Cyberattack causes a massive IT outage on the British Library

The British Library sustained a significant IT outage that disrupted its website and various services after a “cyber incident” on Saturday, October 28.

The ongoing outage has impacted the Library’s website and critical services, such as phone lines and on-site library services in London and Yorkshire. Despite these challenges, the Reading Rooms for personal study remain operational, with collection items requested on or before October 26 still accessible on-site.

One of the representatives of the affected entity explained that the British Library experienced a significant technology outage due to an alleged cyberattack. This incident impacts the online systems and services, website, and on-site services, including our Reading Rooms. The entity has collaborated with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and a third-party cybersecurity provider to investigate the incident.

 

The British Library has yet to disclose the entire scope of the attack.

 

The British Library has not revealed whether the cyber incident has compromised its customers’ or employees’ personal or financial information. They also have yet to disclose the details of how the attackers infiltrated their systems and the nature of the attack. As a result, the British Library’s website remained inaccessible due to the cyberattack.

However, the British Library has set alternative measures to manage the situation. While there is limited manual ordering of collection items in London using printed catalogues in St Pancras, access to digital collections and the digital record remains restricted. Furthermore, everyone could only use cash to purchase exhibition tickets at the Library.

Despite the challenges brought on by the cyber incident, the Library emphasised that its Fantasy exhibition and public spaces are operating and planned public events will continue. Still, payments at these venues are on a cash basis.

The British Library features an extensive collection of over 150 million items stored across 625 kilometres of shelves, with an annual addition of 3 million items. It is also a vital resource, annually serving over 11 million learners through its website and catering to the needs of more than 16,000 individuals who utilise its collections daily.

The IT disruption could have affected millions of individuals, including projects and academic requirements.