Two years ago the local authority for the Outer Hebrides suffered a cyber incursion that impacted delivery of frontline services and resulted in costs of hundreds of thousands of pounds A report into a cyberattack on a Scottish council has found that the organisation had not properly prepared for such an event. A new report from Scotland’s accounts commission finds that, while Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – also referred to as Western Isles Council – did take swift action to protect its systems following a ransomware assault in 2023, it had not adequately prepared for a potential attack. The review found that the impact of the attack was immediate, crippling the council’s ability to function and resulting in the near total loss of the data held on the council’s file share servers. The attack was identified as a sophisticated ransomware attack where attackers had installed malware onto the council’s system that encrypted and removed access to the council’s systems and data. The report does note that the council “escalated the issue appropriately” when it was discovered, meeting regularly and ensuring that a temporary website was available for constituents. As a result of the attack, various services were affected, leaving users unable to access critical services like paying council tax. The report said the impact of the disruption is still being felt, as some services like housing benefit are still recovering and dealing with significant backlogs. “Both the auditor and the i