Recent freedom of information disclosures have revealed that the UK government lost or had stolen thousands of laptops, phones, and tablets, valued at over 1m. The alarming number, over 2,000 devices from various public departments, has raised serious concerns among cybersecurity experts about potential risks for hackers to exploit. While the government downplayed these risks, emphasizing encryption's protective measures, experts highlighted that unencrypted devices and system administrators' potential losses could pose significant vulnerabilities. The details uncover a troubling trend in government cybersecurity preparedness as the annual replacement cost nears 1.3 million pounds.
One cybersecurity expert highlighted the systemic danger, noting, 'If you are talking about so many devices, it creates a large attack surface for hackers.'
Despite the losses, the government insists that encryption protects against unauthorized access, downplaying concerns about cybersecurity risks.
Prof. Alan Woodward warned, 'If 1% were system administrators who had their phones stolen, that's enough to get in,' emphasizing the vulnerability posed by these missing devices.
Cybersecurity experts expressed alarm, revealing that stolen devices could enable hackers to establish backdoors into sensitive government systems, representing a serious national security risk.
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