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Former GCHQ intern admits taking top secret data home

  • Hasaan Arshad, a 25-year-old former GCHQ intern from Rochdale, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act for risking national security.
  • Arshad's actions occurred while on a work placement with GCHQ, including a period of secondment, and involved taking his work mobile phone into a top-secret area.
  • Arshad transferred sensitive data, including names of GCHQ employees and a valuable GCHQ 'tool,' from a secure computer to his phone, then took the phone home and transferred the data to a hard drive connected to his personal computer.
  • Prosecutors stated the removed 'top secret' data, potentially worth millions of pounds and including a 'tool' representing thousands of hours of work, could have "put lives at risk," while Arshad discussed 'bug bounty' opportunities after his arrest, mentioning "You can get like 10k for simple info leaks."
  • Arshad, who was arrested in 2022 and also pleaded guilty to separate offences of making indecent images of children, was released on bail, and his sentencing for all charges is scheduled for June 13, with the judge ordering a pre-sentence report but noting a custodial sentence remains possible.
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Daily Express broke the news in United Kingdom on Monday, March 31, 2025.
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