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A university student accused of removing top secret information worth millions of pounds while on a work placement with GCHQ has pleaded guilty to causing a serious risk to national security.
While on secondment to the agency, Hasaan Arshad, 25, took his work mobile phone into a top-secret area and connected the device to a workstation.
He then transferred sensitive data, containing the names of GCHQ employees, from a secure computer to the phone before taking it home.
Arshad, the son of a local councillor from Rochdale, Lancashire, allegedly then transferred the data to his personal home computer.
Prosecutors said the data was potentially worth millions of pounds and contained a tool that could have “put lives at risk”.
On the first day of what would have been a three-week-long trial, he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and admitted to creating a significant risk of serious damage to national security.
Suspect discussed ‘bug bounty’ sale
After his arrest in 2022, Arshad gave a prepared statement to officers in which he admitted to removing the data but insisted he had no intention of providing it to someone else.
“I removed the data simply out of curiosity to further develop some of the changes I was unable to complete during the course of my placement,” he said.
“I had intended to use my developments when I hopefully returned to my previous team.
“I’m sorry for my actions, and I understand the stupidity of what I have done.”
Arshad then told the police he understood “the potential damage and risk,” but insisted nobody had seen or had access to the sensitive data.
Investigators found after his arrest that he used WhatsApp to discuss “developed vetting” in the cyber sector on 26 May 2022.
He also mentioned the term “bug bounty” – an amount of money…
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