SIC ‘cannot be complacent’ on cyber security

SHETLAND Islands Council is “doing as much as it can” regarding the threat of cyber attacks – with a warning made that the local authority “cannot be complacent”.

The topic was raised at a meeting of the council’s audit committee on Monday morning amid a number of cyber attacks in recent weeks on national retailers and some local authorities.

A knock-on impact of an attack on the Co-op was felt in Shetland, with deliveries to its two supermarkets affected.

The West Lothian council also reported being the victim of a suspected ‘ransomware’ cyber attack, while Edinburgh council’s education department was also targeted.

At Monday’s audit committee meeting, Shetland Central councillor Moraig Lyall sought reassurance that the SIC was ensuring the “highest level of cyber security” when it came to digital technology.

She said a report mentioning how the SIC “lack a consistent and strategic approach to the use of digital technology to improve workforce productivity” gave her a “degree of anxiety” in light of the recent attacks.