The "sophisticated cyber-attack" that disrupted council services was carried out by Russian hackers, it has been established.
Gloucester City Council's investigation into the attack that caused their IT systems to be compromised in 2021 is now complete.
It disrupted several systems, causing damage to the council's network and online services.
Experts in cyber incident response have been collaborating with the city council.
Although the cyberattack may have gained access to some resident data held by the city council, nothing taken has been made public online as of yet.
Considering the counsel the council has received from law enforcement organizations, they now believe it is unlikely that any information will be published.
The managing director of the council, Jon McGinty, said: "I want to thank our residents for their understanding and patience during this difficult time.
"This criminal organization targeted our council in an effort to interfere with our public services and extort a ransom payment from the council. ".
It has been previously reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that hackers with ties to Russia were responsible for the attack, but this is the first time this has been formally acknowledged by the institution.
The council coordinated efforts with the National Crime Agency, the National Cyber Security Centre, a division of GCHQ, and the Information Commissioner's Office to reduce any additional risks.
Seven people connected to Conti, the gang believed to be responsible for this incident, were sanctioned by the government earlier this year.
Attacks against other organizations, such as hospitals, schools, businesses, and other local authorities, have also been carried out by this group.
