The **U.K. Housing Ombudsman Service**, an executive non-departmental public body established under the Housing Act 1996, is currently addressing an IT security incident. The incident, impacting its case management system, was first reported on Tuesday. ### Incident Impacts Complaint Filing The watchdog, responsible for mediating disputes between social housing residents and landlords in England, has issued an alert on its official website. The alert confirms that new complaints cannot be filed through their online systems while they work with the affected service provider to assess the full impact. Residents needing to raise new complaints are advised to use the Housing Ombudsman's phone line or email at [email protected]. ### Containment and Investigation Underway The service has confirmed that the incident has been contained. In an official statement, they noted, "We are working with our external supplier to establish the full facts, including the extent of the data involved." The investigation is ongoing to determine if any personal information has been compromised, with further updates promised as soon as they become available.  *Housing Ombudsman Service alert (BleepingComputer)* ### ICO Notified, Public Caution Advised **The Housing Ombudsman Service** has informed the **Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)** about the breach. As a precautionary measure, tenants and leaseholders are urged to exercise heightened caution regarding unsolicited communications. "As a precaution, we recommend that individuals continue to exercise their usual caution when responding to unexpected communications," the service stated. "Do not disclose personal information unless you are confident of the identity of the requester and report any suspicious activity to the relevant organisation or authorities." Efforts are underway to restore services "as quickly as possible." ### Broader Context of UK Public Sector Security This incident follows other security challenges within the UK public sector. In March, **Companies House** was forced to take its WebFiling service offline to address a security flaw that had exposed company data since October 2025. Earlier in January, the UK government unveiled a new cybersecurity strategy backed by over £210 million ($283 million) to bolster cyber defenses across government departments and the wider public sector.