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CyberScotland Bulletins UpdatesThe CyberScotland Bulletin is designed to provide you with information about the latest threats, scams, news and updates covering cyber security and cyber resilience topics. We hope you continue to benefit from this resource and we ask that you circulate this information to your networks, adapting where you see fit. Please ensure you only take information from trusted sources.
If there are any cyber-related terms you do not understand, you can look them up in the NCSC Glossary.
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CyberScotland updates
News and updates from CyberScotland and our partner network
CyberScotland Week: 24 Feb – 2 Mar 2025
CyberScotland Week 2025 is nearly upon us! Take part – host an information session, share guidance, invite a speaker. Register your CyberScotland Week event, and browse the events taking place.
Digital Youth Work Conference 2025
YouthLink Scotland is hosting its annual Digital Youth Work Conference on 11 February 2025 at The Barracks in Stirling. This free event, coinciding with Safer Internet Day, aims to explore innovative ways to support young people online, focusing on topics such as online safety, cyber resilience, digital inclusion, and the integration of AI into youth work practice. Youth workers of all experience levels are invited to attend and engage in discussions and practical sessions designed to enhance digital youth work across Scotland.
Applications open for public sector cyber security upskilling fund
Public sector organisations are being invited to apply for the third round of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Cyber Security Professionals Upskilling Fund This is an opportunity for any cyber or IT professional working in the public sector to upgrade their cyber security skills. The initiative contributes towards the ambitions of the Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient Scotland.
Digital Tech Awards return for 2025
The ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards are returning for 2025 to showcase excellence within the industry, and includes an award for Cyber Excellence. The night will reward the innovation, expertise and ambition of businesses large and small – and the people that drive them. Digital Tech 2025 will take place on 20th March, at the Radisson Blu hotel in Glasgow.
ScotlandIS has secured funding to help organisations get CE certification
ScotlandIS has secured funding through the Scottish Government, supported by Technology Scotland, CeeD and the National Robotarium, to assist emerging technology organisations to achieve Cyber Essentials (CE) certification.
This fund will be distributed to companies operating in emerging technologies – specifically photonics, robotics and manufacturing – allowing them to access up to £1000 to secure CE accreditation.
The Scottish Cyber Awards – 27 March 2025
The Scottish Cyber Awards has rapidly become a cornerstone of Scotland’s annual cyber calendar. Now in its 8th year, there is great anticipation surrounding this year’s awards. You can enter a nomination or attend the awards.
NCSC publishes passkey advice
The National Cyber Security Council (NCSC) has published advice on the use of passkeys rather than passwords, a simple step to improving cyber resilience.
In other news…
Cyber security news from Scotland and the rest of the UK
Scots being asked to design the future of digital crime fighting
A Scottish university has launched a study that will see volunteer jurors decide if digital crime fighting is “fit for purpose”.
The University of Dundee is recruiting members of the public to participate in research focusing on the quality, impartiality and reliability of digital forensic evidence and how it is used by law enforcement agencies.
NCSC publishes passkey advice
The National Cyber Security Council (NCSC) has published advice on the use of passkeys rather than passwords, a simple step to improving cyber resilience.
Cyber-attack at Scottish university
A major cyber-attack on the University of the West of Scotland in July 2023 has had a lasting financial impact on the University, which has reported a deficit of £14.4 million for its last financial year. While several factors were blamed for the deficit, the cyber-attack is understood to have been a major contributor.
Susan Boyle experience Spotify hack
Scottish singer Susan Boyle has been the target of an online hack with her Spotify profile. The hack saw Boyle’s account crediting explicit songs to her which she did not release. She has 920,000 monthly listeners.
Keir Starmer’s AI action plan revealed
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled an ambitious AI Opportunities Action Plan to position the UK as a global leader in artificial intelligence. The plan includes a 20-fold increase in publicly controlled AI computing power by 2030, featuring the development of a new supercomputer. The plan includes enabling safe and trusted AI development and adoption through regulation, safety and assurance.
NIS2 still a mystery to worrying number of UK cyber security bosses
Senior cybersecurity professionals at more than a fifth of the UK’s largest businesses are “not sure” whether the EU’s NIS2 directive even applies to their organisation, new research by specialist cybersecurity consultancy Green Raven Limited has revealed.
UK foreign workers had their passports and visas leaked, hackers claim
Healthcare professionals trying to work in the UK may have had their passport details exposed – if hacker claims of infiltrating the Home Office’s database are true. The UK Government has said it’s investigating the hacker claims.
Attackers claim to have breached the UK Home Office’s Department of Visas and Immigration (UKVI) database, accessing details of over 171,000 foreign workers.
World-leading proposals to protect businesses from cybercrime
UK businesses are set to be protected by new world-leading ransomware proposals to tackle the threat of cybercrime, which is estimated to cost the UK economy billions of pounds every year. Businesses are being called upon to share their views in the consultation on ransomware, which is now open.
2024 was the worst year on record for commercial cyber-attacks
UK businesses encountered more than 753,341 malicious attempts each to breach their online and IT systems, on average, in 2024, according to an analysis by Beaming.
This attack level was 4% higher than in 2023, making last year the worst ever for attempted cyber-attacks, with businesses encountering a new online threat every 42 seconds.
In other news…
Cyber security news from Scotland and the rest of the UK
CyberScotland is on BlueSky
CyberScotland is now on BlueSky. Please give us a follow @cyberscotland.com if you’re over there!
The CyberScotland Bulletin is a monthly roundup of news and updates on cyber security and resilience with a particular focus on Scotland. Feel free to forward it to anyone in your network who might benefit from it.
Please ensure you only take information from trusted sources. The NCSC has a useful glossary of cyber terms you may wish to reference while you read the bulletin.
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