£2m spent by Holyrood on protecting computers from hackers

MORE than £2million has been spent defending Scottish Government computer systems following attacks by hackers.

Three significant attempts have been made by cybercriminals in the last two years to access Scottish Government computer systems, while attacks have also been launched against the NHS and Holyrood.

In a bid to counter the growing threat, ministers spent more than £2million in three years and are set to spend £1million in the next year.

Officials have also committed to increasing funding and exploring new defence methods in a bid to protect information within the public systems.

Cyber attackers attempted to breach government systems twice last year using ransomware, while another attempt was made this year using malware.

New documents released under Freedom of Information legislation reveal ministers are stepping up attempts to thwart those launching attacks on computer systems.

Cary Hendricks, global operations director of Glasgow cyber security firm ID Cyber Solutions, claimed the Government is still not spending enough on protection.

He said: ‘Things are getting better but they are nowhere near where they should be.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government faces a continual and evolving threat of cyber attacks, and we take our cyber security very seriously.’

‘Continual and evolving threat’