Northern Irish cops release 2 men after Terrorism Act arrests linked to data breach
- Reference: 1693830793
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/09/04/northern_irish_terrorism_arrests/
- Source link:
The pair were arrested on Saturday September 2 in Portadown, County Armagh, bringing total arrests in the case to four. The arrests were linked to an investigation into the freedom of information data breach on August 8th, PSNI confirmed this morning.
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Hill said the force is [1]continuing "to work toward establishing those who possess information relating to the data breach."
[2]
The breach was one of the department's own making. On August 8, it [3]mistakenly published a spreadsheet with the details of every serving Northern Ireland police officer online in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request at the beginning of August.
[4]
[5]
The data spilled included the surnames and initials of serving officers and civilian staff members, plus a listing of officers' rank or grade, details on their location, and the department in which they work. Although the information was removed several hours after it was posted, it could potentially endanger the safety of officers, given the volatile politics of the region. The ethno-nationalist conflict raged for decades, with sectarian violence dying down – and paramilitaries laying down arms – after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, but strong feelings and occasional outbreaks of violence persist.
Both serving and recently retired officers say they face continuing threat from paramilitaries, with several [6]telling the BBC shortly after the breach that they're "always looking over their shoulder."
[7]
On Friday night, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd [8]said that a poster "claiming to contain details of three serving officers" had been placed near a bus shelter on Chapel Road in Dungiven, a small town in County Londonderry, on Thursday, August 31. Todd said: "This was a clear attempt to intimidate police officers, staff and their families, but police can confirm that the information contained on the poster is incorrect." Cops are asking anyone who was driving in the area on Thursday night with a dashcam to come forward with footage. Detectives investigating the placing of a poster have made two arrests, the PSNI told The Reg .
The FoI disclosure log is [9]currently unavailable due to PSNI's ongoing review following the data breach. We've asked PSNI when requests can once again be made.
Altogether four arrests have been made in relation to the mistaken release of the FoI data so far. These include the August 16 arrest of a [10]39-year-old , [11]nabbed on suspicion of collection of information likely to be useful to terrorists. He was later released on bail.
[12]More UK cops' names and photos exposed in supplier breach
[13]Man arrested in Northern Ireland police data leak as more incidents come to light
[14]You're not seeing double – yet another UK copshop is confessing to a data leak
[15]Electoral Commission had internet-facing server with unpatched vuln
Two days later, a 50-year-old man was [16]arrested and has been been charged with Terrorism Act offences. He appeared in Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday 21st August, police said, adding: "As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service."
The [17]Terrorism Act 2000 states that a person commits an offence if they collect or make a record of "information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism." It includes viewing, or otherwise accessing by means of the internet, a document or record containing information of that kind, so we'd assume the force's techies are sifting through server logs while others pound the pavement.
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The PSNI breach kicked off a full month of UK copshop data snafus and leaks. On [19]August 14 , Cumbria police accidentally published the names, salaries, and allowances of all of its staff and officers online; and on August 15, England's [20]Norfolk and Suffolk police admitted to exposing data. They said that due to a "technical issue," raw data about crime reports had been mistakenly included in FoI responses to crime statistic requests.
