The UK says a huge payroll data breach by a 'malign actor' has exposed details of military personnel
British officials say the names and bank details of thousands of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have been exposed in a data breach at a payroll system
LONDON (AP) — The names and bank details of thousands of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have been exposed in a data breach by a “malign actor” who may have had state help, defense officials said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Defense said the breach occurred at a third-party payroll system holding bank details of as many as 272,000 serving armed forces personnel and recent veterans. In a few cases, addresses may also have been exposed.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said officials had “immediately taken the system offline” and launched an investigation into the breach and possible failings by the contractor, SSCL, which describes itself as “the largest provider of critical business support services for government.”
“We cannot rule out state involvement,” Shapps told lawmakers in the House of Commons, though he said the government did not yet have evidence to make that conclusion.
