The U.K. Ministry of Defence has revealed some startling figures about laptop loss for the last four years: 659 laptops have been reported stolen and 89 lost.

These figures contradict earlier investigations by the Ministry of Defence that put the new figures at double previous figures. Of the laptops lost since 2004, only 32 have been recovered. In addition to these lost laptops, 121 USB memory sticks have been lost or stolen since 2004, some of which held restricted / classified data. You can read more on these breaches here.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather stated to parliament that:

“It seems this government simply cannot be trusted with keeping sensitive information safe. It is frightening to think that secret MoD information can be lost or stolen.”

20,000 laptops have been recalled by the Ministry of Defence in order to be encrypted. But these figures highlight the importance of having a layered approach to computer security. Encryption alone is not enough to protect data. You need to be able to recover lost or stolen computers to make sure that information is not accessed by unauthorized users. Absolute Software can help companies / agencies like the MoD recover lost laptops - for more on how Absolute helped solve recent laptop thefts at US airports, read here.

Via intergovworld, computerweekly ; image: cohdra @ morguefile ; Tags: mod, ministry of defence, laptop security, laptop tracking, laptop loss, it security, data breach