Town halls hit by 98m hack attacks

TOWN halls have been hit by 98million cyber-attacks in the past five years, a report claims. Criminals have tried to steal data, including the personal details of millions of householders.

Twenty-five councils were compromised, according to a study by privacy campaigners at Big Brother Watch.

They found that three in four local authorities did not provide mandatory training in cyber-security and many of the hacking attacks went unreported.

Jennifer Krueckeberg, who led the research, said: ‘Local authorities need to take urgent action and make sure they fulfil their responsibilities to protect citizens.’ Among councils being hacked was Tonbridge and Malling in Kent with 62 incidents, Hereford with 22 and Rhondda in Wales with 18.