data security2 articles
GCHQ Has Lost Thousands of Storage Drives and Still Has No Idea Where They Are
GCHQ has lost thousands of storage drives containing sensitive data, with the UK's Investigatory Powers Commissioner expressing serious concern that the agency still cannot determine the full scale, location, or recoverability of the missing devices, despite the issue being known for several years. The agency is working to address the problem by implementing an automated asset-tracking system, though a precise count of lost drives remains unavailable. The missing storage media is one of several issues flagged in IPCO's annual report, which also raised concerns about inadequate safeguards for overseas partners accessing GCHQ's bulk-intercepted data and a software bug that wrongly identified individuals as terrorism suspects, leading to five unlawful port stops.
Charity Bank Takes Down Online Services After Third-Party Software Flaw Exposed
CAF Bank, which serves 14,000 charities and holds £1.45 billion in deposits, has suspended its online banking services since July 24 after discovering a security vulnerability in how third-party software connects to its banking portal, following reports of suspicious activity on some customer accounts. The outage has caused significant disruption, with some charities unable to process payroll, though the bank insists core banking services and customer funds remain safe. CEO Alison Taylor has apologised for the disruption and says the bank is working with external experts to resolve the issue, while prioritising time-sensitive payments by phone.