Inflite The Jet Centre, a sub-contractor for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) providing ground-handling services at London Stansted Airport, suffered a cyber-security incident involving unauthorized email access. The breach exposed personal data including passport details (name, date of birth, passport number) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) reference numbers of up to 3,700 Afghans resettled in the UK (Jan–Mar 2024), along with British military personnel and former Conservative ministers. The incident follows a 2022 MoD breach where 19,000 Afghans’ data (names, contacts, family details) was leaked, endangering lives under Taliban rule. While the 2024 breach has no evidence of public data release, the exposure of Arap applicants’ identities some already deported or at risk raises severe concerns over targeted persecution. The UK government acknowledged the breach but claimed no direct safety threat, though affected individuals (including elite Afghan forces’ families) face imminent harm if repatriated. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was notified, and critics condemned the repeated security failures as ‘staggering incompetence’, demanding urgent reforms.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce87nyr3evro
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/inflite-the-jet-centre-limited
"id": "inf141082025",
"linkid": "inflite-the-jet-centre-limited",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2022",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Up to 3,700 individuals',
'industry': 'Aviation (Ground-Handling Services)',
'location': 'London Stansted Airport, UK',
'name': 'Inflite The Jet Centre',
'type': 'Private Company (Sub-contractor)'},
{'industry': 'Defense',
'location': 'UK',
'name': 'UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'customers_affected': 'Up to 3,700 (2024 breach) + '
'~19,000 (2022 breach)',
'location': ['UK', 'Afghanistan', 'Pakistan'],
'name': 'Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy '
'(Arap) Scheme Participants',
'type': 'Individuals (Resettled Afghans, British '
'Military Personnel, Former Conservative '
'Government Ministers)'}],
'attack_vector': ['Email Compromise', 'Third-Party Vendor Breach'],
'customer_advisories': ['Email from Afghan resettlement team warning of '
'potential exposure (2024-05-17)',
'MoD statement acknowledging breach and commitment to '
'notifications'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': ['No evidence of public release (2024)',
'Leaked spreadsheet (2022)'],
'file_types_exposed': ['Emails', 'Spreadsheets (2022)'],
'number_of_records_exposed': 'Up to 3,700 (2024) + ~19,000 '
'(2022)',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Dates of Birth',
'Passport Numbers',
'Arap Reference '
'Numbers',
'Contact Details '
'(2022)',
'Family Information '
'(2022)'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (risk of Taliban persecution, '
'identity theft)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Passport Details',
'Arap Reference Numbers']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-05-17',
'description': 'A cyber-security incident at Inflite The Jet Centre, a '
'sub-contractor for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), resulted '
'in unauthorized access to email accounts containing personal '
'data of up to 3,700 Afghans resettled in the UK under the '
'Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme. The '
'breach exposed names, passport details (including name, date '
'of birth, and passport number), and Arap reference numbers. '
"The incident follows a 2022 breach where 19,000 Afghans' data "
'was leaked by a British official. The UK government stated no '
"threat to individuals' safety or government systems was "
'posed, but concerns remain for affected individuals, '
'including risks of Taliban persecution.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Public criticism from charities '
'(e.g., Sulha Alliance), political '
'figures (e.g., Liberal Democrat '
'Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire), '
'and former officials (e.g., Sir Mark '
'Lyall Grant)',
"Described as 'deeply embarrassing' "
"and 'staggering incompetence' by "
'critics'],
'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Passport Details (name, date of birth, '
'passport number)',
'Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy '
'(Arap) reference numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': ['High (due to exposure of passport details '
'and Arap reference numbers)'],
'legal_liabilities': ['Potential regulatory action by the '
"Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)",
'Calls for independent investigation'],
'systems_affected': ['Email Accounts']},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': ['Compromised email accounts of '
'Inflite The Jet Centre'],
'high_value_targets': ['Afghan resettlement data '
'(Arap scheme participants)',
'British military personnel',
'Former Conservative '
'government ministers']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (ICO review, calls for independent '
'investigation)',
'lessons_learned': ['Third-party vendor risks in handling sensitive data '
'(e.g., resettlement schemes)',
'Need for expedited processing of at-risk individuals '
'(e.g., Afghans facing Taliban persecution)',
'Importance of robust email security and access controls',
'Public trust erosion due to repeated breaches (2022 and '
'2024)'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Notification to affected '
'individuals and ICO',
'Public statements to '
'manage reputational damage',
'Potential independent '
'investigation (pending)'],
'root_causes': ['Inadequate email security at '
'third-party sub-contractor '
'(Inflite The Jet Centre)',
'Lack of robust access controls '
'for sensitive data (e.g., Arap '
'scheme details)',
'Repeated failures in data '
'protection (following 2022 '
'breach)']},
'recommendations': ['Conduct independent investigation into security '
'standards and breach causes',
'Enhance vetting and monitoring of third-party '
'contractors with access to sensitive data',
'Accelerate relocation processes for at-risk Afghans to '
'mitigate harm from data exposure',
'Implement stricter data encryption and access controls '
'for email systems',
'Provide identity theft protection and support services '
'to affected individuals'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-05-17',
'source': 'BBC News',
'url': 'https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68999999'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-05-17',
'source': "BBC Newsnight (Interview with Afghan 'Triples' "
'family member)'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-05-17',
'source': 'UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Statement'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-05-17',
'source': 'Inflite The Jet Centre Statement'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-05-17',
'source': 'Sulha Alliance (Prof. Sara de Jong)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['Calls for independent '
'investigation',
'ICO review pending'],
'regulations_violated': ['Potential GDPR (General '
'Data Protection '
'Regulation) violations'],
'regulatory_notifications': ['Reported to the '
'Information '
"Commissioner's Office "
'(ICO)']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Email notifications to affected '
'individuals',
'Public statements by MoD and Inflite '
'The Jet Centre',
'Media engagement (e.g., BBC '
'Newsnight)'],
'containment_measures': ['Limited scope to email accounts only '
'(per Inflite statement)'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'remediation_measures': ['Notification to affected individuals',
'Reporting to the Information '
"Commissioner's Office (ICO)"]},
'stakeholder_advisories': ["UK Government: 'No threat to safety or government "
"systems'",
"MoD: 'Taking data security seriously; notifying "
"affected individuals'",
"Inflite The Jet Centre: 'Incident limited to "
"email accounts'",
'Sulha Alliance: Urged expedited relocation for '
'pending Arap cases',
'Former UK National Security Adviser (Sir Mark '
"Lyall Grant): Criticized breaches as 'deeply "
"embarrassing'",
'Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson (Helen '
'Maguire): Called for independent investigation'],
'title': 'Data Breach at Inflite The Jet Centre Affecting Afghan Resettlement '
'Scheme',
'type': ['Data Breach', 'Unauthorized Access']}