Cyber attack on Redcar council cost £10.4 million

A cyber attack on the computer systems of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is estimated to have cost more than £10 million.

Approximately 135,000 people were left without online public services after Redcar and Cleveland's website and computers were targeted by a ransomware attack in February.

The local authority, which has been in discussions with the government over covering the cost of the attack, has since made improvements to its cyber defences ‘with further upgrades planned’. The National Cyber Security Centre were drafted in to help restore services knocked offline, including online appointment bookings, planning documents, social care advice and council housing complaints systems.

Upgrades to its systems since February and enrolment on an NCSC scheme mean its cyber defences ‘will be far more advanced than most peers in local government’, according to the council’s budget report.

A figure of £10.4 million has been given to the government along with other information to assist with a due diligence process.