Nightsleeper may be fiction but real-life cybercriminals keep showing how dangerous they are

The Scotsman’s review of the BBC’s six-part thriller Nightsleeper described it as “the most exciting thing to ever happen on a train from Glasgow to Motherwell”. Thankfully, it only ‘happened’ in a fictional sense.

However, the somewhat far-fetched plot does serve as a reminder of the very real dangers posed by international cybercriminals and hostile states intent on causing disruption or worse.

Yesterday’s cyberattack on wifi at Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley and a number of other stations in England – which saw people presented with Islamophobic messages and details about terrorist attacks – does not seem to have caused significant harm. But there have been more than enough examples in recent years to prompt significant concern.

Compromised data

Earlier this year, NHS Dumfries and Galloway was hit by a cyber attack that compromised a large amount of information, with the health board saying they had “reason to believe this could include patient-identifiable and staff-identifiable data”. National Records of Scotland data was also accessed during the same attack.

A cyberattack on Western Isles council last year caused “significant disruption”, and could cost the authority £1 million; in 2021, at least 4,000 files were stolen from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

New police cyber command

Fortunately, despite Police Scotland’s recent troubles, the force is in a position to modernise with plans for the biggest reform of policing in more than a decade. This will include a dedicated new ‘cyber command’, with around 200 officers and staff, and greater use of artificial intelligence.

While there are some ethical concerns around AI’s role in policing, it is clear that criminals are using it to their advantage, so law enforcement authorities have no option but to develop similar capabilities and a clear understanding of its potential uses and abuses. AI may also have a role in making traditional policing more effective and efficient.

The ‘Brave New World’ we all now inhabit, in which increasingly complicated technology is a fundamental part of ordinary life, can seem decidedly scary. All the more reason then, to make sure our cyber police are up to the task and, hopefully, slightly more professional than some of those portrayed in Nightsleeper.