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Cybersecurity incident at Taupō District Council

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UPDATE 5.15pm Thursday 23 October

Our IT team and cybersecurity partners have been working hard on this all day. Our cybersecurity defences have played their part and we’re happy to report the damage to our network appears to have been minimal.

We'll be doing a full review in the days ahead, just to be 110 percent sure.

It’s also a timely reminder for all of us to be incredibly cautious with emails, links and attachments.

Here’s how you can protect yourself:

  • Think before you click: Don’t open unexpected attachments or click suspicious links.
  • Use strong, unique passwords and change them regularly.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
  • Keep your software updated to patch security vulnerabilities.
  • Back up your data regularly to avoid loss from ransomware.
  • Be cautious with emails asking for credentials or banking details — if in doubt, verify by phone.
  • Use antivirus software and firewalls to block threats.

Netsafe has heaps of useful information on how to spot a scam here: https://netsafe.org.nz/scams.

And remember, if you ever think you’ve been the victim of an online or email scam, you can contact Netsafe for free advice – contact details are on their website.

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12 noon Thursday 23 October

Taupō District Council has today experienced a cybersecurity incident involving a phishing email sent from a council email address.

While we're working hard to investigate and understand this incident we're telling the community to ignore and delete any emails or messages that ask you to update bank account details – either yours or ours. We haven’t changed our bank account.

Some people may have received a phishing email, which may appear with subject lines such as “(person’s name) shared ‘PO 382738.docx’ with you” or “(person’s name) shared a page with you”, which have the potential to compromise recipients’ security.

If you have not opened the email or clicked on any links, you may safely delete it.

If you did open the email and entered your credentials or any sensitive information, we strongly recommend that you:

  1. Change your passwords immediately, especially for any accounts that may use the same credentials.
  2. Notify your IT or network security team so they can take appropriate precautions.
  3. Monitor your accounts for any unusual activity.

Taupō District Council is treating this incident with the utmost seriousness. Our IT and crisis management teams are actively investigating the breach and working to identify and mitigate any further impact.

If you receive an email from a Taupō District Council staff member and are unsure of its legitimacy, please contact us directly on 07 376 0899 to verify.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to resolve this matter.

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