London โCouncils Hit by Cyberattack, Data of Nearly 150,000 Residents Possibly Compromised
London, UK – Residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and โChelsea (RBKC), along with Westminster City Council and the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, have been alerted to a significant data breach following a series of cyberattacks believed to be carried out by state-sponsoredโฃ hackers. โThe RBKC confirmed the compromise of systems containing data relating to approximately 147,500 residents.
While the full extent of the breach is still under investigation by the National Cyber Security Centerโ (NCSC), concerns exist thatโ attackers may have copied resident data in an encrypted form, potentially including payment details and other personal information. The RBKC IT team โhas not yet confirmed whether highly sensitive financial information was specifically accessed.
The attacks haveโ caused disruption to essential interaction services, including phone lines between the โฃcouncils and residents. Law enforcement agenciesโข are urging the public โto exercise caution with unsolicited links received viaโข email or text message and to regularly monitor bank statements for unusual activity.
Authorities are currently investigating the potential uses of the โขstolen data, which couldโข include the creationโ of detailed individual profiles and exploitation for maliciousโค purposesโฃ such as blackmail โor identity theft. The Action Fraud Centre has received complaints from concerned residents.
this incident underscores โthe growing threat of sophisticated cyberattacksโ targeting local government infrastructure and the sensitive data of citizens.