Hundreds of classified Home Affairs documents believed sent to unsecured address in 'serious' breach of security protocols
A Department of Home Affairs (DHA) contractor suspected of illegally sending classified documents to an unsecured location was allowed to continue working in the public service.
Key points:
A former colleague said the man's clearance had allowed him to view secret documents
He is said to have sent classified documents to his personal email address
A source said the man first removed the classification ratings so his actions did not trigger an alert
The man is alleged to have stripped the "classified" status from files relating to 500 departmental projects, before forwarding them to his personal email address to access at home.
A figure familiar with the "serious" breach of security protocols told the ABC the contractor removed the classification ratings from documents so his actions did not trigger an internal departmental alert system.
One of the man's former colleagues says he held a NV1 (negative vetting level 1) security clearance, which allowed him ongoing access to view secret documents, in addition to temporary, supervised access to top-secret information.
His unauthorised activity is believed to have taken place from as early as 2020 until the man's contract ceased in June 2021, and to have involved projects across the Home Affairs portfolio, including Australian Border Force data.
Senior figures within DHA are understood to have become aware of the breach in September last year when the organisation's cybersecurity unit detected the documents had been sent externally.
The contractor was then brought back for a meeting with the department's intelligence branch head who queried him over the breach of security protocols, resulting in him agreeing not to take on further projects with the department.
He was later hired for contract work with another large federal government department on project management, despite several former colleagues within DHA's intelligence branch declining to provide personal references.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/serious-breach-involving-classified-home-affairs-documents/101109216
Whistleblower got caught by the looks of this