UK Housing Ombudsman investigates security incident affecting case system

The U.K. Housing Ombudsman Service is investigating a security incident involving a third-party IT provider that affected its case management system on Tuesday. The service said the incident has been contained and that it is working with the supplier to establish the facts, including the extent of any data involved.

The service is still investigating whether personal information was affected. It has notified the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and said it will provide updates when available.

New complaints cannot be filed through the service's systems while they are offline. People who need to raise a complaint can contact the Housing Ombudsman by phone or email. The service said it is working to restore its systems as quickly as possible.

The Ombudsman also advised tenants and leaseholders to be cautious about unsolicited messages and to report suspicious activity. It said people should avoid disclosing personal information unless they are confident about the identity of the person requesting it.

The Housing Ombudsman resolves disputes between social housing residents and social landlords in England. The service has not said whether the incident exposed personal information.