Multiple London councils 'hit by cyber-attacks'

Several London councils are believed to have been targeted in cyber-attacks within the past 48 hours.

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC), Hackney, Westminster, and Hammersmith & Fulham councils have reported issues with IT systems, with some saying services had been affected.

Hackney Council said it had raised its cyber security threat to "critical" and urged staff to help protect residents' data, while Westminster City Council said people were struggling to contact the authority.

The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment. An RBKC spokesperson said it was investigating the cause, along with Westminster City Council.

Hackney Council staff have been sent an urgent memo warning them against phishing attacks, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

An official note seen by the LDRS stated: "We have received intelligence that multiple London councils have been targeted by cyber-attacks within the last 24-48 hours, with potential disruption to systems and services.

"Your immediate co-operation is essential to protect the council and the data of our residents."

The LDRS has also seen a Westminster City Council internal memo, saying it had shut down all its networks as a precautionary measure following a "cyber-security incident".

It is understood the council triggered "business continuity arrangements" and an emergency response, with senior managers helping to support some services.

RBKC wrote on X to say it was experiencing a "serious IT issue" that was making it difficult to people to contact it.

The LDRS says some systems at RBKC have been down for two to three days, according to some sources.

The RBKC spokesperson said the authority was working with Westminster City Council and cyber specialists to "protect data and restore services".

"We are investigating the cause of the incident and will provide more information when it is available. We would like to apologise for any disruption and thank residents for their patience as we work to bring systems back online safely."

The LDRS has also seen an internal memo by Hammersmith & Fulham Council saying it had responded to a "serious cyber-security incident".

'Better resilience'

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said he was unaware of the attacks when asked by the LDRS earlier on Tuesday.

However, he said City Hall was helping councils build better cyber-resilience through the London Office of Technology and Innovation and the National Crime Agency to learn lessons from previous the attacks like the ones on Transport for London, Marks & Spencer and Heathrow Airport.

He said: "We are trying to encourage councils to have better resilience but the reality is, I'm afraid, those who breach protections are going to try more and more ways to get into those systems. We're going to make sure we're resilient, that means making sure we have the right safeguards in place."

Hackney Council was hit by a serious cyber attack in 2020 that led to criminals gaining access to and encrypting 440,000 files, affecting at least 280,000 residents and other individuals including staff.

The Information Commissioner's Office reprimanded the council last year over the incident, saying it found "examples of a lack of proper security and processes to protect personal data".