MI6 Terror Photos, Data Accidentally Sold On Ebay

Barence writes "In what's turning out to be a bad week for security in the UK, confidential MI6 documents, fingerprints and photos relating to suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists have been found in the memory of the second-hand Nikon Coolpix camera, which was bought on eBay for only £17. The buyer immediately went to the police, who initially treated it as a joke; when they realised he was serious, they swooped on his home and seized his camera and PC. Remember, this is the same MI6 which plans to recruit new members via Facebook, a userbase not exactly famous for its dedication to privacy, security and discretion. The news comes on the back of yesterday's embarrassment over a local council whose VPN device ended up on eBay with confidential login details left on it."

Comments

Fuck the police

[Hatta]

The buyer immediately went to the police, who initially treated it as a joke; when they realised he was serious, they swooped on his home and seized his camera and PC.

This is why you never talk to the police.

Re:Fuck the police

[bestinshow]

1) They took his computer.

2) They replaced the equipment, at a cost of a grand. Whether or not this was a like-for-like replacement or better is unanswered.

Whether or not he got his personal data back is another question, as anyone knows it is the time invested in generating your own data that is the real value in your PC. I hope he had a backup.

Knowing the British police I expect he'll be arrested for some non-related data on the hard drive like some MP3s.

Re:Fuck the police

[Richard W.M. Jones]

This is why you never talk to the police.

Sadly you may be right, although for all the wrong reasons. In civilised parts of the world we recognise that society exists because of cooperation, and that includes cooperation with the police.

Unfortunately in cases like these, the police are undermining that cooperation. As another example, it's rumoured that if you report child porn on the internet to the relevant authorities in the UK, you should expect a visit from the coppers and all your computer equipment to be taken away. Which is why I wouldn't report this, even though child abuse is a terrible thing and it should be reported.

Now, if I found "terror photos" (whatever they are) on a second hand laptop or camera, I won't be reporting that either. Just scrubbing any info off the device and get on with my life.

Rich.

Re:Fuck the police

[harrkev]

You clearly know nothing about how the government deals with classified data. Classified data is considered kind of like a virus, not the computer kind, but the biological kind. If the classified data was in a memory card in the camera, the camera itself is contaminated. If the camera was plugged into a computer, then the computer itself is contaminated. Anything electronic device that the computer touched is then considered to be contaminated. Even if you "KNOW" that it is not possible for your mouse to story encrypted data, your mouse is still assumed to be contaminated. This type of "blanket" policy that makes no exceptions is actually pretty smart, as it is the exceptions that will come back and bite you in the butt.

This is the way that the US government does things in real life (and presumably the UK does the same thing). When developing systems that handle classified data, you have to maintain strict "red/black" separation, and the only interface allowed between red and black are things like *APPROVED* encryption units.

Things are actually a little more complicated than this, but this is the general idea.

Re:Fuck the police

[ultranova]

Anything electronic device that the computer touched is then considered to be contaminated.

Well, since the computer was likely connected to the Internet, we're having a pandemic by now.

No Good Deed...

[maz2331]

ever goes unpunished.

If someone comes to you, DO NOT attack them! Be nice, assist in getting any secret data purged, and sign a confidentiality agreement, and give the guy a nominal reward.

Raiding the house of someone who does the right thing is a pretty strong incentive to never help out again, and a strong incentive for others to do so as well. It also feeds the radical opponents' propaganda machine with fresh fodder and lets them become the "persecuted good guys".

So don't do it. Know who your friends are, and don't mess with them. Or they may stop being your friend.

Western societies and governments have enough enemies already, and there is no need to create any more.

Re:His computer was classified

[dgatwood]

Yup. What did we learn, boys and girls? (Okay, I know I'm being optimistic on that last part.) If you find yourself with evidence related to a terrorism investigation because an inept government official sold it on eBay, don't go to the police. Send it to the media. Anonymously.

Re:His computer was classified

[Jabbrwokk]

Damn straight. People should not be punished for being honest.

Government agencies, however, should be publicly punished for being incompetent.

I imagine that if the man had given the camera to the media, the police could have swooped down on the news outlet and confiscated their computers, but then they would be in a much bigger fight with the Fifth Estate rather than some poor schlub who can't fight back.

Here's hoping the free press continues to stay free.