Three London councils hit by cyberattack, enact emergency plans

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), Westminster City Council, and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have reported a cyberattack, prompting the roll-out of emergency plans. RBKC and Westminster, which share some IT infrastructure, were affected across several systems, including phone lines.

The three London councils have shut down computerised systems as a precaution and are currently working with specialist cyber-incident experts and the government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Services such as checking council tax bills and paying parking fines at RBKC are likely to be limited as security fixes progress.

In a statement, RBKC confirmed it had invoked business continuity and emergency plans to maintain critical services for residents, particularly the most vulnerable. It also noted that it is currently investigating whether any data has been compromised, but that it is too early to determine the perpetrators or their motive. Westminster City Council apologised for potential service delays as engineers work to restore all systems quickly. The three affected authorities provide services for more than half a million Londoners.