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UncategorisedThe 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
Keith McDevitt included in King’s birthday honours list for services to cyber resilience in Scotland
Keith McDevitt, Cyber Resilience Team Leader at the Scottish Government, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Cyber Resilience in Scotland. Congratulations to Keith for this fantastic achievement!
NCSC CEO gives keynote address at CYBER UK 2025
Richard Horne, CEO of NCSC, gave the keynote address at CYBER UK, the UK Government’s flagship cyber security event. Richard called for readiness, partnership, and bold action to transform resilience. You can watch his speech for insights on supply chain risk, AI, hostile state threats, and why ‘controlling the controllables’ must become second nature.
UK Government announces £187 million TechFirst programme
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new £187 million government “TechFirst” programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities and train people of all ages and backgrounds for the tech careers of the future. This will include an online platform to inspire and educate students about the potential of computing and tech careers.
NCSC releases refreshed top tips for staff
NCSC has released a refreshed version of its top tips for keeping staff safe online. The tips address the challenge of making cyber security relevant to everyone in your organisation. It is completely free, easy to use, and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.
The training package introduces the importance of cyber security and explains how attacks happen, covering four key areas:
– Using strong passwords
– Securing your devices
– Defending yourself against phishing
– Reporting incidents
Fortinet and Accenture join forces with the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland to champion women in cyber security
The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland has partnered with Fortinet and Accenture as strategic partners supporting its See It, Be It campaign. The campaign is focused on inspiring more women and girls to consider careers in cyber security.
UKtech50 2025 unveils the longlist of the UK’s influential tech leaders
Computer Weekly’s annual search for the most influential people in UK IT has announced its 2025 longlist. The top 50 will be selected by Computer Weekly’s judging panel. The longlist includes the following CSP partners:
Yorath Turner, chief operating officer for digital, The Scottish Government
- Alison McLaughlin, board member at ScotlandIS
- Andrew Hendry, chief digital information officer, Police Scotland
- Andrew Williams, chair, ScotlandIS
- Brian Reid, director of corporate transformation and workplace, The Scottish Government
- Colin Birchenall, chief digital officer, Glasgow City Council; CTO, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government
- Dave Watson, deputy director for technology services, The Scottish Government
- Felicity Oswald, chief operating officer, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
- Geoff Huggins, digital director, The Scottish Government
- Martyn Wallace, chief digital officer, Scottish Local Government Digital Office
- Richard Horne, CEO, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland announces free cyber training
The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland is offering three free, in-depth cyber security training sessions this summer. These sessions are designed to help you build cyber resilience and gain practical skills to defend against everyday threats.
📅 8th July – For charities, social enterprises, and not-for-profits: https://bit.ly/4kCCeam
📅 17th July – For start-ups and scale-ups: https://bit.ly/44cJX9h
📅 19th August – An open session: https://bit.ly/3TiSxNx
Cyber Essentials breaks quarterly record for certifications
New figures have revealed that quarterly certifications of Cyber Essentials had surpassed the 10,000 milestone for the first time. The number of issued certifications for the standard version hit 10,064 in the period January to March 2025, bringing the total for the year to 37,309.
In other news…
Cyber security news from Scotland and the rest of the UK
Marks and Spencer resumes online orders nearly two months after cyber attack
Marks and Spencer has resumed online orders after having to pause them following a cyber-attack in April. The retailer also announced that it expected to make a £300 million loss in profits due to the attack.
Scots warned of ‘scamdemic’ as £860,000 lost to cyber criminals in 12 months
Scots have lost more than £860,000 to cyber criminals in the last year as digital scams have increased by more than 1,000% in recent years, according to figures from Advice Direct Scotland in what is being dubbed a “scamdemic”.
North Face and Cartier customer data stolen in cyber attacks
North Face and Cartier have become the latest brands to report that hackers have stolen customer data in cyber-attacks. Both brands reported that data such as customer names and email addresses has been accessed, although financial information has not been affected.
Just one in four retailers feels prepared for cyber-attacks
Only a quarter of UK retailers feel “highly prepared” to respond to major cyber-attacks, despite a growing wave of threats facing the sector, according to new research by Retail Economics and Barclays UK Corporate Banking.
The study, based on interviews with 117 senior retail executives, found that 58% of leaders now rank cyber security among their top three concerns for the year ahead – ahead of both financial and operational risks.
Nearly half of all UK companies put corporate data at risk
UK businesses are reporting a greater number of data breaches than ever before, according to annual research from Apricorn. The company’s 2025 survey reveals that 69% of organisations surveyed have self-disclosed a breach or potential breach in the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the past year, up significantly from 53% in 2024.
60% of UK public sector IT leaders expect a cyber-attack soon
New research from cybersecurity firm Trend Micro has revealed that 60% of IT leaders say a successful cyber-attack is “only a matter of time,” with criminals’ tactics and methods more advanced than their internal capabilities and skillsets.
They view phishing as the most significant threat over the next two years (60%), followed by ransomware (41%).
23andMe fined millions by watchdog after cyber-attack
Genetic testing firm 23andMe has been fined £2.31 million by the UK’s data protection watchdog for “serious security failings” after personal information of more than 155,000 UK users was accessed in a major cyber-attack.
NHS Highland logged over 1,600 data breaches in five years
It’s been revealed that NHS Highland logged more than 1,600 data breaches in five years, which includes issues with the handling of patient records.
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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