Over 3,000 passwords belonging to British civil servants have been exposed online since the start of 2024, with local authorities among those affected.
Aberdeen City Council, Lancashire County Council, Newham Council, and Southwark Council ranked among the top 10 most affected public institutions, according to a NordPass report.
While most of the leaked credentials belonged to employees at regional-level institutions, the report warned that the number of exposed passwords does not necessarily reflect the strength of an organisation’s wider cybersecurity measures.
Karolis Arbaciauskas, head of product at NordPass, commented: ‘These figures are often influenced by external factors. Larger organizations, with more employees, naturally have a bigger digital footprint, which statistically increases the likelihood of credentials being exposed in a breach.’
He continued: ‘In many cases, a single malware infection on an employee’s personal device or the compromise of a popular third-party website can expose dozens of accounts. Furthermore, the majority of leaks originate from external sites where employees registered using their work email addresses.’
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