The borough was targeted by hackers in October 2020 when cyber criminals gained access to and encrypted 440,000 files. An investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has found the council 'failed to effectively implement sufficient measures' to protect its systems from attack.
Stephen Bonner, deputy commissioner of the ICO, said it was 'an avoidable error' that resulted in a mass loss of data and had a 'severely detrimental impact' on many residents. 'At its absolute worst, this has meant that some of the most deeply personal information possible has ended up in the hands of the attackers.'
The data security regulator said the cyber attack also substantially disrupted the council's operations, with some services not returning to normal until 2022. The ICO found security measures meant to protect systems were not applied to all devices.
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