Sensitive information for shooting down intercontinental missiles as well as bank details and NHS records was found on old computers, researchers say.
Of 300 hard disks bought randomly at computer fairs and an online auction site, 34% still held personal data.
Researchers from BT and the University of Glamorgan bought disks from the UK, America, Germany, France and Australia.
The information was enough to expose individuals and firms to fraud and identity theft, said the researchers.
Professor Andrew Blyth said: "It's not rocket science – we used standard tools to analyse the data".
Shooting down intercontinental missiles? It is rocket science.
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