A memory stick containing extensive confidential security information, including the exact route Queen Elizabeth takes when using Heathrow Airport, was found lying in the street by a private citizen, the Sunday Mirror reported.
Heathrow, Great Britain’s largest airport, has launched an urgent investigation after the Sunday Mirror alerted the authorities to the discovery of the USB stick, which had 76 folders containing confidential maps, videos and documents. It was not encrypted and did not need a password.
The newspaper received the memory stick from the man who found it on the street after he had it in his possession for a few days.
Among other secretive information, it also included every type of ID needed to access restricted areas, a timetable of patrols used to guard the airport against terror attacks, and the exact location of CCTV cameras and escape shafts linked to Heathrow.
The discovery of the memory stick comes in a year in which Britain has suffered several major terrorist attacks.
Heathrow released a statement, according to the Evening Standard, in which it said the airport has “some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world and we remain vigilant to evolving threats by updating our procedures on a daily basis.”
The airport has promised that “We have reviewed all of our security plans and are confident that Heathrow remains secure… and are taking steps to prevent a similar occurrence in future."
“There are serious questions to be answered,” a former counter-terrorism chief told the Sunday Mirror: “Why was this sensitive material held on an unencrypted memory stick and taken off site? It’s a huge security breach and massively embarrassing for those in charge of security.”
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