Electoral Commission falls victim to cyberattack: is your data affected?
The Electoral Commission says it has fallen victim to a 'complex cyber-attack'.
The elections watchdog has confirmed its systems were first accessed in August 2021 but that the incident wasn't identified until October 2022.
Read on to find out what impact the attack could have on your personal data.
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Electoral Commission cyberattack: what happened?
The Electoral Commission today issued a notice that personal data may have been accessed in a cyberattack.
During the attack, the hackers were able to access 'reference' copies of electoral registers, which are used for research purposes and checks on political donations.
These registers included the name and address of anyone in the UK who registered to vote from 2014 to 2022, and some overseas voters. People who qualified to register anonymously – for example, for safety reasons – are unaffected by the breach.
Personal data stored on the Commission's email system may also have been accessed. This could include names, addresses, email addresses, contact numbers and any sensitive personal information included in emails.
The Commission says it has worked with security specialists to investigate and has secured its systems.
Is my personal data at risk?
The watchdog says no immediate action needs to be taken by people potentially affected by the attack.
This is because the data contained in electoral registers (typically your name and address) is limited, with much of the information already in the public domain.
However, anyone who has been in contact with the Commission or who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022 should 'remain vigilant for unauthorised use or release of their personal data'.
If you're concerned about your personal data having been accessed, you should contact the Electoral Commission's data protection officer.
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