UK troops and Afghans' passport details lost by MoD in data breach
An alert was sent to about 3,700 affected individuals on Friday telling them their personal information, including their name, date of birth and passport number, may have been lost after emails containing flight information were hacked.
This happened after Inflite, a third-party subcontractor used by the Ministry of Defence, suffered a ransomware attack, thought to have been carried out by criminal gangs. It is unclear if a state actor such as Iran or Russia has been ruled out.
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About 3,700 individuals are believed to have been potentially affected, including more than 100 British personnel, sources said. The rest were Afghans being rescued from the Taliban.
The data covered the period between January and March 2024, when hundreds of Afghans are likely to have been flown to the UK. The attack, which happened recently, related specifically to those flying into London Stansted airport. The flights were used for bringing Afghans to the UK, travel to routine military exercises and official engagements.
Inflite — through its subsidiary Inflite the Jet Centre — provides ground-handling services for flights to the airport, which is often used by the UK to bring in Afghans seeking sanctuary in Britain.It also handles flights for the Cabinet Office.
The MoD alert warned: 'There is a risk that some of your or your family's personal information may be affected. This may include passport details (including name, data of birth, and passport number) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) reference numbers.'
It warned those emailed 'please remain vigilant and be alert to unexpected communication or unusual activity'.
The email has been sent to those who travelled during the period. It explained that certain information was required by the contractor to enable flights to depart and arrive.
MoD sources said there was currently no evidence to suggest that any data had been released publicly or on the dark web.
The MoD is already under scrutiny over the Afghan superinjunction — the longest-ever to be sought by a government — which prevented parliamentary and public scrutiny of the leak of a spreadsheet detailing the names, telephone numbers and emails addresses of Afghans seeking relocation to Britain.
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Officials insisted the information should stay secret for almost two years, arguing that as many as 100,000 Afghans were at risk of Taliban retribution including death and torture.
However, it suddenly dropped its case, and the superinjunction was discharged last month, after an independent review found it was 'highly unlikely' Afghans on the leaked spreadsheet were at risk.
Ministers then U-turned on plans to bring 42,500 of those affected to Britain, reducing the number to 24,000 Afghans, including family members, because they were either here or had already been invited.
Details of the new breach emerged as a Freedom of Information request revealed the legal bill for the Afghan superinjunction was almost £2.5 million.
Adnan Malik at Barings Law, representing 1,400 Afghans affected by previous the Afghan data leak, said: 'This is public money they used to cover their own backs. Barings Law will continue to pursue justice for all of those affected, and stop the deceit on behalf of the MoD.'
Professor Sara de Jong of the Sulha Alliance, which campaigns for Afghans who worked beside UK forces during the 20 years of conflict, said: 'It's extraordinary that Afghans at risk are affected by yet another data security incident involving the Ministry of Defence. This will even further erode the trust of Afghans, who supported British military goals and who thought they could rely on protection in return, in UK institutions.
'Afghans who are now affected by several data leaks will also be left wondering why the Ministry of Defence's communication and advice is different each time, with the limited security advice and guidance, given very little reassurance.'
Rafi Hottak, a former interpreter who was blown up on the front line and now campaigns for his ex-colleagues, said: 'How can it be that we've now had three separate data leaks involving one of the most vulnerable group of people? I am truly worried about how badly the UK MoD has mishandled the personal data of Afghan allies. Once again, they have failed to protect those who stood shoulder to shoulder with them in the fight against terrorism.'
A government spokesperson said: 'We were recently notified that a third-party subcontractor to a supplier experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorised access to a small number of its emails that contained basic personal information.
'We take data security extremely seriously and are going above and beyond our legal duties in informing all potentially affected individuals.
'The incident has not posed any threat to individuals' safety, nor compromised any government systems.'
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