Bristol Will Spend £3.2M On Municipal Cyber Security

Uploaded on 2024-10-03 in NEWS-Cybersecurity News, GOVERNMENT-Local, FREE TO VIEW

Bristol City Council is aiming to spend up to £3.2million improving its cyber security as there are serious fears that a successful attack could have “major impacts on the council’s ability to provide critical services”.

Most of the money will pay for a team of outside experts who will monitor the authority’s computer systems 24/7 and provide an “active defence” against the threat, while more dedicated in-house IT staff will also be employed.

The decision will have been informed by the costly effects of an attack on the nearby Ciy of Gloucester in 2022 which brought that city's IT systems to a halt. The The Report to Bristol's Strategy and Resources Policy Committee which was advised to approve the plans said major cyber attacks cost Hackney Council £12.5million and Redcar & Cleveland Council £10million, although the scale of these were rare. It said the funding for the new service, to be spent over five years, would have to be found through other cut-backs when the 2025/26 budget was set next February.

Regular reports to Bristol City Council committees have shown the risk and impact of a cyber attack on the organisation’s systems are higher than it deems acceptable.

The report to the committee said: “Recent years have seen a significant rise in cyber security related incidents affecting the public sector across the globe, as well as a marked increase in the number of attacks targeting national infrastructure, including local government.

“Incidents are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, and appear to be carried out by advanced, persistent threat actors that have access to considerable resources. It is therefore vital that the council has the knowledge, means and support to defend against cyber-attacks.”

The report said the need to hire a dedicated external team of IT experts followed a review in July assessing potential weaknesses in the authority’s digital networks. The team will provide a “rapid incident response” if an attack is detected, as well as round-the-clock monitoring to thwart any.

The committee report said: “The service will help reduce the risk of successful cyber attack, the impact of which can have major impacts on the council’s ability to provide critical services over the short, medium or long-term.” It also said the alternative option of an in-house security operations centre would cost more than £4.5million over five years and so was not recommended.

Image:

You Might Also Read:

Long Beach In California Falls Under Attack:

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 7,000-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.