CyberAttack On Bectus Parent Union Sparks UK National Security Concerns Yahoo News UK

pppppppManage your accountppppEXCLUSIVE The cyberattack on Prospect the parent union of film and TV group Bectu has sparked fears that it could have compromised information pertaining to the UKs national securityppDeadline revealed earlier this month that the majority of Prospects 150000 members had their data breached during an IT security incident in JuneppMore from DeadlineppBectu Members Personal Data Bank Details Breached In IT Security IncidentppNearly Half Of British TV Workforce Are Out Of Work Bectu Research FindsppIn Rare Joint Statement UK Broadcasting Union Producer Trade Body Pledge To Eliminate Broken TurnaroundppOur original report focused on the impact that the breach had on Bectu members working across the entertainment industry but Prospects activities are sprawlingppThe union represents members in sensitive professions including at the Ministry of Defence and military suppliers Prospect also has civil servant members across a variety of government departmentsppData accessed during the breach included bank details contact details and personal identifiers like birth dates and protected characteristicsppProspect general secretary Mike Clancy has held online calls with members in recent days with people grilling him about the cyberattack and why it took four months to inform members that personal information was compromisedppDeadline has seen a written question from a Prospect member in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory DSTL which develops UK security and defence technologyppWe in DSTL work in national security some in extremely sensitive roles dealing with current operations When you found our data had been compromised you should have told us all immediately as our personal security is at risk this person saidppAnother member told Deadline The membership of this union includes toplevel civil servants the defense sector nuclear sector etc its a national security risk The data could well end up in the hands of a hostile state actorppProspect has not disclosed who was behind the cyberattack meaning the union has not ruled out the possibility of a state actor being involved in some capacity In conversations with members Clancy has also declined to confirm whether a ransom has been paidppA Prospect spokesperson said the union had held talks with employers about the cyberattack especially where members work in sensitive areas They added These conversations have been constructive and will continueppDeadline understands that detectives in the Metropolitan Polices cybercrime unit are investigating the matter The UKs Information Commissioners Office ICO has also been made aware of the incident An ICO spokesperson said it is making enquiries with a view to potentially launching a full investigationppAlthough Prospect members are upset about how long it took the union to inform them of the personal data breach one cybersecurity source said four months is not necessarily unusual particularly in complex cases The ICO states that if a breach affects an individuals rights and freedoms they should be informed without undue delayppProspect said We take our responsibility to our members incredibly seriously We worked relentlessly to ensure we knew the precise scope of impact so we could notify those affected in accordance with our legal obligations and not cause unnecessary concern to other members who did not need to be notifiedppThis required extensive detailed work to achieve and was completed as quickly as possible Differentiating and identifying impact did take time but this allowed us to provide tailored communications so members we notified knew exactly how they were affected and the support we were making available to themppBest of DeadlineppStreamer Subscription Prices And Tiers Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads AboundppEverything We Know About The Reminders of Him Movie So FarppWhich Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies Verity Reminders Of Him Regretting You Will Join It Ends With UsppSign up for Deadlines Newsletter For the latest news follow us on Facebook Twitter and Instagramp