Council confirms some data was 'copied and taken away' during cyber attack

A WEST London council hit by a cyber attack is investigating a data breach after discovering some information has been copied and taken away.

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Kensington and Chelsea Council, which was one of three affected by the incident, said it believes the breach only impacts historical data, understood to be archived 2006-2020 data.

However, in an online post it adds that while the information has not been stolen “it is possible it could end up in the public domain”.

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said as soon as she was aware there may have been a breach she asked officers “to make sure we tell people at the earliest possible opportunity”.

Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster City councils were also impacted by the incident earlier this week but have not said any data held by them has been copied. All three local authorities share some IT services and systems with the issue is understood to have originated at Kensington and Chelsea.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed that the council had arranged for some staff to work from home as a precautionary measure following the attack on Monday, November 24.

A memo, seen by the LDRS, asked staff “to remain vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious online activity to Tech Hub immediately”.