Why Councils Are Being Targeted By Hackers
Councils are working to help people during this COVID-19 crisis. When you think of targets for hackers, councils are not the first thing that comes to mind. Hackers aim to target businesses & organisations that have no choice but to pay, at the moment, councils fit the mold.
Any public sector organisation, like councils, that have to provide extra support during this difficult period has become a target for hackers. Which is why extra attention must be paid towards the cybersecurity aspect. When you are in a position where losing access to your network, even for an hour, could drastically hurt your organisation, risks cannot be afforded to be taken. Hackers are praying on this risk.
What can councils do to protect themselves?
We are working with a number of councils at the moment, varying in size, wanting to do more to protect themselves from a breach. For us, it isn’t just about providing a service, we look to help councils by providing them support and consultancy.
The councils we are working with require penetration testing and cybersecurity consultancy. Aiming to identify any gaps in their network so that they won’t be in a position that they lose access to their network.
What mindset should all councils have?
Zero Trust…
Sounds simple, but you would be shocked at the number of users that trust everything in their inbox. Our Cyber Security Analysts always find users that click on phishing emails and enter their details without a second thought. This is what has to change, the mindset of individuals as they can be the biggest threat to infrastructure.
Pro-active Cyber Security not Reactive
A pro-active approach to the cybersecurity of councils is what can help prevent an attack. Our work with councils has identified gaps in infrastructure and security. Fortunately, our customers pro-actively sought a cybersecurity solution to help protect their network. Every business will suffer a cybersecurity attack of some sort, the damage it does will depend on how much effort they have made to protect themselves.
It’s not if, it’s when.
A cyber attack can happen at any time. Those that are affected the most are the ones that do not have a zero-trust policy or a pro-active approach to their cybersecurity. They are the ones that will end up on the front page of the BBC website. It won’t be just reputational damage that they suffer. It will be financial damage and it could affect the mental health of their staff. Nobody wants to go through that.
If you would like support with your cybersecurity, get in touch with our team today. Coronavirus means that we conduct all our tests remotely, but all the testing can be done. You can speak to our technical team at any time during the engagement and we will also issue a comprehensive report at the end outlining exactly what has been discovered and prioritising the issues for remediation.
The public sector is under extra pressure to maintain order during our quarantine. A cyber attack could cripple any public sector organisation. If that were to happen, it wouldn’t just affect the council it would affect the public living in the area. A perfect example of this is the Redcar and Cleveland Council attack earlier this year.
