British Library targeted by hackers as website and services down in cyber-attack

The British Library has been hit by a cyber attack that has led to a "major technology outage", it has stated.

A spokesperson for the library said that the website and online systems are among those that have been affected by the saboteurs and that they are working with the National Cyber Security Centre and other cyber security specialists to resolve the situation. It is expected that the disruption could last for several weeks.

The cyber attack led to a technology outage which meant access to the website, as well as the catalogue and digital collections, was temporarily unavailable.

The library said: "We’re continuing to experience a major technology outage, as a result of what has now been identified as a cyber-attack. The outage is still affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services including Wi-Fi.

"We expect to restore many of our services soon, although some disruption is likely to continue for several weeks. We’ve taken targeted protective measures in response to the attack to ensure the integrity of our systems. We’re also undertaking a forensic investigation with the support of NCSC and cyber security specialists.

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"We know many of you have questions but, as this investigation is ongoing, we’re unable to provide any more information at this time and we’ll update when we can. Thanks for your continued understanding."

What is currently available?

The Library’s buildings remain fully open and the following services are available onsite:

• Reading Rooms (for personal study)
• Collection items ordered into the Reading Rooms to be consulted on or before 28 October only
• Very limited, manual collection item ordering in London via our printed catalogues, for items stored in St Pancras only
• Reader Registration – however, we’re currently only able to issue temporary passes. The levels of access these provide may differ depending on whether you are a lapsed or new reader
• Our onsite cafés, restaurant and shops. Our cafés and restaurant accept both card and cash. Our shop and bookshop can only accept cash payments at the moment, although you can still make card purchases via our online shop.

The library states on upcoming events: "Anyone who has previously purchased tickets to our new exhibition, Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, can still use them. Exhibition tickets can only be bought onsite (but we can currently only accept cash). All of our upcoming public events are going ahead as planned."

The Mirror has contacted the Met Police for comment.