Scottish Council Still Reeling From 2023 Ransomware Attack

The Scottish cyber-attack that exposed a major warning for all councils

The Accounts Commission says the 2023 Western Isles cyber-attack shows councils must urgently strengthen resilience, after severe disruption and…

Scottish council still reeling from 2023 ransomware attack

: Audit sympathetic toward Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as staff stretched to capacity trying to recover

Councils warned they are not 'immune' to cyber attack and urged to prepare

A cyber attack on Western Isles Council two years ago caused "immediate, severe and prolonged disruption," with the impact most notable for the council's finance team.

Scottish council hit by major ransomware attack ‘had gaps in cybersecurity’

Two years ago the local authority for the Outer Hebrides suffered a cyber incursion that impacted delivery of frontline services and resulted in costs of hundreds of thousands of pounds A report into a cyberattack on a Scottish council has found that the organisation had not properly prepared for such an event. A new report from Scotland’s accounts commission finds that, while Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – also referred to as Western Isles Council…

Western Isles council still dealing with service backlogs two years on from ransomware attack, audit finds

Western Isles council is still dealing with service backlogs two years on from a cyberattack crippled its systems, an external audit has found. The local authority, which serves a population of just 26,640 people across Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra, is still not back to normal service since the ransomware incident in November 2023. Audit Scotland today published a review undertaken by the Accounts Commission, the e…

Councils warned they are not ‘immune’ to cyber attack and urged to prepare

Councils have been warned of the “urgent need” to be prepared following an investigation into a “significant” cyber attack on Western Isles Council. The Accounts Commission said councils should assume it is a case of “when, not if” they are attacked and that a collective approach is needed to prepare for the future. A report into the November 2023 cyber attack on Western Isles Council found that it caused immediate, severe and prolonged disrupti…