Cybersecurity for Town Councils

Cybersecurity is critical for protecting the services you offer and, in turn, your local community. We help you identify cyber risks you face and provide tailored advice to strengthen your defences.

The cybersecurity landscape is increasingly hostile. We regularly hear of organisations - large and small - becoming victims of cyber crime. These criminals often get in via vulnerabilities that ought not to exist: weak passwords, insecure settings and outdated software to name but a few. Sometimes they will use phishing or other social engineering attacks, essentially abusing key personal values of helpfulness, openness, selflessness and honesty, to attack important institutions that keep society running.

We're here to help you identify what can go wrong and how you can protect against it.

View this page in full screen on a desktop or laptop computer to see what effects a cyber security incident can have on your town.

Mr Jones' Christmas Headache

A few years ago Steve Jones, the Head Groundskeeper, got a new toy: internet-connected smart Christmas lights for the Town. He did not change the default password and now someone else has control of them. Instead of nice gentle twinkling, the town has been subjected to garish multi-coloured flashing disco lights. The residents aren't happy and Steve doesn't know where to start.

Kelly's Ceilidh

Kelly, the Administrative Assistant, received an email pretending to be from a councillor. The attachment was actually a virus that wiped her computer, including all the community centre bookings. Even though she tried her best to recreate the records from emails she had sent and received, it still resulted in some double bookings. Last week, what ought to have been a nice relaxing meditative yoga session was interrupted by the thunderous Scottish Country Dancing Society!

Burning Ears

Unbeknown to the Town Clerk, the internet router was out of date, insecure and had been hacked. By using this to break into the council's systems, the attacker was able to steal all the audio recordings of council meetings. They publicly released the most damaging sections of the recordings, including a private conversation before a recent meeting when the Chair said something not so polite about the Mayor's wife! There were red faces all round.

Paul starts a brawl

Paul is the new Community Services Manager and is keen to impress by being efficient, friendly and proactive. He received a complaint from the local "Friends of Cat's Protection" charity about the Hug-a-Puppy group leaving a distinctive doggy smell in the community centre. Knowing he needed to get the Puppy group's comments, he quickly contacted them but in haste he accidentally included the complaint email. Since then, the two groups have been fighting like cats and dogs!

Fortunately there are simple steps you can take to keep your council protected against the most common attacks. Firstly, identify and remedy potential IT system weaknesses. All you need is not to be an easy target - would you leave the office door unlocked overnight? The answer to that question should be obvious, but we frequently see organisations doing the cyber equivalent of exactly that. We can help you to correct those technical vulnerabilities so you can be sure your council has a good level of protection.

One of the most effective long-term strategies for enhancing cybersecurity is training your staff to recognise potential threats and raise concerns when something appears suspicious. It’s important to understand that natural instincts, such as a desire to be helpful, can sometimes lead to vulnerabilities. Encouraging employees to pause and verify the identity of customers or suppliers when in doubt is a crucial safeguard. Individuals with legitimate intentions will understand the need for caution and most are happy to wait while verification occurs. Scammers, on the other hand, often pressure their targets to act quickly, bypassing critical thinking.

Many organisations in both the public and private sectors across the UK have adopted a robust set of cybersecurity measures recommended by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as part of the Cyber Essentials scheme. Data indicates that organisations with Cyber Essentials certification are 92% less likely to file a cyber insurance claim—a remarkable statistic that underscores the scheme’s effectiveness. We offer comprehensive guidance on meeting the requirements of Cyber Essentials, implementing necessary changes, and achieving this government-backed certification to significantly enhance your organisation's security posture.

Cyber Security Report Cards

We recommend this as a first step to gain an understanding of the cyber risks you face. Available in three different levels of detail, our Security Report Card identifies issues with your devices, email and website. We then provide guidance on mitigating any risks.

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Risk-Free Mini Audit

We offer a 30 minute free of charge mini audit for Town Councils. This will help you to identify obvious issues and help to safeguard the services you provide to your local community.

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Awareness Training

Our Awareness Training can take several forms including online self-guided training packages, online seminars or in-person training sessions.

See our Self-Guided Training

Cyber Essentials

We highly recommend you seek Cyber Essentials certification as it demonstrates you have in place a good baseline of cybersecurity that will help to defeat the most common attacks. Through this scheme, most Town Councils will also be eligible for free cyber insurance with £25,000 of cover.

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Cyber Security

Advanced Diagnostics

INCIDENT Investigations

Digital Forensics