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Careless disposal of confidential data is on the rise, says study
Hundreds of secondhand hard drives bought online and elsewhere were found to contain sensitive information
While the data from US missile programmes may make the biggest headlines, the practice of discarding data on hard drives is widespread.
(Anti-missile defence details found on secondhand computer)
Just how widespread is shown in this year's survey – which could cover your progress from the moment you get up to the moment you get home, with information from personal PCs, a carpet fitting company and interior design giant making it in alongside data from other drives from car companies, councils, schools, health trusts, an embassy universities and a mobile phone company.
Among the 1,000 drives obtained from eBay and other online auction sites, car boot fairs and discarded machines, were drives containing recent information from Ford Motor Company, the clothes firm Laura Ashley, the German Embassy in Paris, Nokia, the Edinburgh lawyers Henderson Boyd Jackson (HBJ), Swindon Council, Lanarkshire NHS Trust and a number of schools and drives from individuals.
Three drives containing paedophile information, including graphic violence, were referred to the police and one drive from a machine belonging to an Asian man that showed him posing with a pistol in Pakistan was referred to Special Branch.
According to Glamorgan University, the drive from Ford appeared to contain information on the company's new Ka model, and the drive had been obtained before its launch earlier this year.
Also on the drive was information marked "confidential – Ford Motor Company – this is unpublished work which is a trade secret … FMC own all rights to this work to preserve its trade secret status."
"This could have been very bad for Ford," said Glamorgan's Professor Andrew Blyth. "Loss of intellectual property can have a severe impact on an organisation."
A Ford spokesman said: "Ford is investigating this issue with the university to identify the computer from which the hard disk originated so that we can determine its history. The hard disk is also being passed on to Ford so that the data it contains can be analysed." It was possible that the hard drive came from a company associated with Ford which had "different disposal policies", a spokesman said.
"While this investigation is under way the return of Ford PCs and laptops to suppliers has been suspended and a review is taking place of all the processes involved in removing data from computers and returning equipment."
The data on the Laura Ashley drives contained information on internal email, company financial data and customer names and addresses.
A spokeswoman from Laura Ashley said: "We are surprised to see the results due to our rigorous and clear equipment disposal policy. We are pleased that this issue has been highlighted to us." The company says it disposes of around 100 PCs every year using "reputable service providers".
The Nokia drive which also had files marked as company confidential held images of cell-phone circuitry, minutes of meetings, names and personnel evaluation forms.
The HBJ drive contained detailed information on the company's website and client correspondence.
A spokesman for Henderson Boyd Jackson said: "It's the first and only time we've had such a breach and we're taking the issue extremely seriously. We're already working with the University to establish precisely how this information got through our extensive security proceedures and to ensure there can be no repeat."
Former studies have turned up information on multi-nationals ranging from, Man Trucks, Skandia, Scottish and Newcastle, Monsanto, Vodafone to individuals that have ranged from Sir Paul McCartney, to heads of charities and Tyneside publicans.
"This year there was more data than ever," said Professor Andrew Jones, Head of Security Research for BT. "This is the fourth year we have done this and I think the only thing that can be said is 'when are people going to wake up, it's not a new problem'. Organisations do lose discs. But some of these losses are inexcusable."
Pete Warren
Thursday 7 May 2009 13.58 BST
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
Hundreds of secondhand hard drives bought online and elsewhere were found to contain sensitive information
While the data from US missile programmes may make the biggest headlines, the practice of discarding data on hard drives is widespread.
(Anti-missile defence details found on secondhand computer)
Just how widespread is shown in this year's survey – which could cover your progress from the moment you get up to the moment you get home, with information from personal PCs, a carpet fitting company and interior design giant making it in alongside data from other drives from car companies, councils, schools, health trusts, an embassy universities and a mobile phone company.
Among the 1,000 drives obtained from eBay and other online auction sites, car boot fairs and discarded machines, were drives containing recent information from Ford Motor Company, the clothes firm Laura Ashley, the German Embassy in Paris, Nokia, the Edinburgh lawyers Henderson Boyd Jackson (HBJ), Swindon Council, Lanarkshire NHS Trust and a number of schools and drives from individuals.
Three drives containing paedophile information, including graphic violence, were referred to the police and one drive from a machine belonging to an Asian man that showed him posing with a pistol in Pakistan was referred to Special Branch.
According to Glamorgan University, the drive from Ford appeared to contain information on the company's new Ka model, and the drive had been obtained before its launch earlier this year.
Also on the drive was information marked "confidential – Ford Motor Company – this is unpublished work which is a trade secret … FMC own all rights to this work to preserve its trade secret status."
"This could have been very bad for Ford," said Glamorgan's Professor Andrew Blyth. "Loss of intellectual property can have a severe impact on an organisation."
A Ford spokesman said: "Ford is investigating this issue with the university to identify the computer from which the hard disk originated so that we can determine its history. The hard disk is also being passed on to Ford so that the data it contains can be analysed." It was possible that the hard drive came from a company associated with Ford which had "different disposal policies", a spokesman said.
"While this investigation is under way the return of Ford PCs and laptops to suppliers has been suspended and a review is taking place of all the processes involved in removing data from computers and returning equipment."
The data on the Laura Ashley drives contained information on internal email, company financial data and customer names and addresses.
A spokeswoman from Laura Ashley said: "We are surprised to see the results due to our rigorous and clear equipment disposal policy. We are pleased that this issue has been highlighted to us." The company says it disposes of around 100 PCs every year using "reputable service providers".
The Nokia drive which also had files marked as company confidential held images of cell-phone circuitry, minutes of meetings, names and personnel evaluation forms.
The HBJ drive contained detailed information on the company's website and client correspondence.
A spokesman for Henderson Boyd Jackson said: "It's the first and only time we've had such a breach and we're taking the issue extremely seriously. We're already working with the University to establish precisely how this information got through our extensive security proceedures and to ensure there can be no repeat."
Former studies have turned up information on multi-nationals ranging from, Man Trucks, Skandia, Scottish and Newcastle, Monsanto, Vodafone to individuals that have ranged from Sir Paul McCartney, to heads of charities and Tyneside publicans.
"This year there was more data than ever," said Professor Andrew Jones, Head of Security Research for BT. "This is the fourth year we have done this and I think the only thing that can be said is 'when are people going to wake up, it's not a new problem'. Organisations do lose discs. But some of these losses are inexcusable."
Pete Warren
Thursday 7 May 2009 13.58 BST
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
