Swedish Transport Agency attempts to minimise damage done by IT outsourcing deal

The Swedish government is attempting to minimise the damage done by an IT outsourcing deal that could have exposed classified information to foreign powers. Swedish news website The Local reports that the country’s security police Säpo investigated the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) after information about all vehicles in the country, including police and military, was made available to IT workers in the Czech Republic who had not gone through the usual security clearance checks when the agen
July 28, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Swedish government is attempting to minimise the damage done by an IT outsourcing deal that could have exposed classified information to foreign powers.


Swedish news website The Local reports that the country’s security police Säpo investigated the 2124 Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) after information about all vehicles in the country, including police and military, was made available to IT workers in the Czech Republic who had not gone through the usual security clearance checks when the agency outsourced its IT maintenance to 62 IBM in 2015. It also claims that firewalls and communications were meanwhile maintained by a company in Serbia.

Speaking at a press conference this week, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the development ‘serious’ and said the government plans to tighten existing outsourcing rules.

It is not known whether the security glitch caused any major damage. The question of whether or not Sweden's national security was harmed is censored in the Säpo report.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Technology advances improve enforcement
    July 26, 2012
    Across the board, technology is being brought to bear to improve the efficiency of enforcement. Bus lane monitoring, parking and controlled access have all benefited from systems introduced in recent months. While speed and red light infringements tend to attract the most attention, there remain several other areas of enforcement where automation can bring significant operational and efficiency benefits. Lane monitoring and access control also continue to benefit from technological development.
    Read More
  • Don’t forget security threat, says Econolite
    May 6, 2020
    A new level of communication is helping deliver on the promise of Vision Zero and a more sustainable future. But amid the promise, Econolite’s Sunny Chakravarty suggests we need to be mindful of the potential downsides in an age of mass connectivity
    Read More
  • Amazon keeps its head in the cloud
    December 17, 2021
    The days of Amazon just selling books may be long, long gone – but Randy Iwasaki of Amazon Web Services tells Adam Hill why the ability to tell stories still has an important place in a highly technical transport environment
    Read More
  • Rating agency Standard and Poor Tolling sees a bright future for tolling
    September 6, 2017
    Few disruptions appear on the horizon for global toll road operators, with the US poised to become a better bet for major investment, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P’s) Global Ratings’ 2017 report, which rates toll road operators according to their ability to raise capital. The outlook is generally stable for business conditions and credit quality for toll roads worldwide. One positive exception is the US where the overall outlook is ‘positive’ as S&P expects traffic growth to increase
    Read More

Highlighted Content