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SecurityQuiet 13d · day 13

GCHQ loses track of thousands of storage devices with sensitive data

Britain's spy agency cannot account for USB sticks and hard drives that may contain classified intelligence, years after first being flagged by its watchdog.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 11d ago6 pieces14 likes & upvotes MastodonNewswiresHacker News

What to know

  • GCHQ has lost track of thousands of storage devices—USB sticks, hard drives, memory cards—that may contain highly classified data including intercepted communications and information extracted from computers and phones.
  • The Investigatory Powers Commissioner first raised the issue years ago; the October 2026 report shows the problem remains unresolved, with GCHQ unable to account for the devices or confirm how many are actually lost.
  • GCHQ acknowledged its tracking system was inadequate but claims corrective measures and risk-mitigation controls are now in place.
  • The incident represents a significant security failure at a major intelligence agency responsible for protecting sensitive national security data.
some voices

The story is absurd and darkly humorous—a major spy agency losing track of thousands of classified devices.

“may contain IPA-related data”

Brian Leveson, Investigatory Powers Commissioner · Politico Europe ↗

Brian Leveson Investigatory Powers CommissionerGCHQ British intelligence agencyInvestigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO) Intelligence oversight watchdog

GCHQ loses track of thousands of storage devices with sensitive data
politico.eu

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 4 pieces in 3h at Oct 29, 12 PM; 6 pieces over 13 days (1 article · 5 posts) Oct 29, 12 PM — 4 pieces · 1 article · 3 posts — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1, Hacker News 1Oct 29, 3 PM — quietOct 29, 6 PM — quietOct 29, 9 PM — quietOct 30, 12 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Oct 30, 3 AM — quietOct 30, 6 AM — quietOct 30, 9 AM — quietOct 30, 12 PM — quietOct 30, 3 PM — quietOct 30, 6 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 12 AM — quietOct 31, 3 AM — quietOct 31, 6 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quietToday, 8 PM — quiet 1
Oct 30Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9yesterdaynow · 9:14 PM ET
  1. 1

    GCHQ acknowledges tracking system flaws, claims corrective action

    GCHQ's spokesperson acknowledged that its "management system for removable media was previously not sufficiently robust" and stated the agency has "taken action against all their recommendations" and implemented "a range of measures to mitigate the risks posed by these items."

    “our management system for removable media was previously not sufficiently robust to effectively track the items that were registered for use.”
    — GCHQ spokesperson
    • cryptohagen@social.data.coop

      🇬🇧 spion agentur GCHQ har mistet tusindvis af lager-enheder En regerings-undersøgelse har fundet at agenturet har forlagt et betydeligt antal USB-sticks, harddiske og hukommelses-kort Nogle af enhederne har angiveligt følsomme oplysninger, men langt de fleste af de manglende hardwareartikler blev stærkt krypteret https://www…

      cryptohagen@social.data.coopMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    IPCO expresses concern over investigation timeline — The Investigatory Powers Commissioner's report states the agency remains "very concerned about this issue and are disappointed with the time it has taken GCHQ to investigate," noting the system currently estimates devices "to be in the thousands" and is working to determine how many have been confirmed as lost.

  3. background

    IPCO report confirms thousands of devices still unaccounted for — The Investigatory Powers Commissioner's report found that GCHQ cannot account for thousands of storage devices including USB sticks, hard drives, and memory cards that may contain sensitive IPA-related data—information collected under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, including intercepted emails, texts, and telephone calls.

  4. background

    IPCO first raises missing storage devices with GCHQ — The Investigatory Powers Commissioner initially disclosed the loss of considerable numbers of storage devices at GCHQ and MI5, some potentially containing information classified as "TOP SECRET."

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