Mark Conrad 18 May 2017

Vigilance urged after cyber hack

Councils cannot be complacent and must continue to invest in cyber-security to cope with the sort of attack that paralysed NHS IT systems, experts have warned.

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Local Government Association (LGA) this week said the recent ransomware attack on NHS IT systems should serve as a warning to all public bodies not to slash spending on cyber-security despite budgetary pressures.

Following the WannaCry attack last week, some NHS bodies were criticised for failing to update their IT systems despite the growing cyber-security threat. In contrast, most councils upgraded from the Windows XP systems targeted in 2014.

Rob Whiteman, CIPFA chief executive, said difficulties within the NHS should serve as a ‘stark reminder for all government organisations’.

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