.
‘User education, correct procedures and technical safeguards can minimise the impact, but device loss can never be completely eliminated.
‘It becomes a question of if more can be done to prevent device losses at this scale, and if enough is really being done to minimise the impact. While having the right technical solutions is vital, a multi-layered approach is key.
‘This includes employee training, data encryption and strong device management. In the case of the devices being stolen, the best outcome is that the device will just be wiped and any sensitive data lost.
‘Otherwise, there are concerns around sensitive data and even national security. Security is made or broken with workplace culture, and news stories like this bring that into question.’
The disclosure comes at a time when the UK’s critical information systems have been under attack from what MI5 describes as ‘state adversaries who operate at scale’, with Chinese hackers being a particular threat.
Richard Cassidy, chief information security officer, Europe, Middle East, Africa, at data security firm Rubrik, told Metro.co.uk that there is a ‘pressing need’ for a ‘culture of resilience’.
‘Despite encryption and remote wiping capabilities, the sheer volume of incidents here raises a red flag,’ he said.
‘It’s not just about the hardware; it’s the potential access to confidential information that stirs unease.
High-level government data should be rigorously protected from hostile actors according to cybersecurity experts (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
‘This situation underscores the urgent need for a culture of resilience.
‘Beyond the technology, there’s a pressing need for increased awareness and training among those with access to our nation’s secrets.
‘Understanding that everyone has a role to play in information security – not just IT teams – is essential to this.’
Mr Cassidy added: ‘Public sector IT teams deal with a mountain of challenges that are already an almost insurmountable task to manage.
‘Where users fail, and they inevitably will, there is a critical need to review, update and enhance data loss prevention capabilities, which relies on understanding where your sensitive data sits, who has access to it and then building controls based on access governance.’
Devices supplied by parliament to passholders are encrypted, according to the Commons’ Information Compliance Team.
A parliamentary spokesperson said: ‘We provide advice to users – including members of both Houses – to make them aware of the risks and how to manage their equipment safety, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents.’
Westminster’s digital service has ‘responded robustly to cyber-attacks’ and ‘matured through the move to cloud computing’, according to the UK Parliament’s website.
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