The emergency response of Calderdale Council and its partner organisations was put to the test in an annual training exercise, which forms part of the borough’s emergency planning process.
Every year, the organisations that would work together to respond a major incident -such as flooding, mass power outages or moorland fires – rehearse the action they would take, to build resilience.
This year, on Wednesday 27 November, ‘Exercise C’dale 2024’ at Dean Clough, Halifax, focused on how the organisations would respond to a major cyber attack, at the same time as dealing with the risks from a theoretical fire and potential severe weather. This is fitting at a time of year when we unfortunately see more examples of scams in the news, around Black Friday and Christmas.
A cyber attack is an attempt to steal data or gain unauthorised access to computers and networks.
Like other organisations across the country, the Council’s day-to-day work, communication with people and responses to emergencies are increasingly through digital technologies. This brings many opportunities, including better joint working, but also makes the Council more vulnerable to cyber attacks. This is something it prepares for as part of its risk assessment work, as it’s one of the biggest threats it faces.
Exercise C’dale 2024 was an opportunity to consider different scenarios and discuss what decisions would be made and what actions would be taken if there was a major cyber attack. The aim is to encourage learning and feed into longer-term planning for any real-life incidents.
Cllr Danielle Durrans, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said:
“Our teams do great work to protect our IT systems and train staff, but cyber attacks could easily happen here in Calderdale – to any organisation or individual.
“Cyber attacks and data security are at the top of our Corporate Risk Register, representing one of the biggest risks we face as a Council every day. The repercussions can be huge – we could potentially face loss of data, high costs and the danger of not being able to support residents or affecting people’s lives through confidential data being exposed.
“Exercise C’dale 2024 was a chance for us to test our robust plans for data security and business continuity with our partner organisations. Planning for emergencies is something we do throughout the year, and the annual training exercise is a helpful part of this.”
The most successful cyber attacks often start with the simplest of things, like clicking on a link in a phishing email, a phone call from a scammer encouraging you to visit a website, or human error by unintentionally including an attachment in an email, sending sensitive data to the wrong person, or leaving confidential information in a public place. Please be vigilant, especially at this time of year when more scammers can be out in force.
For information and advice, please visit:
- How to spot a scam email, text message or call – NCSC.GOV.UK(external link) – this National Cyber Security Centre article describes how to recognise and report emails, texts, websites, adverts or phone calls that you think are trying to scam you.
- You & your family – NCSC.GOV.UK(external link) – The National Cyber Security Centre’s cyber security advice to protect you, your family and the technology you rely on.
- Get Safe Online(external link) – this internet safety website provides unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety.
Building resilience to emergencies is part of the Vision 2024 for Calderdale. Calderdale reached its 50th anniversary on 1 April 2024 and this is the ultimate year for the Vision – find out more about it here: www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision(external link)
As 2024 closes, the transition to the new Vision 2034 for Calderdale will begin, encouraging local communities to be bold and ambitious about what we can do next to make Calderdale a better place for all.