No evidence that data stolen in cyber attack on Glasgow City Council

Glasgow City Council said it has found no evidence of any data being stolen amid an ongoing cyber security incident.

The local authority also said there has been “no evidence of any data being leaked or misused” but advised people to be vigilant.

The council said its ICT supplier CGI discovered “malicious activity” on servers managed by a third-party supplier on Thursday, June 19.

Police Scotland is involved in investigating the incident, along with the council, the Scottish Cyber Co-ordination Centre, and the National Cyber Security Centre.

The council said that so far, joint investigations have not found any evidence of data being encrypted or exfiltrated (stolen).

However, until forensic examination of the affected servers is complete, it will continue to work on the presumption that data, which may include customer data, may have been lost.

The local authority said that no council financial systems have been affected in the attack and no details of bank accounts or credit/debit cards processed by those systems have been compromised.

Following the attack, the council isolated the affected servers to protect the wider network, which disrupted a number of day-to-day digital and online services.

Services supporting pensions and public Freedom of Information requests are now back online and the council said it is creating temporary solutions and workarounds for other services.

A statement from the council advised people to be on the alert.

It said: “As part of our investigation, experts are monitoring online activity and, to date, there has been no evidence of any data being leaked or misused.

“However, until forensic examinations of the affected servers are complete – and we can be confident whether any data has been stolen – we are advising anyone who has used any of the affected forms to be particularly cautious about contact claiming to be from Glasgow City Council.

“If you are contacted by someone claiming to have your data, you should contact Police Scotland on 101.”

It added: “We are sorry that this incident will have caused real anxiety to people who have used our online services – and frustration for those unable to access those services now.”