The information, which included names and people’s council tax balances, was briefly put in a digital public folder in May by the council’s software contractor
Waltham Forest Council has said its software contractor Capita briefly exposed private information from residents in May.
The council says it was notified on Tuesday 16th May that private details belonging to Waltham Forest residents had been briefly put in a digitally accessible public folder which could be viewed from people outside Capita.
In a public statement about the data breach, the council said other councils across the country had also been affected.
The information included residents names and people’s council tax balances of 1 April 2022, in addition to some data relating to business rates. The council says no bank or payment details were exposed in the data breach.
The council said: “We are unhappy that Capita has failed in the duty of care we expect of our suppliers and the incident has been referred into the [UK data protection watchdog] Information Commissioner’s Office.”
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Waltham Forest Council said Capita told them “they have found nothing to suggest” that exposed details have been used illegally and that the risk from the breach is “low”.
A Capita spokesperson told the Echo: “There is currently no evidence that any data has been accessed inappropriately. The data is secure and no longer accessible.”
The council has asked those who believe they may have been affected by the data breach to call 0208 496 3000 and check with them directly.
Meanwhile, last week it was revealed that a Russian hacking group hacked Barts Health NHS Trust, which manages Whipps Cross Hospital. The group is threatening to release seven terabytes of stolen information
The data breach could potentially affect 2.5 million people as the NHS Trust manages St. Bartholomew’s, the Royal London, Mile End, and Newham in addition to Whipps Cross Hospital. A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust told the Echo: “We are aware of claims of a ransomware attack and are urgently investigating.”
Note: This article has been updated to include a comment from Capita
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