Scotland’s Digital Office for local government has said it is focusing on providing strategic tabletop exercises to strengthen cyber security among the country’s local authorities.
It said this reflects the fact that, while technology provides a level of security, the human factor is crucial in detecting, responding and recovering from a cyber attack.
Tabletop exercises simulate scenarios to help organisations test their response plans, identify gaps and improve their cyber security posture.
The Digital Office said it is gearing the exercises towards council chief executives, boards of directors, heads of service and managers to give them experience of responding to a cyber incident.
Whole council problem
Its chief information security officer, David Ritchie, said in a blogpost: “A common misconception is that cyber security is a technical problem. A serious cyber attack is a whole council incident, and all staff, especially senior managers, need to be prepared to play their part in the response.”
He added: “As cyber threats become more sophisticated, these exercises are critical in ensuring that your organisation can respond robustly in the face of a cyber incident.”
