Swedish government's data leak disaster

[M-Dent]

Swedish government’s data leak disaster

The Swedish Transport Agency outsourced IT work to third parties without mandating security clearance for staff, leading other nations to access sensitive government data.

The Swedish government is in a state of distress after a data leak from the Swedish Transport Agency (STA) released sensitive information on the country’s military units and witness relocation program members, Reuters reported.

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Further, looking to speed up deployment and cut costs, the government agency bypassed critical security checks that would have prevented Czech and Serbian workers from handling servers with sensitive materials.

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The leaked data personal details of everyone in Sweden’s witness relocation program, as well as those of the country’s elite military units, fighter pilots, air controllers, and citizens in a police register. It also included citizens’ driver’s license information, details of government and military vehicles, and data on Sweden’s road and transportation infrastructure.

This means that workers in the Czech Republic and Serbia—the latter of which is said to have ties to Russia when it comes to sharing intelligence—were able to access these documents.

Many are calling this one of the largest government breaches in history.

“This is a disaster,” Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said at a news conference last week. “This has exposed Sweden and Swedish citizens to risks.”

techrepublic.com/article/what-the-swedish-governments-data-leak-disaster-can-teach-companies-about-third-party-security/

Not good given the tension with Russia.
Sweden to hold ‘biggest military exercise in decades’ with Nato amid fears over Russia (report)