14 DAY TRIAL // A list concerning the immigrants who must be watched by the Hong Kong authorities has been leaked on the web due to what appears to be the mistake of an employee. According to The Earth Times, the employee who caused the data loss was recently hired at the Immigration Department in Hong Kong. However, the way the files reached the web is quite interesting.
It seems like the entire loss occurred through a file-sharing application called Foxy which allows users to download files on the Internet. The newly-hired employee took the information at home to work on it and copied it on his computer. Once he opened Foxy and connected to the Internet, the files were automatically shared and downloaded by other users.
Obviously, the investigators can't say for sure how many users read the information, but think that the leaked data can be then re-distributed if other Foxy users download it from the ones who saved it. It's interesting to note that, according to same source mentioned above, the employee took the information at home without authorization, a matter which will attract disciplinary action against him.
Just like in many other cases, the data loss brought the security issue into attention and made authorities analyze the security systems implemented into their services.
However, such data leaks happen all over the world and it seems like some authorities and administrators simply ignore them, which obviously leaves space for other cases and security breaches. For instance, Lau Kong-wah, chairman of Legislative Council, said that government organizations should analyze their privacy systems because such data losses may also occur in the future.
"The data is sensitive information. Not only the Immigration Department, but all government organisations should review their data-privacy systems to prevent similar cases," he said according to The Earth Times.