JLE: Hackers hit Golders Green social centre with cyber-attack

A Golders Green social centre for young Jews has been hit by hackers, with users warned their personal details are potentially exposed.

The Jewish Learning Exchange has told users “it is possible that some of your data that has previously been entered into the JLE website may have been compromised.”

This is understood to include names, addresses, and phone numbers. 

The centre said it was difficult to ascertain how many users had currently been affected, but that it could only confirm one user’s data had been lost through the attack so far.

“Our IT teams are continuing to investigate the breach and immediately acted to upgrade our digital security and reset passwords to protect users,” said a spokeswoman for the centre.

“The breach may have been caused by a brute force attack or through compromised user logins from other websites. We do not believe it was a targeted attack on the JLE.”

The cyber-attack is also not thought to have been motivated by antisemitism.

The incident has been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the watchdog for data protection.

Users have now been advised to change their passwords on other sites if using the same login details.

“Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common and complex. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused,” added the letter to users.

Last week, a leading Jewish charity for children with learning disabilities, Norwood, was targeted by pro-Palestine hackers.

Activists hijacked the charity’s social media accounts to post the Palestinian flag, alongside a call to wipe Israel off the map.