UK: Thousands of service families’ addresses and private information compromised after surge in security breaches at MoD

DEFENCE chiefs were told to get a grip yesterday after a surge in security and data breaches.

Thousands of service families have had addresses and private information compromised.

Figures reveal more than a quarter of all blunders since 2010 took place in the last year — 559 in 2020-21, and 2,000 in 12 years.

It follows a major data breach of the Army recruitment website in March which resulted in it being closed for two months.

The site continued to operate for two days after the breach — during which 875 applications were made.

Veterans minister Leo Docherty has admitted the compromised data set was published on the dark web.

Last summer private data of 1,182 personnel, including those in Special Forces, ended up on a WhatsApp group.

And files detailing destroyer HMS Defender’s route near Crimea were found at a bus stop in Kent.

Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said his counterpart Ben Wallace was failing to get a grip, adding: “This lax approach must end.”

An MoD source said Mr Wallace had overseen extra measures which have resulted in greater detection of ­failures. 

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