Leicester City Council cyber attack exposes more data than first reported

A cyber-attack by the ransomware group INC Ransom has impacted Leicester City Council, potentially compromising the data of up to 400,000 residents.

Initially, it was believed that only 25 sensitive documents had been exposed when the attack was discovered in April. However, it has since been confirmed that the hackers accessed over 1.3 terabytes of sensitive information.

Manchester law firm, Barings Law is now helping Leicester residents affected by a cyber-attack that disrupted financial support payments and other council services.

The attack forced the council to shut down its IT systems, leading to disruptions in various services, including streetlights being left on during the day.

Hackers released documents such as rent statements, social housing applications, and passport details.

Currently, Leicester City Council is collaborating with Leicestershire Police and the National Cyber Security Centre as part of an ongoing investigation.

Only those deemed most at risk have been notified by the council, but it is expected that more affected residents will be informed once the investigation concludes.

Despite the council’s financial resources, there is concern that victims may not receive adequate compensation unless proper funds are allocated to address the situation.

Head of data breach at Barings Law, Adnan Malik, said: “No resident, in any council, should have their support payments delayed due to a data breach. It is unacceptable for a council to not safeguard its information. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is a worrying trend and it won’t get better unless councils invest money in cyber security.

“Councils, and organisations, can improve cyber-security through two-factor authentication, storing and backing up encrypted data and running tests to see how they would handle a hack, just to name a few. There are a lot of ways to protect data, and councils need to see the value in spending that money to stop the hacks.

“Barings Law is committed to standing up for victims and helping them receive the justice they deserve. Our legal teams will continue to monitor the Leicester City Council situation closely, and I encourage anyone affected to reach out.”