by Several London councils have been hit by a “cyber attack” that could have compromised residents’ data.
Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster councils said they had responded to a “cybersecurity issue” since Monday morning.
The councils, which share a range of IT systems, added that they are working with “the help of specialist cyber incident experts and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC)”, with a focus on protecting systems and data, recovering systems and maintaining 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 data was compromised or who might be behind the attack. It said an investigation had been launched and a number of corrective measures had been taken.
The council said it became aware of the attack on Monday morning (Getty Images)
“The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council (WCC) – which share a range of IT systems and services under joint arrangements – are responding to a cybersecurity issue,” it said in a statement.
It warned residents that a number of systems, including telephone lines, were affected, adding it had informed the Information Commissioner’s Office of the problem.
“We apologize to residents for any inconvenience and thank them for their flexibility and understanding,” it said. “There may be delays in responses and the services we offer in the coming days.
“We will continue to work with our cyber specialists and the NCSC to restore all systems as quickly as possible and we will be in touch with further information as it becomes available. Should there be any further changes to services we will endeavor to keep everyone informed.”
This was said by a spokesman for the NCSC, part of the intelligence agency GCHQ and responsible for supporting UK public bodies with cybersecurity Sky News: “We are aware of an incident affecting some local authority services in London and are working to understand any possible impact.”
