Cyber hacks halt police conference

THE Police Federation has cancelled its annual conference after it fell victim to cyber attacks.

The conference, usually attended by the Home Secretary, was due to be a celebration of the federation’s centenary.

Writing in Police magazine, John Apter, the national chairman, said two cyber attacks took place in March which forced it to cancel the event, due to take place in June.

The attacks infected computers with malware – malicious software designed to cause damage to a computer or network – which resulted in data being deleted or encrypted. He said there was ‘no evidence’ that data was stolen, but that it could not be ruled out – and that investigations were ongoing.

He added that both attacks are subject to a criminal investigation, led by the National Crime Agency. He said it is likely the federation was not specifically targeted in the first attack – which was ‘part of a wider campaign’.