Incident Details
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) faces a £750k fine due to a spreadsheet error that exposed personal data of over 9,000 staff, raising concerns about inadequate security protocols.
Incident
How Did the Breach Happen?
An internal spreadsheet error led to the online publication of personal information in response to a freedom of information request.
What Data has been Compromised?
Personal details such as surname, initials, rank, and role of all 9,483 serving PSNI officers and staff were compromised.
Why Did the company's Security Measures Fail?
Inadequate internal procedures and sign-off protocols for secure data disclosure contributed to the breach.
What Immediate Impact Did the Breach Have on the company?
The PSNI faced a significant fine and scrutiny, highlighting the need for improved data protection measures.
How could this have been prevented?
Implementing robust data disclosure protocols and security measures and ensuring thorough review processes could have prevented this breach.
What have we learned from this data breach?
This incident underscores the critical importance of stringent data protection practices and the potential consequences of security failures.
Summary of Coverage
PSNI's data breach led to a hefty fine and exposed the vulnerabilities in its security procedures, emphasizing the necessity of stringent data protection protocols.