Hackney Council Cyber Attack

Hackney Council's IT system hit by a "serious cyber attack".

09:53 14 October 2020

Residents were not able to access Hackney Council's website due to "technical problems" preventing them to access online services like One Account. The council took to Twitter to inform residents that services may be "unavailable" and that people should only contact the council "if absolutely necessary". 

 

Council officials say that they are now working with the UK National Cyber Security Centre to investigate the hack. 

 

Hackney's mayor said: "This investigation is at an early stage, and limited information is currently available," 

 

"Our focus is on continuing to deliver essential frontline services, especially to our most vulnerable residents, and protecting data, while restoring affected services as soon as possible. In the meantime, some council services may be unavailable or slower than normal."

 

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre said: "The NCSC is supporting the organisation and working with partners to understand the impact of this incident."

 

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council was hit by a ransomware attack in February. The attackers took control of computer systems and data and demanded payments in order to unlock them. It is reported that the council spent £10million to rebuild its systems.