When the incident was identified on Monday 24 November, an NCC Group team was immediately deployed to provide onsite incident response. Working closely with all three councils, the team has been focused on containing the impact of the attack and managing the crisis, focused on bringing systems and services back online as soon as possible.
NCC Group is closely collaborating with a broad group of agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the National Crime Agency (NCA). In addition to supporting the ongoing criminal investigation, NCC Group continues to limit the impact of the attack and work towards a safe reopening of digital services across all three councils.
Residents, customers, and service users of the three councils are advised to be extra vigilant when called, emailed or sent text messages. Further information can be found via NCSC resources:www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/data-breacheswww.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said:“Being given the news that we are under attack is what no Council leader wants to hear, but like any public body, there was always that possibility. To counter this threat, we had invested significantly in our digital, data and technology services and had up to date cyber defence systems. That system worked well mitigating the damage. Our IT team has been fighting back, investigating the cause, and assessing the impact. We are certain that we are taking all the right steps and we are hugely grateful to have the expertise of NCC Group to advise and support us. Their wealth of experience helping the British Library, universities and other authorities recover from cyber attacks is reassuring as we begin to recover and rebuild.”
Mike Maddison, CEO of NCC Group said:“Attacks on our public services require a diverse team to respond. NCC Group are proud to be supporting the three London boroughs impacted by this cyber incident, along with their IT teams, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency. Our team is working around the clock and under immense pressure as part of a coordinated effort to limit the impact of this incident and to work towards the continued delivery of essential services. As we have seen time and again in similar scenarios, the road to achieving a safe recovery of digital services can be challenging and will take time. This will be a difficult period both for residents in the impacted boroughs and the team members across the tri-borough partnership who are working tirelessly to address this issue.” “Cyber attacks are a serious and persistent risk to digitised economies. Unfortunately, public services are a prime target for cyber threat actors, whether that be organised crime, nation states, or individuals. The challenge of securing public institutions is real and growing. Public bodies have large and complex attack surfaces, with online accounts, employees, online resources, locations, and systems to protect. The bar to adequately protect such institutions from attack is getting ever higher, with sophisticated and coordinated attackers to counter. We must focus on ensuring the fundamentals are in place to build the future securely. It is critical that initiatives such as the UK’s Cyber Growth Action Plan are adequately funded and prioritised, recognising cyber as a strategic enabler of national resilience and economic growth.”
