GCHQ Intern Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegally Copying Secret Files to Smartphone
A former intern at the UK's intelligence agency GCHQ has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for smuggling top secret data out of a secure facility using his mobile phone. The breach was described by prosecutors as a "flagrant violation"…
A former intern at the UK's intelligence agency GCHQ has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for smuggling top secret data out of a secure facility using his mobile phone. The breach was described by prosecutors as a "flagrant violation" of national security protocols.
Hasaan Arshad, 25, a computer science student from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to one offence under the Computer Misuse Act. The charge related to an incident in August 2022 during his year-long placement at GCHQ, where he handled highly sensitive work as part of a technical development team.
Court proceedings revealed that Arshad brought his work mobile phone into a top secret area of the Cheltenham-based agency on Thu, Aug 24, 2022. He connected the device to his development workstation and copied classified files onto it before taking the phone home. The data, which included the identities of 17 GCHQ staff, was transferred to a hard drive connected to his personal computer.
The breach was uncovered on Fri, Sep 22, 2022, when police executed a search warrant at Arshad’s Rochdale residence and found the top secret data on an external hard drive. Prosecutors emphasized that removing sensitive information from a secure environment risked it "falling into the wrong hands," jeopardizing the safety of intelligence personnel and the UK's national security efforts.
The breach was described by prosecutors as a "flagrant violation" of national security protocols.
In addition to the computer misuse offence, Arshad also pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children. Police discovered 40 category A and four category B indecent images on his personal mobile phone, unrelated to his work at GCHQ. These offences were committed between Thu, Sep 7, 2022, and Sat, Sep 23, 2022.
Judge Maura McGowan sentenced Arshad to six years' imprisonment for the computer misuse offence and an additional 18 months for the child image offences, to be served consecutively. The judge noted that Arshad’s actions were intentional, given his signing of the Official Secrets Act and receiving induction training on security protocols.
Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, stated: "By transferring the top-secret material to his home computer and therefore exposing it to the risks of an unsecure system, Arshad created a significant risk of damage to national security. The Crown Prosecution Service will always seek to prosecute anyone that knowingly jeopardises and endangers the safety of our country."
The defence argued that Arshad acted out of "curiosity" and a desire to complete his project, with no intention to disseminate the information. However, the court found his conduct posed a considerable risk and warranted a substantial custodial sentence.
This case, investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command, underscores the critical importance of safeguarding the UK's most sensitive information and the severe consequences for those who breach that trust.
Based on reporting by GBHackers.