Report: “An Apparent Cyberattack Hushes the British Library”

Note: infoDOCKET first shared a report about the BL cyberattack on Wednesday.  In Canada, the Toronto Public Library continues to deal with a cyber incident one week after it was first reported. 

From The NY Times:

On Saturday [10/28], the library was hit by what it is calling a “cyber incident.” Ever since, its website has been down and scholars have been unable to access its online catalog. The library’s Wi-Fi has also stopped working, and staff members haven’t been allowed to turn on their computers. Its gift shop is open for business, but only for anyone with cash to buy trinkets such as British Library-branded pencils.

[Clip]

On Friday, a library spokeswoman said in an email that she could not provide further comment. She did not respond to questions on whether an attack had actually occurred.

[Clip]

This would not be the first time a library has faced a cyber incident. This year, cybercriminals targeted Germany’s National Library, although its director general, Frank Scholze, said in a telephone interview on Friday that his staff had been able to “fend it off.”

“Libraries have not really been targets before — we’re a little bit under the radar,” Scholze said. “But this seems to be changing.”

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (about 800 words)

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Profiles, Public Libraries