One of the three London councils affected by last week’s cyber attack has said that residents’ details have been “copied and taken away” during the data breach of the shared computer system.
Kensington and Chelsea Council, Westminster City Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council said they have teamed up with cyber crime agencies to assess the extent of the security breach and to bring systems back online.
All three councils have warned of “significant disruption” to services and said systems won’t be up and fully running for some time. All three local authorities share some information technology services and systems with the issue understood to have originated at Kensington and Chelsea.
Kensington and Chelsea Council on Monday said it has evidence showing some data on its systems has been stolen.
The West London council believes the breach only impacts historical data and stressed it still has access to the information, that “it has not been stolen” [sic] and that “it is possible it could end up in the public domain,” according to an update on its website.
The council said it’s checking if the data includes any personal or financial details of residents, customers, and service users but warns this will take some time. It urged people to be extra vigilant when called, emailed or sent text messages and shared links to advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). These include advice on keeping your data safe and what to do if you’re worried about this breach.
The council urged people who purchased something from them, such as a parking permit, to make sure their bank and card details are safe and secure and to be on the look out for suspicious activity.
The council said it has started to bring systems and services back online but expects at least two weeks of “significant disruption”. It said it is working with the Met Police and crime agencies on an investigation to establish who did this, why and to bring them to justice.
The incident is being investigated by the National Crime Agency with the Information Commissioner’s Office also informed.
In an update on its website Hammersmith and Fulham Council said it was able to isolate and safeguard its network following the cyber attack. The council added while there is no evidence of its systems being compromised it has temporarily suspended some applications, such as My Account.
Westminster City Council in an update on Friday said restoring the system safely is a “complex process” and expects it will take “several weeks” to return to full business as usual.
Westminster Council said most council services are running but some may experience delays. It said it is prioritising critical services, especially for vulnerable residents, but did not disclose what those services are.
Last week’s Westminster Licensing News, which provides a weekly update on new and updated licensing applications in the borough, could not be sent out due to the attack.
“As you may be aware Westminster City Council has temporarily shut down it’s computer networks as a precaution due to a cyber security issue. Therefore there will be no Licensing News this week.
“As soon as the computer networks are back online we will endeavour to send out Licensing News as soon as possible,” stated an email from the council to its subscribers.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council said teams are working around the clock with experts to review systems and restore them to business as usual.
Kensington and Chelsea Council said a number of systems have been impacted, including phone lines. The council said its website is also experiencing issues while the LDRS noticed it cannot access meeting agendas.
The council shares the responsibility of Adult Social Care and Children’s Services with Westminster City Council which is said to be operating “as usual,” according to an internal Westminster City memo seen by the LDRS last week.
The memo also said Westminster City’s Emergency Duty Team for out-of-hour support is also operating. It is understood the councils triggered “business continuity arrangements” and an emergency response. It is also understood that executive directors and senior managers are providing advice and support to affected service areas.
According to Kensington and Chelsea Council’s website, the council operates several “shared services” with Westminster City, including adult social care, public health, and children’s services.
It also has “tri-borough arrangements” — that is, between itself, Westminster City and Hammersmith and Fulham — which include: hospital discharge, audit, fostering and adoption, and pensions.
It’s not clear if any of these services have been impacted by the cyber attack.
All three councils were the target of a cyber attack on Monday, 24 November. Kensington and Chelsea Council and Westminster City Council first identified the attack that day.
Last week, an NCSC spokesperson said the body was aware of an incident affecting some local authority services in London and is working to understand any potential impact.
A Met Police spokesperson said it received a referral from Action Fraud on Monday, 24 November, following reports of a suspected cyber-attack against borough councils in London. It said enquiries remain in the early stages within the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit and that no arrests had been made.
The LDRS became aware of the attack after being handed an internal memo by Westminster City Council. Staff at Hackney Council were also sent an urgent communication on the morning of Tuesday 25 November, warning them against phishing and social engineering attack methods, though the East London council is understood not to have been hit itself.
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.
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