Personal Information Was Taken In A Council Cyber Attack.
The Number Of Residents Impacted By The Attack, Which Occurred In The Early Hours Of January 8, Is Unknown, According To Gateshead Council.
The attack is being investigated by the North East Regional crime unit, according to the Local Democracy reporting service. Gateshead council's strategic director for corporate services and Governance, Mike Barker, cautioned citizens to be " vigilant for anything that does not seem right, and be cautious when sharing your personal information."
Authorities have advised people to be on the lookout for phishing emails or fraudulent activity, and to change their passwords if they are concerned about suspicious activity. The council also stated that it would get in touch with those affected by the data loss, and that the threat had been " quickly contained."
" As investigations continue there is a possibility of further issues arising, and we will work to mitigate this should that be the case," he went on to say. " Investigations so far have not indicated there is any further damage caused, but we need to open the possibility." Gateshead Council said it was taken the incident " extremely seriously," and that " robust security measures have meant the potential damage this could have caused has been mitigated, and we are still able to operate our day-to-day business activities."
" Incidents of this nature, unfortunately, are on the rise with many organizations like ours already having dealt with such situations," said Mr Baker.
