Pro-Russian Hacker Group Claims Cyber Attacks on UK Councils

A group of pro-Russian hackers has asserted responsibility for a cyber attack that reportedly targeted multiple councils. The group, identified as NoName057(16) and displaying a Russian flag in its profile, announced its intentions on X to target UK municipal offices, specifically mentioning those in Greater Manchester. It stated that it had launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against the websites of Salford, Bury, Trafford, and Tameside councils this week, rendering them inaccessible by overwhelming them with internet traffic. Salford, Bury, and Trafford councils verified that their respective web pages experienced temporary disruption due to a cyber attack, but confirmed their restoration to online functionality. A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) stated that the agency offered advice to the impacted councils. The spokesperson informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Whilst DDoS attacks are relatively low in sophistication and impact, they can cause disruption by preventing legitimate users from accessing online services.” Salford and Bury councils indicated that residents could still access services directly and via telephone during the period their websites were offline. Trafford Council affirmed that personal data “remained secure throughout,” further stating: “We continue to remain vigilant and monitor for cyber threats.” Tameside Council was also approached for a statement. This incident follows another cyber attack experienced by Greater Manchester councils in August, when housing websites serving Manchester, Salford, and Bolton were affected by a phishing scam. This earlier event targeted thousands of individuals across the region, involving emails sent to users requesting personal data. Consequently, municipal authorities advised residents to scrutinize their bank accounts for any unusual transactions and to update passwords previously used for the housing register.