Kensington and Chelsea Council said evidence shows some data was copied and removed from its systems during last week’s cyber incident, upgrading its earlier notice that internal systems had been affected. The council set out its assessment in an updated statement and said it is continuing work to restore services.
RBKC has not disclosed what types of data were taken, how much was removed, how long an attacker had access, or whether the information relates to residents, staff, partner organisations, or internal operations. The council said it is checking whether the copied material contains personal or financial details and said it currently believes the incident affected only historical data.
The authority has urged residents and service users to be vigilant when contacted by phone, email or text and to check bank and card details if they have recently bought services from the borough, such as a parking permit. RBKC warned it is possible that stolen data could be published and told residents to brace for at least two weeks of significant disruption as the clean-up continues; some services may still experience delays as systems are brought back online.
The outage initially affected a shared IT environment used by Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster, and external investigators have been engaged. The incident is being probed by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Metropolitan Police, and no claim has been made by any major ransomware group so far.
Westminster City Council admits it is still experiencing ongoing technical issues. Hammersmith & Fulham said in an updated statement that there is currently no evidence its systems were compromised but that it has taken enhanced security measures while investigations continue.
Local authorities hold records such as tenancy files, social care notes, licensing applications and payment information, which are commonly targeted in municipal cyberattacks. Until RBKC provides further detail on what was accessed and for how long, residents and businesses will have limited certainty about who is affected or what steps they should take.