Multiple London councils hit by ‘cyber attack’ and initiate ‘emergency plans’
Several councils in London have been hit by a “cyber attack” that could compromise residents’ data.
Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster Borough councils said they had been responding to a “cybersecurity issue” since Monday morning.
The councils, which share a range of IT systems, added that they work “with the help of specialist cyber incident experts and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), focusing on protecting systems and data, restoring systems and delivering critical services to the public”.
A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) said it was currently “too early” to say whether any data had been compromised or who might have been behind the attack. He said an investigation had been launched and a number of mitigating measures had been implemented.
“The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council (WCC), which share a range of IT systems and services as part of joint agreements, are responding to a cybersecurity challenge,” it said in a statement.
It warned residents that a number of systems, including telephone lines, had been affected, adding that it had notified the Information Commissioner’s Office about the issue.
“We apologize to residents for any inconvenience and thank them for being flexible and understanding,” the statement said. “People may see some delays in responses and the services we provide in the coming days.
“We will continue to work with our cyber experts and the NCSC to restore all systems as quickly as possible and will contact you as more information becomes available. We will try to keep everyone updated if there are further changes to services.”
A spokesman for the NCSC, which is part of the GCHQ intelligence agency and is responsible for assisting UK public bodies with cybersecurity, said: Sky News: “We are aware of an incident affecting some local authority services in London and are working to understand the potential impact.”
