Three councils in the United Kingdom, including Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council, and Thanet District Council, have experienced a cyber incident, leading to the disruption of their online services. The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) is actively involved in investigating the impact of this ongoing cybersecurity issue.
Key Takeaway
Three UK councils are grappling with the aftermath of a cyberattack, leading to the disruption of online services for their residents. The incident, which is under investigation by the NCSC, has prompted the councils to take precautionary measures to mitigate the impact on their systems and data.
Investigation and Impact
The affected councils have taken public-facing systems offline as a precautionary measure. Residents may encounter difficulties in accessing online services, such as applications, reports, and payments. Canterbury City Council has assured its residents that customer data has not been compromised, despite the disruption.
Outsourcing and Service Provider
The disruption is linked to EK Services, an organization jointly utilized by the three councils for IT and human resources services. EKS, which is currently inaccessible, provides crucial systems such as payments, call center, benefits, and debt recovery. The councils outsource these services to EKS, which has been managed by outsourcing giant Civica since 2018.
Response from Service Provider
Civica has confirmed that the incident did not originate from their systems. However, they have expressed willingness to support affected customers and minimize the impact of the cyber incident. Despite attempts to reach out to EKS for comments, there has been no response from the service provider at this time.
