US EditionFormer GCHQ intern admits taking top secret data home
- Hasaan Arshad, a 25-year-old former GCHQ intern from Rochdale, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act for risking national security.
- Arshad's actions occurred while on a work placement with GCHQ, including a period of secondment, and involved taking his work mobile phone into a top-secret area.
- Arshad transferred sensitive data, including names of GCHQ employees and a valuable GCHQ 'tool,' from a secure computer to his phone, then took the phone home and transferred the data to a hard drive connected to his personal computer.
- Prosecutors stated the removed 'top secret' data, potentially worth millions of pounds and including a 'tool' representing thousands of hours of work, could have "put lives at risk," while Arshad discussed 'bug bounty' opportunities after his arrest, mentioning "You can get like 10k for simple info leaks."
- Arshad, who was arrested in 2022 and also pleaded guilty to separate offences of making indecent images of children, was released on bail, and his sentencing for all charges is scheduled for June 13, with the judge ordering a pre-sentence report but noting a custodial sentence remains possible.
17 Articles
17 Articles
MSS discloses cleaner among outsourced staff leaking state secrets to overseas intelligence agencies
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) disclosed three espionage cases involving outsourced service personnel on Friday, warning of potential risks. In one case, a cleaner employed by an outsourced provider proactively contacted foreign intelligence agencies, resulting in the leakage of classified information and posing a threat to national security, according to the MSS.
GCHQ intern risked national security taking home top secret data on his mobile
Hasaan Arshad downloaded the top secret data from a top secret computer in a secure room at the UK’s intelligence agency (Picture: Getty) A GCHQ intern put the UK’s national security at risk when he downloaded top secret data onto his phone and took it home. Hasaan Arshad, a 25-year-old from Rochdale, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act at the Old Bailey today. While doing a year-long placement at the intelligence agency, …
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