Cyber attack to cost Western Isles Council half a million pounds

Western Isles Council will have to pay an estimated £500,000 to restore its systems following a cyber attack last year.  

In November Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar suffered significant disruption to its IT systems after being hit by a suspected ransomware attack.

The incident affected various services and led to bills, such as council tax, being delayed.

In December, the local authority called for specialists to help rebuild the affected IT systems, as some data remained “inaccessible”.

However, the council has said there is no evidence that data on its servers has been published.

Malcolm Burr, the council's chief executive, said it could take another six months for things to get back to normal.

The Scottish Government, Police Scotland, and National Cyber Security Centre took part in the criminal investigation that followed the attack.

Burr said: “Since the cyber attack the Comhairle has taken steps to improve the security of systems and safeguard data.

“Alongside improved security measures the Comhairle views cyber-security education as a key step that any organisation can take to improve cyber resilience. It was excellent that so many local organisations saw the value in this education and attended [the] sessions.”