Australian government face largest paper security breach in history

As you may have already heard on the news, the Australian government are currently in the limelight for one of the largest breaches of national security in history.

Hundreds of ‘top secret’ and ‘AUSTEO’ (marked for Australian eyes only) classified files have been obtained by the broadcaster ABC at a government furniture sale in Canberra. The files had been found within two locked filing cabinets which had been sold for small change as the keys had been misplaced. The files referenced top secret government documentation spanning over 5 separate governments.

The revelations included allegations that the Australian federal police had lost 400 national security files between 2008 and 2013 as well as reports that the previous prime minister Tony Abbott, had considered denying welfare to people under 30.

This breach in national security only stresses how insecure our reliance on paper documentation really is. If the top-secret documentation had been saved onto a computer and in a similar situation, sold in Canberra, the data would be secure due to password and data encryption.

If your organisation operates with a heavy reliance on paper, Storetec have the document scanning solution for you. Whether your documents are on standard paper, microfilm & microfiche, large format drawings or medical records, we can digitise your archive to the best possible quality.

If you want to contact us to discuss the best options for your organisation, please contact us today.