- Three London councils sharing technology affected by the same incident
- Experts believe it could be a ransomware attack
- No more will be said until the end of the investigation.
Three London councils have been hit by a mysterious cybersecurity incident which has led to the breakdown of many essential 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 which share some IT services, which could explain the link between this attack and these three councils.
At this time, residents cannot contact municipalities through normal channels. Some computerized systems were also shut down as a precaution, with banners displaying emergency contact details.
London municipalities victims of cyber attack
Since the start of the disruption, emergency and business continuity plans have been activated and additional resources deployed to support vulnerable residents.
Yet Kensington & Chelsea admitted it”[doesn’t] I still have all the answers. The council said that because it works with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre, 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 was compromised – which is common practice,” the council added.
Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont criticized the advice for using the disguise of an IT incident, suggesting it was likely a ransomware attack against a shared services advice provider. To date, no ransomware group appears to have claimed responsibility.
Check Point chief Graeme Stewart acknowledged the incident “shows all the signs of a serious intrusion”.
Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham informed residents via a banner on their websites, but did not issue a more comprehensive statement like Kensington & Chelsea.
Advice has also informed the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Metropolitan Police’s cybercrime unit is carrying out its own investigations.
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