Council praised for protecting IT

Fife Council has been praised for the successful precautions it took to protect its information technology services, meaning it was unaffected by recent ransomware attacks.

The cyber attack affected most health boards across Scotland earlier this month and caused havoc with IT systems and telephone networks.

NHS Fife was also hit, although thankfully not to the same extent as other health board areas, but Lib Dem councillor Tim Brett paid tribute to staff whose diligence meant Fife Council avoided problems on May 12.

“I understand that because staff had kept the computer systems updated, acting upon advice from Microsoft with respect to malware as well as effectively filtering email and removing redundant components, Fife Council IT systems were protected from the ransomware attack which affected NHS services,” Mr Brett noted.

“Unlike the health service, councils must follow the public services code of connection, which improves protection but we cannot be complacent.

“I am advised the best defence is to remove any vulnerabilities as soon as we are made aware of them and act promptly upon any advice from agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre.

“While security measures can cause frustration, our IT services endeavour to strike the right balance between risk and practicality. In this case they clearly did so.”