Data breach letter after cyber attack leaves Leicester resident ‘extremely concerned’

A city resident said he was left “extremely concerned” after receiving a letter from Leicester City Council saying their data had been “published” following a cyber attack on the authority’s systems, but not giving guidance on how they might be used or specific actions. should take to protect themselves. The council said in the letter, seen by LeicestershireLive, that some of the residents’ information held by the council was taken and could include personal details such as age, ethnicity, gender, sickness and absence information and “documentation relating to formal resource procedures human”.

The resident, who used to work for the city council, said he did not feel the letter gave them enough detail about the information taken. They said they had contacted the council to find out what action they should take after receiving the letter, but had not heard back.

They said: “It makes me feel uneasy and worried about my personal data. You see so much about scammers, but you assume the board would be part of the safeguarding solution, not the cause of the problem. There is no personalization in them (the letter), just reference to the international investigation and links to basic safeguarding advice, I haven’t lost my data – they are the ones who need to refer to the advice.”

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The letter, from the council’s chief operating officer Alison Greenhill, dated Friday June 14 and seen by LeicestershireLive, said: “We are contacting you regarding a data breach which occurred due to a cyber attack which the council at experienced in March. A number of documents held by the council were released by a known ransomware group following the attack.

“Some of your data has been breached. This may include: personal details such as date of birth, National Insurance number, contact information etc. Information that reveals a protected characteristic of you, such as gender, ethnicity, age, or Disability, illness and absence information that relates to formal human resources procedures.

“We are not aware of any breaches of information contained in our payroll system or originating from detailed personnel files. Of course, I realize that this may cause distress and anxiety to those affected by this breach and I apologize on behalf of the council for that.

“We are continuing to work with the cyber crime team at Leicestershire Police and the National Cyber ​​Security Center as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. As it is a real and very global investigation, we cannot comment further. but we will continue to provide updates when we have news to share on the council website.

“I also understand that you may want to know more for yourself about what data about you has been made available. Please be aware that downloading, accessing or sharing any leaked data is a criminal offense and that by doing so you may be committing a crime and making yourself vulnerable to further action by those responsible.

“In the meantime, I would recommend that you continue to: be vigilant and watch out for any suspicious emails you may receive or approaches from anyone claiming to have data about you. If you are approached by someone claiming to come into possession of your data, please report it to Leicestershire Police on 101.

“Read tips on how to protect yourself from the impact of data fraud on the National Cyber ​​Security Center website. The Information Commissioner’s website has useful information and guidance.”

LeicestershireLive contacted Leicester City Council for more information but had not received a response at the time of publication.