Hackers hack Hackney: Local government cries 'cyberattack' while UK infosec officials rush to figure out what happened Hackney Council in East London has declared that it was hit by a "cyberattack" – but both the authority and officials from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) remain tight-lipped about what actually happened. In a statement published on the council website this morning, local mayor Philip Glanville said: "Hackney Council …
Why is it that huge swathes of an organisation get stuffed? The people who sweep the streets don't need to be in constant touch with housing benefits. If some master data centre is used then how does such a juicy target get hacked, and where are the proven mitigations? The response seems to be "Oh dear! We're not prepared for whatever it is."
The article specifically says that the website where residents book and pay for things is affected, not "the whole council". Street sweepers and refuse lorries will do their regular rounds but new special requests e.g. flytipping or bulky item collection won't get through. If they're anything like my council, many depts. have area-specific access to the call centre's job-logging software so they can see and update their new reports. If the customer area of website links to it, the CC system may also be down - whether infected or as a precaution.
Some depts. may have standalone systems that should carry on as normal unless IT pulled the plug on *everything* just in case.
haca (Old English) A hook.
pers.n. (Old English) pers.n. Personal name
ēg (Anglian) An island. In ancient settlement-names, most frequently refers to dry ground surrounded by marsh. Also used of islands in modern sense. In late OE names: well-watered land.
A hook seems appropriate if it was a spear-phishing attack.
[I can't find the derivation of the word 'derivation'. Like the old Steven Wright joke, "What's another word for thesaurus?"]
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