Tayside Councils Step Up Cyber Security

Tayside councils invest hundreds of thousands of pounds to improve online safety and cyber security research.

08:54 10 January 2021

Tayside Councils have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in cybersecurity as part of its efforts to prevent cybercrime attacks. The move comes as the majority of council staff are forced to work from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

 

Based on the latest figures, Dundee City Council spent £88,488 between January and November 2020 on firewalls, antivirus software, internet filtering, email filtering and cyber support. Meanwhile, Angus Council increased its spending on cybersecurity from £112,000 in 2019 to £302,000 in 2020. 

 

Industry experts recommend all devices have spyware detection software installed and updated on a regular basis to help prevent cyber security issues. 

 

A spokeswoman for Dundee City Council said: “The council maintains and renews multiple levels of cyber security to keep staff and data secure.

 

“Specifically, regarding virtual home working the council deploys technologies including virtual private networks, two-factor authentication tokens and firewalls which secure access and maintain council data within the council network.

 

“We fully recognise how important our cyber security is and we are doing everything we can to safeguard the council against attacks.”

 

A spokesman for Angus Council said: “The sum referred to includes spending on firewalls, filtering, anti-virus and malware protection, mail and cloud security protection.

 

“The greater expenditure reflects the increased demand and necessity for working remotely and the increased IT provision required to support our council services.

 

“Cyber security threats and the mitigations against them are constantly evolving.

 

“As such, Angus Council continuously reviews and updates technology, processes and training to protect its information and services.”