Former Police Officers Admit to Unauthorized Data Access and Sharing in UK Court Case
Two former police officers, Sean Picton and Anthony Bolaños, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully obtaining and sharing personal data without consent between October 2022 and January 2023. The case, heard at the UK Supreme Court, centered on Picton’s unauthorized access to sensitive information, which he then shared with Bolaños, who subsequently disclosed it to a third party.
Originally, Picton had denied more severe charges, including misconduct in public office and unauthorized computer access, while Bolaños faced allegations of aiding and abetting misconduct. However, both admitted to the reduced charges of data protection violations. Judge Matthew Happold acknowledged that the original charges carried a potential life sentence, whereas the data offenses typically result in fines. He noted that while a conviction for the more serious offenses was plausible, the prosecution had opted for the lesser charges after careful consideration.
The case underscores concerns over unauthorized data handling within law enforcement, highlighting the legal consequences of mishandling sensitive information.
Source: https://www.gbc.gi/news/misconduct-charges-dropped-as-police-admit-data-breaches
Sussex Police cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/sussex-police
"id": "SUS1769125781",
"linkid": "sussex-police",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2022",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'United Kingdom',
'name': 'UK Law Enforcement',
'type': 'Government'}],
'attack_vector': 'Insider Threat',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal and sensitive '
'information'},
'description': 'Two former police officers, Sean Picton and Anthony Bolaños, '
'pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully obtaining and sharing '
'personal data without consent between October 2022 and '
'January 2023. Picton accessed sensitive information without '
'authorization and shared it with Bolaños, who then disclosed '
'it to a third party.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Negative impact on law enforcement '
'trust',
'data_compromised': 'Personal and sensitive information',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Fines and legal consequences'},
'investigation_status': 'Concluded',
'lessons_learned': 'Importance of access controls and monitoring in law '
'enforcement to prevent unauthorized data access and '
'sharing.',
'motivation': 'Unauthorized sharing of sensitive information',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Lack of access controls and '
'monitoring, insider threat'},
'recommendations': 'Implement stricter access controls, regular audits, and '
'enhanced monitoring of sensitive data access within law '
'enforcement agencies.',
'references': [{'source': 'UK Supreme Court Case'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Guilty plea to data protection '
'violations',
'regulations_violated': 'Data Protection Laws'},
'threat_actor': ['Sean Picton', 'Anthony Bolaños'],
'title': 'Former Police Officers Admit to Unauthorized Data Access and '
'Sharing',
'type': 'Unauthorized Data Access',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Lack of access controls and monitoring'}