Files of around 280,000 residents and other individuals, including staff, might have been accessed. Register for updates if one of our partner law firms takes a claim forward.
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Overview
In October 2020, cyber attackers caused disruption when they broke into Hackney Council’s systems. At the time of the security violation, it was unclear who was behind it, and what their endgame was. Later the attack was confirmed as a ransomware incident.
Months later, reports broke that some personal data had been stolen in the attack and published on the dark web. In total, at least 280,000 residents were affected with 9,605 records exfiltrated in the hack.
The matter was referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). It has since reprimanded the London Borough of Hackney, stating that this was “a clear and avoidable error from London Borough of Hackney, one that has resulted in a mass loss of data and has had a severely detrimental impact on many residents. At its absolute worst, this has meant that some of the most deeply personal information possible has ended up in the hands of the attackers.”
We are monitoring the situation closely. Register your interest and we’ll keep you updated if one of our regulated UK partner law firms is able to take this claim forward.
Hackney Council – At a glance
What do we know about the Hackney Council data breach?
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Latest updates on the Hackney Council data breach
July 2024
The ICO reprimanded the London Borough of Hackney for its poor data security processes. It said the “council failed to effectively implement sufficient measures that could have better protected their systems and data from cyber-attacks”. The council said it did not accept the findings and had not violated its security obligations.
January 2021
Reports emerged that data stolen in the cyberattack was published on the dark web for extortion purposes.
October 2020
Hackney Council announced it was experiencing a serious cyberattack. In the following days, the attack had a significant impact on council services. In some instances, services did not return to normal until 2022.
We’ll provide more updates on this case as they occur.
Who could be affected by the Hackney Council Data Breach?
If you are a resident or staff, register to stay updated and we’ll let you know if a partner law firm takes this claim forward.
Hackney Council data breach FAQs
In October 2020, Hackney Council suffered a serious cyberattack that disrupted many of its services. The attack was later confirmed as a ransomware incident, meaning hackers stole and encrypted council data, demanding a ransom to release it.
Personal and sensitive data was accessed, some of which was leaked online and appeared on the dark web. According to the ICO, the stolen information included data on residents that revealed their racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health data, economic data, criminal offence data, and other data including basic personal identifiers such as names and addresses.
The attack was attributed to a criminal ransomware group. Criminal group Pysa/Mespinoza has been named responsible for publishing the data, although this hasn’t been verified.
Hackney Council worked with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and law enforcement to investigate the breach. The council also rebuilt affected systems and introduced enhanced security measures.
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