Leicester City Council grapples with a severe setback as its phones and IT systems remain paralyzed following a cyber attack that commenced on March 7. The extent of the disruption is unprecedented, with the outage anticipated to persist until “at least midweek,” as acknowledged by one councillor who deems the duration “pretty much unheard of” in the realm of government IT outages.
The local authority reveals ongoing efforts to rectify the situation, working closely with cybersecurity and law enforcement partners. Despite the lack of details regarding the nature of the cyber attack, the council expresses its commitment to resolving the issue promptly. Hopes are pinned on initiating the recovery process by Wednesday, with a focus on reinstating the most critical services first.
Leicester City Council, acknowledging the inconvenience caused, issues an apology to residents and assures them that frontline services will operate with minimal disruption. Emergency phone lines have been established for urgent assistance, emphasizing that these lines are not for general inquiries. The council encourages residents to seek advice and assistance on its website, Leicester.gov.uk, while actively working to navigate through the challenges posed by the cyber incident.
