Oops, I did it again

 

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Posted on 14 Jan 2002 at 16:43

Just under 600 laptops have been 'lost' by the Ministry of Defence it has been revealed after questioning by an MP.

Five hundred and ninety four laptops have disappeared from the MoD out of a total of 1354 lost government laptops since 1996. The second most forgetful department is Works and Pensions, losing 419, followed by International Development, with 115. The figures released also reveal that 27 hacking incidents have involved MoD computer systems since 1999, reports the BBC.

Credit goes to the MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Burstow for obtaining the government figures.

It's all too reminiscent of the Dom Jolly Trigger Happy TV sketches where some heavily disguised secret service type wants to pass on an attachÚ case to a bemused member of the public sitting on a park bench. Now we know what's in the case - it's an MoD laptop. Offering the case with some such phrase as 'The weather is unusually inclement in Vladivostok,' at least the spy usually checks 'You are the White Bear?'...

The more mundane reality for the MI5 and MI6, of course, is that the computers are simply left in the back of cabs or stolen in public spaces such as railway stations. While the more cynical would suspect these 'lost' computers would reappear in someone's personal possession, the more paranoid would suspect the underhand transfer of information...

What do you feel about our absent-minded friends in the Ministry of Defence? Do you subscribe to Cock-up or Conspiracy theories? Leave a comment.

Author: Alun Williams