Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Ministry of Defence secrets exposed by people sending files to personal email accounts, documents show

Ministry of Defence secrets exposed by people sending files to personal email accounts, documents show

There were a record number of security incidents across the UK defence industry last year, heavily redacted documents reveal.

Secret information belonging to the Ministry of Defence was exposed to hostile states when it was transferred from secure networks to personal email accounts, Sky News has learnt.

Although documents obtained by Sky News were redacted to obscure the nature of the secret information, they reveal a record number of security breaches in 2020 originating from the British military's private sector partners.

The rising number of security incidents raises questions about the UK's resilience to foreign espionage ahead of the government unveiling its Integrated Review on Tuesday, which will set out the strategic direction of Britain's defence and security apparatus.


The redacted documents show that a total of 151 incidents were filed with the MoD's defence industry Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (WARP) in 2020, compared with just 75 in 2019.

"Every government contractor that processes MOD information is obliged to report security incidents to the Defence Industry WARP," explains a new page on gov.uk published last month.

Although the substance and outcome of these incidents is obscured, many of the records in the documents obtained by Sky News are followed by multiple paragraphs of redacted explanation, including numerous incidents when information was sent to personal email accounts."

Hostile states are known to target the personal email accounts of politicians and defence officials. Russian hackers allegedly stole secret trade deal papers from the personal email account of then cabinet minister Liam Fox ahead of the 2019 election.

The most extensive report, filed on 1 May 2020, runs several pages long and related to "data sent to unauthorised domain" - potentially indicating a phishing attack.

Two incidents in April were considered so sensitive that even the dates they occurred on were redacted.

Other incidents include potential compromises to MoD owned systems, a breach of a perimeter fence at an undisclosed location, infrastructure being misconfigured, and in one case missile containers being available for sale.

A spokesperson for the MoD said: "The MoD takes the security of its personnel, systems and establishments very seriously and continually seek to improve security incident reporting.

"We have recently introduced policy, processes and tools to make internal and external reporting easier and more efficient, and the increase in reports can be largely attributed to these improvements."

The incidents raise questions about the UK's resilience to cyber spies.


Cyber attacks reported to the MoD and to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, a part of GCHQ, are not referred to other regulators as a matter of course.

Businesses within the defence sector that lose personal data in a cyber attack are obliged to inform the data regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, but this is not the case if non-personal state secrets are compromised.

Publicly listed companies are expected to inform the Financial Conduct Authority about any material incidents, including cyber attacks, whether personal data is lost or not.

The government's long-awaited Integrated Review - billed as the most significant strategic overhaul of the UK's foreign, defence, security and aid policy since the Cold War - is due to be launched on Tuesday.

In a sign of the likely political clashes ahead, the Conservative chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, warned ministers not to overlook the need to bolster existing military capabilities, telling Sky News: "We drop our guard on the conventional side at our peril."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
×