The personal information of serving and some past armed forces members has been leaked in a significant data breach at the Ministry of Defence.
The data has been described as “personal HMRC-style information” and was contained in a payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence. It included names and bank details of people who work for or had worked for the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force.
The MoD is notifying those affected and is expected to set out a “multi-point” plan in response. The system, which is managed by an external contractor, has been taken offline while the MoD investigates.
Data breaches
Defence secretary Grant Shapps will not identify a specific culprit when he addresses MPs today, but is expected to warn of the dangers posed by cyber espionage from hostile states. Some outlets are reporting that China is under suspicion.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian has called this accusation “absurd”, however. “China opposes all forms of cyber attacks, and the use of this issue to smear and vilify other countries,” he said.
The MoD is one of a growing number of public institutions and private companies whose payroll systems have been targeted.
In May last year, dozens of organisations reported leaks of personal information after Capita, which administers pensions for a number of large employers, suffered a cyber attack.
Just a month before, HR and payroll software company SD Worx was forced to shut down its UK and Ireland services after it was hit by a cyber attack.
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