Some staff employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have had personal details stolen after a third-party company was targeted in a cyber-attack.
The Stockport-based company produces warrant cards and identity badges for GMP, and as a consequence of the attack, the names, photos and identity numbers of officers have been obtained by the hackers.
Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said that, while it is believed that there hasn’t been a breach of officers’ home addresses or financial information police are treating the incident extremely seriously, with a nationally-led criminal investigation into the attack.”
Officers working on covert operations and those who are a part of the large counter-terror unit will be particularly concerned with such a leak due to the dangerous and sensitive nature of their roles.
Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, acknowledged this.
He said: Our colleagues are undertaking some of the most difficult and dangerous roles imaginable.
“To have any personal details potentially leaked out into the public domain in this manner – for all to possibly see – will understandably cause many officers concern and anxiety.”
This comes as the fourth data breach within UK police forces within the past six weeks.
In late August, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that there had been an unauthorised entry to the IT systems of a similar third-party company to the one targeted in Stockport. As with the GMP, officers’ names and ranks were stolen during the attack.
Earlier that month, 10,000 employees working for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had their surname, initials, rank or grade and work location stolen as the result of 2 data breaches.
Speaking to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee last week, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd confirmed that almost 4,000 officers and staff had expressed concerns as a response to the data leaks. Some PSNI staff, particularly those from the Catholic community, have told the media that due to the leaks, they will be looking to leave Northern Ireland due to the emotional impact and potential safety concerns following such a significant breach of their personal information.
Feature image: North Manchester Police Station, © David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. Via Geograph
