Hackers possibly took sensitive data, council says
PA MediaA London council has revealed that potentially sensitive and personal information was likely “copied and taken” by hackers during a cyber attack in November.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Westminster City Council said the breach involved some “limited data” hosted on a shared IT system with Kensington and Chelsea Council.
The council has been working with the Met Police, the National Crime Agency, National Cyber Security Centre and other cyber security experts to investigate the hack and to understand exactly what details were taken and how it impacted residents.
A dedicated helpline and email address have been created to help with any enquiries from the public.
David Boothroyd, cabinet member for Finance and Council Reform, said: “I want to reassure residents that we are doing everything possible to respond effectively to the cyber security incident and to keep delivering our services.
“Our priority is to support and protect the most vulnerable in our community, despite the disruption that is being caused.”
“We acted quickly to secure our systems, and we are working towards restoring council services as safely and swiftly as possible, but this will take time. We remain committed to transparency and will continue to provide updates as our recovery progresses,” he added.
Kensington and Chelsea Council said it may take “months” for services to return to normal.
Council leader Elizabeth Campbell said the authority would carry out a review “when the time is right”.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council, the third authority to be impacted, said there is no evidence to date that its systems have been compromised.
Westminster City Council is urging residents to be extra cautious with unexpected calls, emails or texts and to follow official guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre.
The council is urging residents to be extra cautious with unexpected calls, emails or texts and to follow official guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre.
The dedicated helpline is 0207 641 1919 and is open between 9am and 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and between 9am and 4pm on Wednesday.
They can also email cyberenquiry@westminster.gov.uk.
The council has also shared a list of services which have been disrupted by the cyber attack.
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