Police USB stick with anti-terror training found in street

Sensitive data goofs seem to be regular occurrences for the police, NHS and councils across the UK, and in another such incident, a USB stick containing anti-terrorist training manuals has been found on a Manchester pavement.

According to a report in the Daily Star, the USB drive had over 2,000 pages of confidential information stored on it. This included instruction on the use of riot shields and batons, as well as techniques for dealing with street attacks such as petrol bombs.

It also contained details of police personnel, which as the businessman who found it pointed out, could have been used by terrorists to target officers who were involved in anti-terror fields.

The man told the newspaper: “It is scandalous that someone in the police, presumably a high-ranking officer, has been clumsy and negligent enough to lose information as powerful as this.”

It’s not just a matter of losing the stick, mind you, but the fact that the data wasn’t encrypted. While you might expect that from a council employee, the police really should have more of a clue about security.