Council admits cyber crooks ahead of game

Tech experts concede criminals are tough to counter

Tech experts this week admitted that cyber criminals are always one step ahead of Dumfries and Galloway Council and other public authorities.

This is the reason the council is virtually always on red alert for potential breaches of its systems and the access of public records and confidential information.

A failure of cyber security infrastructure could severely impact on the provision of council services to the most vulnerable, loss of personal information, and affect communication with staff.

The risk of cyber attacks on the local authority was discussed at the council’s audit, risk and scrutiny committee on Tuesday.

A report was tabled which displayed a ‘risk matrix’ with levels of red, amber, and green in relation to the likelihood of hackers breaching the council’s digital defence systems.

That risk was shown to currently be in the red zone and isn’t expected to change any time soon, which North West Dumfries Councillor Paula Stevenson said the public would want to be aware of. She asked: “Why is that? Is there anything more than we can be doing to move that risk further into the green?”

Annandale North Councillor Stephen Thompson, chairman of the committee, said: “We’re almost like holding the line by the looks of it in terms of our target risk and current risk.”

Mark Thomson, the council’s risk and assurance manager, said: “It’s the reality of 2024 and where we continue to be going forward from a cyber security perspective.

“Everything we do, we’re always one step behind in some respects.

The criminals, the terrorists, the hackers get more advanced every month, every year.

“Through our certifications, we keep up with our defences and we audit our systems, and we change where appropriate.

“But it’s a global view. It’s not a local thing for us. It’s a global state of affairs that whatever we do, we will never ever drive that down to a level of yellow or green as cyber attacks progress.”

Online security is in the spotlight in this region after NHS Dumfries and Galloway was hit with a cyber attack last month. The health board confirmed that a “significant quantity” of its data was put at risk and that services could potentially be disrupted.

Numerous councils across the UK have seen their systems infiltrated by hackers and this has led to other authorities stepping up digital security measures.