Ransomware attack severely disrupts Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's financial and public administration services

On November 7, 2023, ransomware encrypted servers and backups belonging to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the local authority for Scotland's Western Isles. The loss of accounting, council tax, benefits and other administrative systems forced manual financial processing, delayed payments and disrupted the administration of public services. An official audit documented significant payment-processing difficulties and backlogs, although some frontline services continued operating. The incident materially impaired the council's administrative service-delivery and purchasing-payment processes.