Dyfed-Powys Police has been hit by a cyber attack, and nearly two weeks on it still cannot say whether information about its own staff was accessed.
It took the force 11 days to go public. The attack was spotted on Monday 14 September, but only confirmed on Friday.
It hit some of the force’s non-emergency systems, and for a time people could not contact it online or by email.
No sign the public’s data was hit, Dyfed-Powys Police says, but staff details still being checked
So far, the force says, its investigation has found no evidence that members of the public’s personal data has been accessed or compromised.
It is still investigating whether any information relating to staff was, and says it is taking steps to protect that information and will advise colleagues if needed.
The Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data protection regulator, has been told.
999 and 101 kept working as Dyfed-Powys Police online contact went down
The force insists it remains fully operational, and says its response to emergencies has not been affected.
The 999 and 101 phone lines kept working throughout, it says. Online and email contact has now been restored.
Its systems have been under precautionary measures while specialist teams investigate and work to bring services back safely, the force says.
Tarian’s cyber-crime unit takes charge of the Dyfed-Powys investigation
The force describes what happened as a “cyber incident”. The investigation is being run by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for southern Wales, through its cyber-crime unit, with help from cyber-security specialists.
The force says it is monitoring its systems closely.
It says it understands the attack may cause concern, and has promised further updates when it is able to give them.
Dyfed-Powys Police covers Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys.
From a police legal database to Jaguar Land Rover, the cyber attacks that went before
It is not the first time this summer that police in Wales have been caught up in a cyber attack.
In July, hackers got into the Police National Legal Database, an online legal reference service used by every Home Office force in England and Wales.
Its operators said names, organisations and work email addresses of police officers, staff and criminal justice professionals were accessed. The names and emails of members of the public who had sent in questions through its Ask the Police website were also compromised.
Dyfed-Powys Police has not said what caused its own attack, or who was behind it.
Closer to home, last year’s cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover halted the carmaker’s production across the UK and hit workers at two Llanelli suppliers, Marelli and Gestamp, where agency staff were laid off and overtime scrapped.
Discover more from Swansea Bay News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
