Newark and Sherwood District Council deputy leader Keith Girling gives his opinion on cyber attacks

We know that keeping personal information safe online is one of the most important things any organisation must do.

We’ve sadly seen many reported examples where cyber-attacks have caused catastrophic results for individuals and businesses.

You may have been a victim to an automated phishing email or phone scam yourself and unfortunately, it’s all to common to read about these happening almost on a daily basis.

You may recall in June 2021, over 700 million users on one social media channel fell victim to a cyber-attack. That’s a staggering 90% of that channel’s users affected by just one attack and I’m sure that some of us were affected.

However, I am delighted this week to announce our own new Cyber Security Strategy to help us combat this risk. We are constantly introducing new ways you can digitally interact with us, giving you the freedom to get your enquiries resolved anytime and therefore this strategy could not have come at a better time.

Cyber security, or information technology security as it is sometimes known, is incredibly important to us. For us to effectively deliver our services, we, as a district council, collect, process, and store large amounts of sensitive information data on computers and other devices. This is no different from any other council but today, I want to confirm our commitment to ensuring that your data is safe.

This strategy has been drafted by our team of knowledgeable and experienced officers, including our dedicated cyber security officer, to ensure that we will continue to protect your data from misuse and cyber threats and safeguard your privacy. Our staff already undertake regular cyber security and data protection training but this new strategy goes a step further and sets out how we will support you to ensure that everyone is able to access up to date advice about cyber security.

So, my takeaway for today… please always be vigilant in who you are giving your details to. We would only contact you asking for personal information if it was regarding an existing case or service.

I hope this strategy brings assurance to you we are doing all we can to respond to the increasing threat from cyber criminals.