Hackney Council in London unable to pay housing benefit after cyber attack (Sky News, 17 Oct 2020)

• Hackney Council unable to pay housing benefit after cyber attack

• By Alexander Martin. Published in Sky News on 17 October 2020

• https://news.sky.com/story/hackney-council-unable-to-pay-housing-benefit-after-cyber-attack-12106304

• Summary:

  • Thousands of private renters in Hackney could face eviction and potentially homelessness as the council says it is unable to make housing benefit payments due to a cyber attack earlier this week.

  • The council was hit on Tuesday 13 October by what Mayor Philip Glanville described as a "serious cyber attack" which continues to leave many of its services and IT systems unavailable.

  • In an update regarding the incident published late on Friday 16 October, the council warned it was unable to make some payments, including discretionary housing payments, certain supplier payments, and housing benefit.

• Keywords: London, England, UK, social housing, financial help, cyber crime