SIC advised to keep a close eye on risk of cyber attacks
SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) chief executive Maggie Sandison said the risk of cyber attacks is an area the local authority has been told to pay “particular attention” to.
She also said the “level of risk we are facing from disruption to key public services is far higher than it used to be”.
The topic cropped up during discussion on the council’s risk register at a meeting last week.
North Isles member Robert Thomson said the “geopolitical situation” in Europe was “heating up” and suggested the council should put this in the risk register.
This led Sandison onto speaking about the particular risk of cyber attacks, an issue which is already on the register.
The register said that although the SIC has a “host of security systems and approaches in place […], an attack can always happen”.
Control measures include anti-virus and firewall defences, “endpoint security protection”, 24/7 monitoring of critical systems and adherence to best practices.
The UK Government said last year that the cyber threat to “local government is real, increasing, and constantly evolving”, with potential disruption to essential services alongside a risk of financial losses.
Speaking outside the meeting, Sandison said that in an age of digitisation “everything we do” relies on accessing data – something which is reflected in every local authority.
She believes the SIC is doing “what we need to do” to protect itself, but acknowledged that threats are becoming more challenging.
Sandison gave one example where the SIC had to temporarily close its website to access from abroad due to attempted attacks.
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