- Three London councils that share technology affected by the same incident
- Experts believe it could have been a ransomware attack
- No more will be said until the investigation is concluded.
Three London councils have been victims of a mysterious cybersecurity incident which has caused many essential services to go down, including telephone lines and online reporting systems.
The royal boroughs 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.
For now, residents cannot contact local councils through the usual channels. Some computer systems have also been closed as a precaution, with banners displaying emergency contact information.
London town halls are victims of a cyber attack
Since the disruption began, emergency and business continuity plans have been activated and additional resources have been deployed to support vulnerable residents.
However, Kensington & Chelsea admitted it.”[doesn’t] I still have all the answers.” The council said that because it is working with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre, it would not share any 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 common practice,” the council added.
Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont criticized councils for using the guise of an IT incident, suggesting it was likely a ransomware attack from a shared services council provider. To date, no ransomware group appears to have claimed responsibility.
Check Point director Graeme Stewart agreed that the incident “has all the signs of a serious intrusion.”
Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham notified residents via a banner on their websites, but did not issue a more comprehensive statement like Kensington & Chelsea.
Councils have also notified the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and the Met Police Cyber Crime Unit is carrying out its own investigations.
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