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Six months after it suffered a cyberattack to its education IT network West Lothian council remains unable to quantify what the eventual costs will be.
Councillors were told this week that a live investigation remains ongoing though the IT system recovery phase is now complete.
Pauline Orr, an SNP councillor asked if there was an update at this month’s meeting of the Governance and Risk Committee.
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Councillor Orr asked officers: ” Do we know how much the recent cyberattack has cost the council to bring everything back on-line?”
Committee chair, Conservative Damian Doran-Timson replied: “Just before we go further. That is still a live criminal investigation so I don’t think it would be appropriate to talk about the actions that have taken place, but as to the costs we can ask Lesley Henderson.”
Ms Henderson, the council’s head of corporate services, told the meeting: “It isn’t something that we are in a position to answer at this time because it is still a work in progress in terms of bringing all of that back on line.”
Parents have kept updated since the cyberattack. Beyond the initial raid there has been no financial demand made to the council. In July the council’s said: “A small percentage of the total data stored on our education network has been compromised but only a very small proportion of the files that were compromised were of a personal and sensitive nature.”
At last month’s Education PDSP West Lothian’s EIS representative, Heather Hughes had raised concerns of teachers about interruptions to the senior phase course work for both staff and pupils.
Mrs Hughes, whose Educational Institute of Scotland union represents the majority of teachers in the county, told the meeting: ” It is a very different learning environment and we are now six weeks into new course work.”
Greg Welsh, the council’s interim Depute Chief Executive for Education and Planning assured the union rep that reconnection the network had been “prioritised around the senior learning phase.”
He added that beyond the initial recovery phase of the network in the wake of the May cyberattack education officers were continuing to work with the IT department.
He acknowledged the difficulties facing staff and added: ” It has been challenging for pupils as well. Rest assured, protecting senior phase activity remains a priority. And if there are any additional requirements beyond the initial recovery stage officers will continue to work with individual schools.”
A spokesperson for the council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting: “A new Education network was in place before the start of the 2025/26 term, with progress ongoing towards restoring all systems and devices affected.
“This remains a live criminal investigation, and we are still working with all relevant external agencies, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Government.”
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