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Gaffe rating: 713

So prevalent are high-profile laptop thefts that we could have compiled a top ten of these alone. Highlights include the stolen Nationwide Building Society laptop containing 11 million customer records, Marks & Spencer losing a laptop with 26,000 employee details, the Metropolitan Police mislaying three laptops containing the payroll data of 15,000 officers, or the Ministry of Defence waylaying a laptop holding

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data on 600,000 people wanting to join the armed forces.

And it isn't only laptops: in February 2006 a Dutch Air Force captain left a USB memory stick holding battle plans for Dutch troops along with details of reconnaissance missions... in a rental car! That Hertz.

Neil O'Connor is a consultant at Activity, whose clients include the Cabinet Office. He suggests businesses take measures to secure portable data, such as encryption, but also advises you should first determine "what information needs to be held on mobile devices, and for how long". You might also want to consider physical solutions such as locks and alarms in public places. Or not leaving your battle plans in a Fiat Uno.

Next: 2. Hackers taking it to the TK Maxx

The 10 worst security gaffes