UK broadcaster the BBC has reported more than £150,000 worth of electronic devices stolen over the past three years.

The devices include items such as microphones, laptops, and a variety of others, according to official figures.

Data, collected through a Freedom of Information request (FOI) and analysed by think tank Parliament Street, discovered the number of stolen devices from the BBC year on year between 2019 and 2021, as well as their monetary value.

In total, around 256 devices were recorded as stolen during the reporting period, totalling £150,998, with 83%, or £125,961 worth, coming in 2021.

The BBC noted that during 2021, 164 microphones were stolen in one incident, which is subject of a Police investigation. They also revealed that a suspect, a non-BBC contractor, was identified and subsequently dismissed by their employer.

Stolen devices last year included iPads, mobile phones, laptops, MacBooks, televisions, cameras, speakers, lenses, and microphones.

Across 2019 and 2020, 58 electronic devices were reported as stolen, totalling £25,037.

Cybersecurity expert Achi Lewis, Area VP EMEA of Absolute Software, commented: “The threat landscape of the cyber industry is constantly evolving, and stolen devices are unfortunately a prominent part of that. Large organisations like the BBC, in particular, are often subject to all forms of cyber-attack, as they are lucrative targets due to the volume of equipment and data they oversee.”

“Given that cyber-attacks are a case of when, not if, the onus falls onto organisations to ensure they are properly prepared with both preventative and reactive measures. Leveraging resilient Zero Trust technology, for example, can help monitor device and application activity to identify suspicious behaviour. If a device connects to the company network in an unusual location, a central IT team can be alerted and shut off or freeze the device using secure access controls, should the activity be deemed suspicious.”

“The goal is to balance blocking out cyber criminals to prevent them laterally breaching a network, with keeping devices operational so productivity isn’t disrupted. This is supported through ensuring effective cybersecurity training to help staff properly identify and report threats, such as stole devices.”

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Issues with lost or stolen electronic devices has become commonplace as they are now used by millions of workers across the UK.

Back in May this year the UK Cabinet Office, responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet, reported almost 800 electronic devices lost or stolen in the past three years, according to official figures.

The data, retrieved via a FOI request and analysed by Griffin Law, observed the number of electronic devices reported lost or stolen each year for the past three financial years, FY 19-20 to FY 21-22.

In total, the Cabinet Office reported 791 laptops, mobiles, Mifi wireless routers, and other devices either lost or stolen, 61% of which, 479, were mobile phones.

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