Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC)

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) experienced a cyber incident that disrupted critical systems for multiple days, starting on Monday. Emergency protocols were activated to maintain essential service delivery, but the outage persisted, affecting operations and forcing neighboring councils like Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster to isolate their networks as a precaution. RBKC’s systems remained offline for 2–3 days, with no immediate clarity on whether data was compromised, though the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was notified. Staff were warned against interacting with emails or links from RBKC and Westminster colleagues, suggesting a potential phishing or malware vector.The incident caused cross-council connectivity issues, delaying resolution until RBKC could secure its networks. The Met Police’s Cyber Crime Unit launched an early-stage investigation following an Action Fraud referral, with no arrests made. The disruption impacted public-facing services, requiring apologies to residents for prolonged inconvenience. The interconnected nature of the attack—affecting multiple local authorities—hints at a coordinated or widespread breach, though RBKC stopped short of confirming data theft or the attack’s precise method. Recovery efforts prioritized safety over speed, indicating significant operational and reputational strain.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxwygkqrx0o

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

"id": "ROY4762647112725",
"linkid": "royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "11/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Residents and staff',
                        'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea '
                                '(RBKC)',
                        'type': 'Local Government'},
                       {'customers_affected': 'Staff and potentially residents',
                        'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'Westminster City Council',
                        'type': 'Local Government'},
                       {'customers_affected': 'Staff and potentially residents',
                        'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'London, UK',
                        'name': 'Hammersmith & Fulham Council',
                        'type': 'Local Government'}],
 'customer_advisories': ['Public apologies issued for service disruptions'],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Under investigation'},
 'date_detected': '2023-11-06T00:00:00Z',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-11-06T00:00:00Z',
 'description': 'A cyber incident was detected at the Royal Borough of '
                'Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), causing system disruptions and '
                'potential data compromise. Emergency plans were activated to '
                'maintain critical services. The incident also affected '
                'Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham Councils, with '
                'connectivity issues persisting. The Information '
                "Commissioner's Office (ICO) and Met Police Cyber Crime Unit "
                'are investigating. Staff were warned against clicking links '
                "from affected councils' Outlook or Teams accounts.",
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Public apologies issued',
                                        'Potential loss of trust due to '
                                        'service disruptions'],
            'downtime': ['2–3 days (RBKC)',
                         'Ongoing (partial for Hammersmith & Fulham)'],
            'operational_impact': ['Disruption to critical services',
                                   'Network isolation measures',
                                   'Precautionary review of systems'],
            'systems_affected': ['RBKC systems',
                                 'Westminster Council systems',
                                 'Hammersmith & Fulham Council systems '
                                 '(partial connectivity issues)']},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (early stages)',
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-11-06',
                 'source': 'RBKC Official Statement'},
                {'date_accessed': '2023-11-06',
                 'source': 'Hammersmith & Fulham Council Memo'},
                {'date_accessed': '2023-11-06',
                 'source': 'Met Police Statement'},
                {'date_accessed': '2023-11-06',
                 'source': 'Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Information '
                                                        "Commissioner's Office "
                                                        '(ICO) notified']},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public statements',
                                         'Apologies for disruption',
                                         'Warnings to staff about phishing '
                                         'risks'],
              'containment_measures': ['Network isolation',
                                       'Precautionary system reviews'],
              'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'law_enforcement_notified': True,
              'recovery_measures': ['Restoring systems safely',
                                    'Investigating data compromise']},
 'stakeholder_advisories': ['Staff warned not to click links from '
                            'RBKC/Westminster colleagues in Outlook/Teams'],
 'title': 'Cyber Incident Affecting RBKC, Westminster, and Hammersmith & '
          'Fulham Councils',
 'type': ['Cyberattack', 'Potential Data Breach', 'System Disruption']}