Personal data taken in Kensington and Chelsea council cyber hack

Hundreds of thousands of personal records may have been copied in a cyber attack on Kensington and Chelsea Council, and the council says it has notified households while working with the National Cyber Security Centre and police as inquiries continue.

The personal details of hundreds of thousands of people may have been copied in a cyber attack on Kensington and Chelsea Council in west London. The council says it wrote to households to warn them the copied data could be used to make scams appear legitimate. Officials described the incident as carried out with criminal intent and said their cybersecurity team detected and contained the issue quickly. The council and two neighbouring boroughs are working with the National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement as they review the files. Known details: - Reported data loss affects hundreds of thousands of people after a cyber attack on Kensington and Chelsea Council. - The council said the attack was carried out with criminal intent and that its cybersecurity team detected and contained the incident quickly; it does not believe third-party systems were accessed. - Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster City Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council are coordinating with the National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement; the Met's Cyber Crime Unit said inquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made. - The authority is checking files and prioritising records for vulnerable individuals, and it said a full review could take months. Summary: Personal data reported to have been copied in the attack could increase the risk of fraud for affected people, according to the council's notice. Investigations are ongoing with the National Cyber Security Centre and police, and the council has begun checking files with a prioritised review that it says may take months to complete.