Councils Warned about Cyber Attacks

Councils are unprepared for cyber attacks, a report has found.

18:55 21 February 2018

A report by privacy group Big Brother Watch has found that councils do not have what it takes to prevent cyber attacks. The group found that more than 25per cent of UK councils have had their computer systems breached in the past five years and that staff often lacked cyber training.

 

The report found that the majority of successful cyber attacks, which often led to data loss, began with so-called phishing emails designed to trick staff into revealing passwords and other data.

 

Jennifer Krueckeberg, the lead researcher at Big Brother Watch, said: "One would assume that they [councils] would be doing their utmost to protect citizens' sensitive information.

 

"Local authorities need to take urgent action and make sure they fulfill their responsibilities to protect citizens," she added.

 

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association responded saying that councils took their privacy responsibilities “extremely seriously.”