Potential hole in internet defences highlighted by Councillor over new AI pilot scheme
A Northern Ireland council has confirmed “10 million cyber hacker threats a month” amid a call for its elected members to update their security training.
The potential hole in internet defences was highlighted after a DUP councillor raised an issue over a new AI pilot scheme at Lagan Valley Island.
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s full monthly meeting on January 27 heard that a hacker attack could be “significant” for the city.
Councillor Uel Mackin said: “It was last Monday when a message popped up on my phone and it said ‘is your phone playing with your head? And I said, yes it sure is.
“Because not only my phone, but my iPad and my laptop and everything to do with council is playing with my head because I opened one application and this thing ‘365 Copilot’ comes up. And I was in an App yesterday and I couldn’t do anything but use this Copilot thing and I have no knowledge how to use it.
“I understand it is a very useful tool and I have seen a demonstration of it, its potential is certainly very good. But, I also understand there are huge dangers by virtue of what you put into that system and how vulnerable and accessible it is even after you have deleted a record.
“So I am asking what policies we have in place to govern its use, what training has been given to our staff and what are the plans to give training to us as members? As we would need to be aware of how to protect ourselves.”
The Microsoft AI programme ‘Copilot’ is an AI powered assistant designed to boost productivity by automating or summarising data and images for everyday computer tasks.
CEO David Burns responded: “First and foremost, we have mentioned several times about the amount of cyber attacks on our system.
“We are currently hit by about 10 million attacks each and every month and our firewalls and all of our phishing, malware training we give to officers mitigate some of that.
"From an elected member’s perspective there are a number who have not completed that training, so I would ask that you progress with that, to have a 100% sign off from members on that.
“Because, these hackers will find any way into the system and the impact if that was to hit could be significant.”
A council officer added: “In terms of Copilot, there is currently a pilot ongoing in the council and it is restricted to about 10 people.
“For most people on their phones it will automatically come up to summarise some of the information that you have.
“For what it can do and where we are going with it, it is absolutely huge, but we want to make sure those kinds of early adapters are absolutely over it in terms of what it can provide and whether or not it is suitable for the council before we then start to roll it out elsewhere.
“We are currently developing an AI policy of our own even though there is a local government policy as being developed.”