Multiple local authorities in London are dealing with a serious cybersecurity incident, it has recently emerged. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council (WCC) issued a statement saying they are responding to an incident identified on Monday morning.
The incident has impacted several systems of both organizations, including telephone lines. Both entities have notified the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and are collaborating with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) for the response to the incident.
Incident Details and Response
- Impact of interconnection: The RBKC and WCC share “several IT systems and services,” which could explain why both were affected simultaneously. Hammersmith and Fulham Council is also reported to share some IT services and could be affected.
- Emergency response: Councils have invoked business continuity and emergency plans to ensure the delivery of critical services to residents, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable.
- Mitigation: RBKC’s IT team worked overnight to implement “a number of successful mitigations.”
Context and Vulnerability of Local Authorities
Ransomware actors have frequently attacked local authorities in London in recent years. These bodies often lack sufficient resources, resulting in poorly protected legacy IT systems and a shortage of cybersecurity expertise.
A notable example of this vulnerability is the 2020 ransomware attack on Hackney Council. The council was reprimanded by the ICO last year for serious failings which led to a data breach affecting at least 280,000 residents. Recovery costs were reported to have exceeded £12 million.
Future Perspective
Spencer Starkey, vice president of SonicWall EMEA, warned that threat actors will continue to probe government targets in 2026 to erode public trust in digital services. Starkey stressed that the interconnection of digital services means that a compromise in one node can propagate throughout the system. It warned that without substantial investment in modern defences, especially those capable of countering AI-powered threats, 2026 could bring significant disruption affecting millions of consumers and businesses in the UK.