Westminster City Council has revealed which services have been impacted in the cyber attack that took place last month, and has issued advice to residents who need to contact the council.
The council says it is still responding to the breach of its computer system and although services are running, residents should expect some disruption and delays.
In an update on 4 December , the council shared information about areas of its responsibility which are currently being impacted by the attack, and has provided alternative arrangements to get around the problems.
The council has listed around a dozen categories of areas affected, including rent and council tax payments, children’s services, committee papers and decisions, licensing, waste and recycling, and libraries.
It said it is prioritising critical services, especially for vulnerable residents.
Westminster City said restoring systems safely was a “complex process” and that it would take “several weeks” for a full return to business as usual. Kensington and Chelsea, which was also affected, says it will take months to return to normal.
Westminster City Council: Key service updates for residents following cyber incident.
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Source: https://fitzrovianews.com/2025/12/04/westminster-council-cyber-attack-services-disrupted/
Westminster City Council cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/westminster-city-council
"id": "WES1764936065",
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"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "12/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'incident': {'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Residents',
'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'Westminster, UK',
'name': 'Westminster City Council',
'size': None,
'type': 'Government'},
{'customers_affected': 'Residents',
'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'Kensington and Chelsea, UK',
'name': 'Kensington and Chelsea',
'size': None,
'type': 'Government'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Advice to residents who need to contact '
'the council',
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': None,
'file_types_exposed': None,
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'personally_identifiable_information': None,
'sensitivity_of_data': None,
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'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-12-04',
'description': 'Westminster City Council has revealed which '
'services have been impacted in the cyber attack '
'that took place last month. The council is still '
'responding to the breach of its computer system, '
'and although services are running, residents '
'should expect some disruption and delays. The '
'attack has affected multiple services, including '
'rent and council tax payments, children’s '
'services, committee papers and decisions, '
'licensing, waste and recycling, and libraries.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': None,
'conversion_rate_impact': None,
'customer_complaints': None,
'data_compromised': None,
'downtime': 'Several weeks for full recovery',
'financial_loss': None,
'identity_theft_risk': None,
'legal_liabilities': None,
'operational_impact': 'Disruption and delays in '
'services',
'payment_information_risk': None,
'revenue_loss': None,
'systems_affected': 'Computer systems'},
'initial_access_broker': {'backdoors_established': None,
'data_sold_on_dark_web': None,
'entry_point': None,
'high_value_targets': None,
'reconnaissance_period': None},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': None,
'root_causes': None},
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': None,
'ransom_demanded': None,
'ransom_paid': None,
'ransomware_strain': None},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-12-04',
'source': 'Westminster City Council Update',
'url': None},
{'date_accessed': None,
'source': 'The Fitzrovia News',
'url': None}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'fines_imposed': None,
'legal_actions': None,
'regulations_violated': None,
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'response': {'adaptive_behavioral_waf': None,
'communication_strategy': 'Issued advisories to '
'residents',
'containment_measures': None,
'enhanced_monitoring': None,
'incident_response_plan_activated': None,
'law_enforcement_notified': None,
'network_segmentation': None,
'on_demand_scrubbing_services': None,
'recovery_measures': None,
'remediation_measures': 'Restoring systems safely',
'third_party_assistance': None},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Key service updates for residents '
'following cyber incident',
'title': 'Cyber Attack on Westminster City Council',
'type': 'Cyber Attack'}}