Most recently, London's Metropolitan Police said a "third-party" breach had exposed staff and officers' names, ranks, photos, vetting levels, and salary information. While the Met wouldn't reveal the identity of the supplier, according to The Sun [21]it was an IT contractor who prints warrant cards and staff passes for the force. According to the paper, all 47,000 staff members and police officers – including senior officials, undercover and counter-terrorism cops, and officers assigned to guard the royal family – were exposed. ®
Get our [22]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/northern-irish-police-make-another-arrest-after-data-breach-2023-08-18/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZPX-I66409qwZ1iR@LVQNwAAAY0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/09/psni_data_breach/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPX-I66409qwZ1iR@LVQNwAAAY0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPX-I66409qwZ1iR@LVQNwAAAY0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-66480799
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPX-I66409qwZ1iR@LVQNwAAAY0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/poster-claiming-have-details-three-serving-officers-located-dungiven
[9] https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/freedom-information
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/17/man_arrested_in_ni_police/
[11] https://www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/search-and-arrest-made-detectives-investigating-criminality-linked-last-weeks-data
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/29/met_police_data_breach/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/17/man_arrested_in_ni_police/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/15/norfolk_and_suffolk_police_data_breach/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/11/electoral_commission_vulnerability/
[16] https://www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/detectives-carry-out-search-and-make-arrest-following-freedom-information-data-breach
[17] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/58#commentary-key-958aed83b6f6c7041cad6f7da254b116
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPX-I66409qwZ1iR@LVQNwAAAY0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/14/cumbrian_police_accidentally_published_officer_details_online/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/15/norfolk_and_suffolk_police_data_breach/
[21] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23668982/metropolitan-police-hacked-security-breach/
[22] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The fact the disclosure log is unavailable doesn't stop people making requests so I am not sure why El Reg has asked that question of the PSNI.
All that is currently happening is that the PSNI aren't publishing the requests and responses on their website when they answer them.
They will still be issuing responses to the individuals who make a request or they are breaching FOI requirements.
If the log had been posted on Facebook then everyone involved, even people just reading it, would have been recorded.
Terrorism?
Quote:
The Terrorism Act 2000 states that a person commits an offence if they collect or make a record of "information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism." It includes viewing, or otherwise accessing by means of the internet, a document or record containing information of that kind, so we'd assume the force's techies are sifting through server logs while others pound the pavement.
"Make a record of information of a kind likely to be useful etc......
So the PSNI has committed an offence by publishing the data, even if by accident.
How many of them are going to be arrested?
Re: Terrorism?
You forget, a police officer can never break the law because "I am the law"
Just the rozzers showing up what trashy people they are. Arresting people for their own mistake, but not the one(s) responsible for making the information public. And what a dodgy and dystopian law. It's so loosely written, just about anything could be talked up to qualify. A truly universal hammer with which to smite any who oppose.
Fortunately in the history of this faire isle the police and politicians have always been wise and fair and would never use such a law.
(Offer not valid in N Ireland)
"but not the one(s) responsible for making the information public."
Given that the information was released in error how do you think they'd go about proving the intent necessary to get a conviction?
That's the nice thing about anti-terrorism laws.
PSNI overly optimistic
PSNI overly optimistic that some of this data is not already known to some to some individuals, though a big concern is there's various "dissident" republican groups who would have lacked that knowledge* that may have gained access to useful info via the recent leak. .
Secrecy is never as good as people think it is, especially as the "bad old days" of very frequent deaths / injuries (on both sides of the sectarian divide) are gradually receding (obv. still some sectarian violence) & as a consequence, for many, the full on hyper vigilant approach is on the wane - even though many deep divisions in society (& some grievances carried on down the generations)
* Sinn Féin & others on board with the peace process & have plenty of info but all sorts of "new" republican groups that are not onboard & not as well informed.
Re: PSNI overly optimistic
I was looking for a funny Brendan Behan (icon) quote but saw this one, "It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody."
After I got out of college I started working on building sites with a lot of Irish nationals in the early 70's ... and after drinking with everyone in the pub for lunch every day I started doing my search of the Irish vs England history which resulted in me completely supporting the Irish workers views of the crap (on both sides) at the time. So nowadays I believe that England needs to respect the entire Irish views as a result of our behavior in history. We (in England) eventually quit our relationships with Italy (the Romans) and France (as a result of 1066) ... so we need to be friends with everyone in Ireland just as we're friends with everyone in France (great wine) and Italy (Great pizza too).
All my life's visits to Ireland have been so nice every since the 80's and I love playing my bodhrán drum at home.
so some neckbeards downloaded it online and the PSNI had to show face and arrest them to make it seem they had things under control despite it being available to anyone willing to get it.