Argyll and Bute Council achieves highest level of cyber security

Argyll and Bute Council has been awarded the UK’s highest level of cyber security accreditation after independent assessors carried out thorough tests on computer systems.

The council has been given its Cyber Essentials Plus certificate, which confirms its commitment to protecting data against the most common internet-based threats to cyber security.

These include hacking, phishing and password guessing.

As well as protecting the council’s data, the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation demonstrated the council’s commitment to keeping the data of residents, businesses and partner organisations secure from online attacks.

Created by the UK Government and cyber security experts, the Cyber Essentials scheme helps organisations to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data stored on devices which connect to the internet.

Councillor Rory Colville, policy lead for corporate services, said: ‘We take the security of your data, as well as our own, very seriously. Getting this Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation means we have gone the extra mile to ensure our systems are secure.

‘The systems have been tested by independent assessors and we can now proudly say our IT is suitably secure and meets the standards set by the Cyber Essentials scheme.’