Bosses at Charnwood Borough Council say they experience attempted cyber-attacks on a daily basis
06:00, 02 Apr 2026
Charnwood Borough Council is based in Loughborough(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
A Leicestershire council has blocked nearly 30 million cyber threats in just two years as experts say protecting public information is an ongoing problem.
Data obtained from a Freedom of Information request reveals that Charnwood Borough Council has blocked 29,167,987 cyber threats since March 2024.
The authority says the threats come from “other countries” and IP addresses “originating from various ranges”. They include automated attacks, scanning activities, phishing attempts, and other malicious traffic.
Ismini Vasileiou, director of East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster, said: “This scale of threat is very common, and, for most organisations, forms part of the automated background noise they deal with everyday.”
Dr Vasileiou explained the high number of blocked attempts does not necessarily mean a council has been breached, but often reflects the volume of routine malicious activity being filtered out.
However, personal information such as bank details, driving licence or passport numbers and home addresses all have a market on the dark web, which is why attacks on local government systems carry a “serious risk” of escalation into fraud, impersonation or wider disruption.
Ismini Vasileiou, director of East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster(Image: Jason Senior)
Dr Vasileiou said: “They try to see if there’s any back doors open – anyway they can have access to those digital assets.
“It is a continuous task – it doesn’t stop. There is always more we can do. I am not going to say we are there yet – it is an evolving landscape.
“The real test of cyber maturity is not how much hostile traffic an organisation receives but whether they have the governance and resilience in place to stop disruption to essential services.”
The news comes after Leicester City Council faced a cybersecurity breach this time two years ago.
At least 25 confidential documents were published online, including rent statements, applications to purchase council housing and passport information.
Leicester City Council refused to disclose the scale of threat it has faced since and its current insurance plans, arguing this could prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.
However, Charnwood Borough Council did confirm it has cyber insurance in place, at a policy premium of £20,000.
The policy covers business interruption loss resulting from a security breach or system failure, cyber extortion loss, data recovery costs and eCrime.
A Charnwood Borough Council spokesperson said: “Like many modern organisations, we experience attempted cyber-attacks on a daily basis. However, since March 2024, we have recorded no cybersecurity beaches.
“These include automated attacks, scanning activities, phishing attempts, and other malicious traffic that our security controls intercept before reaching our systems. These attacks come from both the United Kingdom and foreign countries.
“That is why we continually update, strengthen and monitor our security systems to ensure these attempts are blocked and do not lead to breaches.
“We understand the importance of keeping residents informed and can reassure the public that the council remains vigilant.
“We continue to invest in our cybersecurity defences, follow national best-practice guidance, and work closely with trusted partners to stay ahead of emerging threats.”