Coordinated DDoS Attacks Target Leicestershire Councils Amid Rising Cyber Threats

In a coordinated cyber attack, the Russian hacking group NoName057(16) targeted Leicestershire County Council and North West Leicestershire District Council on April 9, 2026. The attack involved Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) tactics, overwhelming the councils' servers with excessive traffic. While Leicestershire County Council reported no disruption due to its robust systems, NWLDC experienced temporary unavailability of parts of its website for several hours. Both councils reassured residents that personal data remained secure, with no data breaches reported. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) monitored the situation and assisted NWLDC in containing the attack. This incident follows a pattern of cyber threats against UK infrastructure linked to geopolitical tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a related context, Charnwood Borough Council reported blocking nearly 30 million cyber threats since March 2024, highlighting the ongoing cybersecurity challenges faced by local governments.

Key Points: • Russian hacking group NoName057(16) executed DDoS attacks on two Leicestershire councils. • Leicestershire County Council avoided disruption, while NWLDC faced hours of website downtime. • Charnwood Borough Council blocked nearly 30 million cyber threats since March 2024, indicating a broader issue.