Glasgow City Council hit by cyberattack, potential data theft
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Glasgow City Council has been hit by a cyber attack that potentially compromised thousands of residents' personal data and disrupted critical online services across Scotland's largest local authority.
The incident was discovered in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 19, 2025, when the council's IT supplier CGI detected malicious activity on servers managed by a third-party provider. As a precautionary response, the council took several affected servers offline, causing significant outages across core digital functions used by residents and staff throughout the city.
Affected services include:
- access to planning applications for local development projects
- access to penalty charge notice systems to view evidence, make payments, or submit appeals for parking and bus lane contraventions
- access to reporting school absences through
- access to online appointment booking for registrar services
- access to requests for birth, marriage, and death certificates
- access to revenue and benefits callback appointment booking
- access to the pension fund's online portal
The cause of the attack has not been disclosed by Glasgow City Council or investigating authorities. Security specialists reviewing the incident have confirmed that it was not caused by email, and email communication with the council remains safe.
The council has acknowledged that customer data may have been stolen, but the specific types and volume of information are not clear.
The number of affected individuals is not disclosed. Given that Glasgow has a population of over 630,000 residents the potential impact could affect tens of thousands of citizens who have used the council's online platforms.
The council has apologized for "the anxiety and inconvenience this incident and the necessary response to it will undoubtedly cause" and continues to provide updates through its official website. Alternative methods of accessing key services are being explored. Timelines for full service restoration have not been disclosed.