The Government’s cybersecurity strategy aims to firmly position the UK as a responsible and democratic cyber power, capable of protecting and advancing its interests in a technology driven world. However, the UK’s credibility and influence as a cyber power rest on its domestic resilience.
In navigating the everchanging cybersecurity landscape, local authorities encounter complex and evolving challenges. While assisting the public sector in attaining PCI DSS, DSPT, PSN accreditations and aligning with upcoming compliance to NCSC CAF standards, common challenges remain. The reliance of legacy IT systems poses obstacles in the patching or updating of security vulnerabilities, safeguarding sensitive data and the prevalence of ransomware attacks.
Escalating risks
Local authorities are faced by a harsh reality – the likelihood of security breaches. A recent Freedom of Information request revealed that nearly 1,500 data breaches had been disclosed by councils in 2022.
A recent report from Sefton Council stated it is tackling more than 30,0000 cyberattacks per month. It is now engaging to prevent future cyberattacks by adopting new security standards, tools and a full review of training materials. Oldham Council also announced it is to spend £682,000 on computer upgrades after revealing it has been fighting off 10,000 cyberattacks per day.
Proactive cybersecurity risk management for local councils is contingent on proficient vulnerability management. This entails the identifying, assessing, prioritising, mitigating, and monitoring vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure to prevent potential threats. Successful vulnerability management can diminish the attack surface of an authority’s system and applications whilst heightening the difficulty for attackers to discover and exploit these vulnerabilities.
Proactive defence strategies
To help address these ongoing risks, the government has implemented a ‘secure by design’ framework that ensures all technology, and digital services undergo secure planning, procurement, design, construction, operation, modification, and a decommissioning process, thus ensuring them against best practice and robust standards.
Local authorities looking to further bolster their cybersecurity posture and safeguard their IT infrastructure can look to vulnerability management platforms. These platforms offer a comprehensive view of local authorities’ IT landscape, including devices, applications, and services. The increased level of visibility aids IT teams in understanding their attack surface, pinpointing potential vulnerabilities.
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The primary objective of a vulnerability management platform is to minimise the overall cyber security risk by identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. This allows internal IT professionals to focus on strategic and proactive duties, such as efficiently managing the IT estate or delivering new functionality. Accelerating the vulnerability discovery process, by implementing a platform that monitors vulnerabilities in real-time, can reduce the necessity for manual assessments.
Significant costs from breaches can be mitigated with effective vulnerability management, reducing the need for costly incident response, litigation, and regulatory fines linked to data breaches. This also eliminates expenses associated with post-attack system patching. Overall, streamlining the vulnerability assessment process and prioritising risk empowers local authorities to save time and minimise costs.
Staying protected
High profile breaches within the local authority sector constantly remind us of the importance of cybersecurity. Whenever an organisation deals with valuable data, they are a target to criminals. While there are many avenues in which these data breaches can take place, maintaining visibility stands as the primary defence, enabling local authorities to pinpoint and address weaknesses in their IT infrastructure before cybercriminals can exploit them.
Establishing and maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture involves the ongoing proactive commitment to vulnerability management. Achieving these goals requires a combination of robust and resilient systems, alongside high-quality staff training and awareness.
Given the ongoing threat posed by cybercriminals targeting sensitive data, it is imperative for local authorities to prioritise enhancing visibility and bolstering their defences. Through proactive measures such as identifying and promptly addressing vulnerabilities, organisations can significantly improve their cybersecurity efforts and better protect themselves against potential threats.
Investing in robust cybersecurity is essential to safeguard the interests of both local authorities and the communities they serve.
Experts will be tackling the challenge of cybersecurity in the public sector at Think Digital Identity and Cybersecurity for Government on June 11. Register to attend now.
