Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC)

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), along with Westminster City Council, suffered a cyber attack on **24 November**, disrupting multiple IT systems shared between the two authorities. Emergency measures were activated, including business continuity plans, to maintain critical services—particularly for vulnerable residents—while diverting additional resources to monitor communications and system recovery. The councils collaborated with the **National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)** to assess the breach’s scope and mitigate risks. An investigation is underway to determine if sensitive data was compromised, with the **Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)** notified as a precaution. The incident also raised concerns for the **London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham**, which shares IT infrastructure with the affected councils. While no immediate evidence of data theft was confirmed, the attack forced operational disruptions, heightened security protocols, and potential reputational damage due to public exposure via media (e.g., Sky News).

Source: https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/london-local-authorities-hit-by-cyber-incident

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea

"id": "ROY1833318112625",
"linkid": "royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "11/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea '
                                '(RBKC)',
                        'type': 'Local Government Authority'},
                       {'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'Westminster City Council',
                        'type': 'Local Government Authority'},
                       {'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham',
                        'type': 'Local Government Authority'}],
 'customer_advisories': ['Public statement acknowledging the incident and '
                         'assuring continuity of critical services'],
 'date_detected': '2023-11-24',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-11-24',
 'description': 'At least two London local authorities, the Royal Borough of '
                'Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council, '
                'were hit by a cyber attack affecting several of their shared '
                'IT systems. The incident was identified on Monday, 24 '
                'November. The councils are working with the National Cyber '
                'Security Centre (NCSC) to protect data and restore systems. '
                'Emergency measures, including business continuity and '
                'emergency plans, have been activated to ensure critical '
                'services continue, particularly for vulnerable residents. The '
                'Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been informed, '
                'and investigations are ongoing to determine if any data was '
                'compromised. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, '
                'which shares some IT services with the affected councils, may '
                'also be impacted.',
 'impact': {'operational_impact': ['Disruption to IT systems',
                                   'Activation of business continuity and '
                                   'emergency plans',
                                   'Increased resource allocation for incident '
                                   'management (emails, phone lines)',
                                   'Focus on delivering critical services to '
                                   'vulnerable residents'],
            'systems_affected': ['IT systems (shared between RBKC and '
                                 'Westminster City Council)',
                                 'Potential impact on London Borough of '
                                 'Hammersmith and Fulham']},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (investigating whether data was compromised)',
 'references': [{'source': 'Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) '
                           'website'},
                {'source': 'Sky News'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Information '
                                                        'Commissioner’s Office '
                                                        '(ICO) notified']},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public statement on RBKC website',
                                         'Media coverage (e.g., Sky News)'],
              'enhanced_monitoring': ['Monitoring emails and phone lines'],
              'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'recovery_measures': ['Restoring affected IT systems'],
              'third_party_assistance': ['National Cyber Security Centre '
                                         '(NCSC)']},
 'title': 'Cyber Attack on London Local Authorities Affects IT Systems',
 'type': 'Cyber Attack'}