Dear colleagues,

Today marks the launch of our information security awareness campaign

Titled “Share With Care”, this is a vital cross-government initiative to improve information security behaviours across government, which aims to address some of the most common causes of major personal data breaches.

I’d like to highlight its importance and tell you a bit more about how you can help prevent inadvertent leaks of sensitive information and personal data, recognising that such leaks can present a security risk to both the organisations and individuals involved.

Government produces and shares a huge amount of information daily. My job as Government Chief Security Officer, and the job of my teams across the Government Security Function, is to ensure that government information is protected and shared safely.

Each Civil Servant plays a vital role in the security journey.

As part of your jobs, you have access to large quantities of data and information not publicly available. You also have a large network of colleagues and partners that you regularly or occasionally share information with, often via email. 

Information sharing is a vital part of our work, it enables us to better collaborate with other departments and organisations in the daily offer of vital services to UK citizens. And, because of its importance, I want you to be aware of how unintentional release of information can be avoided. Unfortunately, small, unintentional mistakes can often have significant impacts. Poor information handling – such as ‘wrong recipient’ emails and the accidental publication of ‘hidden data’ in spreadsheets – can inflict huge damage to government business.

Leaks of information can damage the public’s confidence in UK Government and the Civil Service

They can undermine trust in UK Government and prevent effective working relationships with stakeholders and partners. They can also have negative impacts on decision making and policy development, and, most importantly, they can reveal sensitive information to hostile actors, endangering national security, sensitive assets and public safety. 

Serious Consequences

At their most serious, personal data breaches can lead to tangible threats to life to members of staff and the public. This was demonstrated by the data breach that occurred in the Police Service of Northern Ireland last Summer, when the personal information of 9,483 employees was accidentally published online. Similarly, in September 2021, the UK Ministry of Defence experienced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 265 Afghan nationals, including interpreters who had worked with the UK government. 

These serious incidents led to significant risks to government and our public sector colleagues and customers. It is therefore vital that every one of us plays their role in safeguarding the security of sensitive information and personal data to prevent this from happening again. A workforce that has an awareness of information security is more likely to safeguard sensitive information and personal data in the best possible way. As you know, all Civil Servants are bound by the Civil Service Code, which includes specific rules around the appropriate use of Government information. These include principles such as integrity, honesty, objectivity and political impartiality.

Ensuring that sensitive information is handled appropriately, having higher security awareness when sharing information and familiarising yourself with procedures to follow in the event of a leak is important.

Our campaign is endorsed by the Central Digital and Data Office.

There are some simple steps you can take to ensure that we all remain protected.

We ask that you share with care:

• Check for hidden data included in spreadsheets and other tables
• Check that you’re sending emails to the correct recipient
• Check the classification and handling instructions for any information you need to share
• If a breach happens, report it quickly

By remembering and following these steps you will help to protect yourself, your colleagues and the Civil Service from harm.

Please refer to the Share with Care campaign page to learn more

Please feel free to reach out to myself, the Cabinet Office Security Team or the Government Security Group if you have any questions or concerns.

Many thanks,

Vincent Devine

Government Chief Security Officer