Locata Details

    Organization Logo

    Locata

    London50 employees • Technology

    https://locatahousingservices.org.uk/
    United Kingdom

    Industry

    Technology

    Security Incidents

    1

    Locata Housing Services is an organization that specializes in providing housing allocation and management solutions. Established with the primary purpose of addressing housing needs and facilitating social housing allocations, Locata works with local authorities and housing associations to ensure that housing opportunities are fairly and effectively distributed among applicants. Through their web-based platform, they streamline the process of finding and securing housing, making it more accessible and transparent for both housing providers and seekers.

    The company was founded in 2001 and has...
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    Security Incidents

    Locata Breach of Jul 2024
    Severity Score
    Moderate to Significant

    Type

    Phishing Attack

    Summary

    On July 29, a cyberattack impacted several local councils in Greater Manchester, disrupting the housing websites managed by Locata, a software company. The attack initially targeted one borough but quickly spread to others, including Manchester, Salford, and Bolton councils, causing the dissemination of phishing emails that falsely requested users to "activate your tenancy options" and sought personal data.

    Locata promptly suspended the affected websites to address the breach. Manchester City Council reported that the phishing scam affected only publicly accessible portions of its website, wi...
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    Severity

    The cyberattack that took place on July 29 impacted several local councils in Greater Manchester, specifically targeting housing websites managed by Locata. The initial attack on one borough rapidly spread to Manchester, Salford, and Bolton councils, leading to the dissemination of phishing emails that attempted to collect personal data by falsely requesting users to "activate your tenancy options." Locata swiftly suspended the affected websites to mitigate the damage, but personal information exposure, though somewhat limited, did occur.

    Manchester City Council and other local authorities ha...
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    Impact

    The Greater Manchester cyberattack primarily involved a phishing scam that targeted housing websites managed by Locata. Personal data of residents from Manchester, Salford, and Bolton councils was exposed, though the extent of the compromised information varies among councils.

    Due to the incident, essential online services such as the Manchester Move, Salford Home Search, and Homes for Bolton were taken offline as a precautionary measure, affecting service accessibility for thousands of users. Additionally, while there was no explicit mention of stolen internal company data or intellectual p...
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