Multiple London councils affected by apparent cyberattack

• Three London councils that share tech affected by the same incident
• Experts believe it might have been a ransomware attack
• No more is being said until the investigation wraps

Three London councils have fallen victim to a mystery cybersecurity incident which brought down many core 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 impacted – three councils that share some IT services, which could explain the link between this attack and these three councils.

For now, residents are currently unable to contact councils through the normal channels. Some computerized systems have also been shut down as a precaution, with banners displaying emergency contact information.

London’s councils fall victim to a cyberattack

Since the disruption started, emergency and business continuity plans have been activated with extra resources being deployed to support vulnerable residents.

However, Kensington & Chelsea admitted it “[doesn’t] have all the answers yet.” The council said that, because it’s working with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre, it would not be sharing any further details at this point in 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 standard practice,” the council added.

Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont criticized the councils of using the disguise of an IT incident, suggesting it was likely a ransomware attack of a shared services council provider. To date, no ransomware groups appear to have claimed responsibility.

Check Point head Graeme Stewart agreed that the incident “has all the signs of a serious intrustion.”

Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham notified residents via a banner on their websites, but did not issue a fuller statement like Kensington & Chelsea.

The councils have also notified the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and the Met Police’s Cyber Crime Unit is conducting its own investigations.

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