In February 2022, a catastrophic **data breach** within the UK’s **Ministry of Defence (MoD)** exposed the personal details of up to **100,000 Afghans**—including interpreters, contractors, and allies—who had collaborated with British forces. The leak placed their lives at direct risk from the Taliban, forcing the UK government to launch **Operation Rubific**, a covert £7bn evacuation scheme that relocated **16,000 individuals** to Britain under emergency conditions, with another **8,000 pending relocation**. The breach was concealed for nearly two years under an **unprecedented super-injunction**, with Parliament and the public kept in the dark. The exposed data included identities, locations, and affiliations with UK military operations, making the affected individuals prime targets for retaliation. The incident not only endangered lives but also triggered a **clandestine, large-scale humanitarian operation**, straining diplomatic and logistical resources while raising severe questions about the MoD’s data security protocols and transparency failures.
Source: https://nz.news.yahoo.com/watch-live-independent-holly-bancroft-105153396.html
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/uk-ministry-of-defence
"id": "uk-1533515110425",
"linkid": "uk-ministry-of-defence",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "2/2022",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "7",
"explanation": "Attack that could injure or kill people"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Up to 100,000 Afghans '
'(indirectly)',
'industry': 'Defence/Military',
'location': 'United Kingdom',
'name': 'UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'customers_affected': '16,000 evacuated (8,000 '
'pending)',
'location': 'Afghanistan/UK (evacuees)',
'name': 'Afghan Nationals Linked to UK Forces',
'type': 'Individuals at Risk'}],
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Up to 100,000',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Associations with UK '
'military',
'Evacuation '
'eligibility status'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'Extremely High (life-threatening risk '
'to exposed individuals)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal details of Afghans '
'(names, links to UK forces)',
'Evacuation operation '
'specifics']},
'date_detected': '2022-02',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-11-04',
'description': 'A data breach at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in February '
'2022 exposed the personal details of up to 100,000 Afghans '
'linked to UK forces, putting their lives at risk from the '
'Taliban. The breach triggered a covert evacuation operation '
'(Operation Rubific), relocating 16,000 Afghans to the UK '
'under a £7bn scheme, with 8,000 more pending. The incident '
'was concealed under a super-injunction for nearly two years, '
'hiding the true reason for the evacuation from Parliament and '
'the public.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Erosion of public trust in MoD data '
'handling',
'Criticism over secrecy and lack of '
'transparency'],
'data_compromised': ['Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of '
'Afghans linked to UK forces',
'Evacuation operation details'],
'identity_theft_risk': ['High (for exposed Afghans)',
'Risk of Taliban retaliation'],
'legal_liabilities': ['Potential violations of data protection '
'laws',
'Super-injunction controversies'],
'operational_impact': ['Covert evacuation operation (Operation '
'Rubific) involving 16,000 Afghans',
'Ongoing relocation of 8,000 more '
'individuals',
'Super-injunction to suppress disclosure']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (Defence Committee inquiry as of November '
'2024)',
'lessons_learned': ['Critical failures in data protection for high-risk '
'individuals',
'Over-reliance on secrecy over transparency',
'Need for robust oversight of covert operations with '
'civilian impacts'],
'motivation': ['Espionage (potential)',
'Human Error (likely)',
'Operational Security Failure'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Pending Defence Committee '
'recommendations',
'Potential MoD policy '
'reforms'],
'root_causes': ['Human error in data handling',
'Inadequate safeguards for '
'high-sensitivity data',
'Cultural overemphasis on '
'secrecy']},
'recommendations': ['Independent review of MoD data handling practices',
'Reform of super-injunction use in national security '
'cases',
'Enhanced support for at-risk Afghans affected by the '
'breach'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-11-04', 'source': 'The Independent'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-11-04',
'source': 'UK Parliament Defence Committee Hearing'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['Super-injunction to suppress '
'disclosure (controversial)'],
'regulations_violated': ['Potential breaches of UK '
'GDPR/Data Protection Act '
'2018',
'Parliamentary '
'transparency norms'],
'regulatory_notifications': ['Limited to Defence '
'Committee (2024)',
'No public or broader '
'Parliamentary '
'disclosure until '
'forced']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Suppression of details via legal '
'injunction',
'Selective disclosure to Defence '
'Committee (2024)'],
'containment_measures': ['Secrecy via super-injunction',
'Limited disclosure to Parliament'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': ['Operation Rubific (covert '
'evacuation)',
'Super-injunction to '
'suppress disclosure'],
'recovery_measures': ['Evacuation of 16,000 Afghans',
'Ongoing relocation efforts']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Defence Committee briefings',
'Limited disclosure to affected Afghan '
'communities'],
'title': 'Ministry of Defence Afghan Data Breach (2022)',
'type': ['Data Breach',
'Unauthorized Disclosure',
'National Security Incident']}