Several London boroughs have been rocked by a series of sophisticated cyber attacks over the past 48 hours, sparking a major security incident and raising fears over the safety of residents' personal data.
Councils Forced Offline
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council confirmed they are at the heart of the incident, which was first identified on the morning of November 25, 2025. The councils, which share some IT systems, have seen their phone lines and online portals severely impacted, leaving constituents struggling to make contact.
In a statement on social media, Kensington and Chelsea council alerted residents to a serious IT issue affecting both telephone and online communication tools. Meanwhile, Hammersmith and Fulham council also reported problems with its IT infrastructure. Initial reports suggesting Hackney Council in east London was also affected were later confirmed to be incorrect.
Major Investigation Underway
Authorities have moved swiftly, with both councils confirming they are working alongside the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of intelligence agency GCHQ. A spokesperson for the NCSC told Metro: We are aware of an incident affecting some local authority services in London and are working to understand any potential impact.
The Metropolitan Police has been alerted, with its Cyber Crime Unit conducting early-stage enquiries. No arrests have been made at this time. As a precautionary measure, Westminster council officials have pushed the red button on their networks, a term referring to the isolation of systems to prevent further damage.
Unanswered Questions and Wider Context
The full scale and origin of the attack remain unknown. A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council stated: At this stage it is too early to say who did this, and why, but we are investigating to see if any data has been compromised – which is standard practice. They acknowledged that they do not have all the answers and promised further updates to residents in the coming days.
This incident is part of a worrying trend targeting high-profile London organisations. In recent months, major names including M&S, Co-op, Harrods, and London's Heathrow Airport have all fallen victim to cyber criminals, highlighting the growing threat to institutions that hold vast amounts of public data.
