UK Police Data Faces Long-Standing Microsoft Cloud Security Concerns
Brief
A 2017 UK assessment warned that police data on Microsoft Azure could face foreign access risks. The risks may still exist.
A Guardian investigation has surfaced a 2017 document signed off by then City of London police commissioner Ian Dyson, who also held the title of senior information risk owner for the entire country. That document reviewed 15 risks tied to moving police data onto Microsoft Azure.
The files in question include criminal records, victim statements, internal emails, information from more than 40 UK police forces, and some material exceeding standard “official” classification, meaning it may sit at “secret” or “top secret” level.
The assessment was clear. It said Microsoft software had vulnerabilities that could eventually be exploited by cybercriminals and other attackers. It also pointed to a more specific and worrying risk: “US government insiders.”