14 DAY TRIAL // An USB memory stick stolen from a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer's home has officials worried because it contains sensitive information about police operations.
The incident occurred on July 17 when burglars broke into the officer's Oldham home, stole multiple items, including the USB stick, and drove away in his Volkswagen Gold.
After notifying his superiors, the Greater Manchester Police officer was suspended and a dedicated team was assigned to investigate the theft.
There is currently no reason to believe that the officer was particularly targeted. Investigators treat it as an opportunistic crime.
No details about the memory stick contents have been revealed, but one individual was notified about their personal information being compromised as a result of the incident.
According to the BBC, the information stored on the device is not thought to be password protected. The Information Commissioner's Office has already been alerted.
"I want to reassure residents across Greater Manchester that we are taking this incredibly seriously and we are working hard to both identify who was responsible for the burglary and recover the stolen memory stick," said GMP Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan.
"I also want to make it clear that any suggestion this memory stick contained lists of names of people who 'tipped off' police is inaccurate," he added.
The Greater Manchester Police has lost sensitive information on USB memory sticks before. Back in September 2010, a stick labeled GMP POTU (Greater Manchester Police Public Order Training Unit), was found on the pavement outside a police station.
"Aside from the issue of whether such sensitive data about an investigation should be left at an officer's home in the first place, why isn't encryption being used as a matter of course to ensure that - even if the information does fall into the wrong hands - it can't be deciphered?" asks Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.