- Three London councils sharing technology affected by the same incident
- Experts believe it may have been a ransomware attack
- No more will be said until the investigation is completed
Three London councils have fallen victim to a mysterious cyber security incident which brought down many core services including phone lines and online reporting systems.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster City Council and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham were affected – three councils that share some IT services, which could explain the link between this attack and these three councils.
So far, residents are currently unable to contact the City Council through the normal channels. Some computer systems have also been shut down as a safety precaution, with banners displaying emergency contact information.
London councils fall victim to a cyber attack
Since the disruption began, emergency and business continuity plans have been activated with extra resources deployed to support vulnerable residents.
But Kensington & Chelsea admitted that “[doesn’t] have all the answers yet.” The council said that because it was working with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Center, it would not share further details at this time.
“At this stage it is too early to say who did this and why, but we are investigating to see if any data has been compromised – which is standard practice,” the council added.
Cyber security expert Kevin Beaumont criticized the councils for using the guise of an IT incident and suggested it was likely a ransomware attack from a community service provider. To date, no ransomware groups appear to have claimed responsibility.
Check Point chief Graeme Stewart agreed that the incident “has all the signs of a serious introduction.”
Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham notified residents via a banner on their websites, but did not issue a fuller statement like Kensington & Chelsea.
The councils have also notified the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Met Police’s Cyber Crime Unit is carrying out its own investigations.
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