UK army recruitment portal still closed one month after data breach
The UK Army's Capita-run Defence Recruitment System (DRS) continues to experience technical troubles more than a month after it was shut down as a precautionary measure, when data relating to more than 100 candidates was discovered for sale on the dark web.
"We are currently experiencing some technical issues with the Army Recruitment System," reads the message on the login page.
"If you have any questions surrounding your application or progression through the recruitment pipeline please call this number 0345 600 8080 or contact your recruiter."
A spokesperson for the Army told The Guardian that the online recruitment services were suspended pending an inquiry - now complete - following the breach of a small set of candidates' data.
Certain functionality, and the processing of applications, is set to resume soon.
The internal DRS has been restored, although the external online portal is still not accessible.
The issue has impeded recruitment for more than five weeks during the two-month war in Ukraine. The Army has had to use emergency mechanisms, and the impact on recruitment numbers is still not clear.
Defence sources declined to comment on whether Russia or Russian operatives were involved in the hack, although evidence suggests that it was not a massive breach.
The Army was notified of the security incident on 14th March and, as a precaution, shut down the career website and DRS two days later.
A source told The Register that the data of 125 recruits was available for sale on the dark web for 1 Bitcoin (currently worth $40,350).
The data breach has been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). An ICO spokesperson said that "after making inquiries and carefully reviewing the information provided, we decided no further action was needed at this time".
Capita, an outsourcing firm that receives around £3 billion a year in public sector contracts, manages the DRS. It has been criticised in the past for missing recruitment targets.
In 2020, the Ministry of Defence reported that in the 12 months after the DRS was turned on, there was a 22 per cent decline in applications to the British Army - a total of 25,000 fewer applicants.
In a 2019 report, the Public Accounts Committee said that every year, the shortage of candidates has varied from 21 per cent to 45 per cent of the Army's requirements.
"In 2017-18, Capita recruited 6,948 fewer regular and reserve soldiers and officers than the Army needed. Capita missed the Army's annual target for recruiting regular soldiers by an average of 30 per cent over the first five years of the contract, compared with a 4 per cent shortfall in the two years before Capita started."
According to the report, Capita acknowledged that it made errors. The report said the firm was "more interested in chasing revenue" and securing new contracts than its partnership with the Army.