(Image: PA)
Scottish councils, health boards and other public bodies have restored websites which were taken down due to a cybersecurity threat.
Several local authorities, NHS boards and other organisations, including the Care Inspectorate, were among those that temporarily suspended access to their websites on Wednesday night after the flaw was identified.
The vulnerabilities were discovered by cybersecurity researchers after apparently remaining undetected for years.
Researchers said AI-assisted analysis helped identify the flaws.
Security updates were released on Wednesday, prompting governments and public bodies around the world to urge website operators to apply the fixes, the BBC reports.
At one point on Wednesday evening, at least seven of Scotland's 32 councils and six of its 14 health boards had taken their websites offline as a precaution.
In some cases, the disruption to online services was temporary and websites were restored later in the evening.
Read More:
- UK fashion brands apologise to customers as cybersecurity attack hits system
- 12,000 jobs at risk as UK high street chain with 600 stores could face administration
- Faster, but not richer: AI’s warning sign for Scottish businesses
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, an Edinburgh councillor and MSP for Edinburgh Northern, said the loss of access to online services would be frustrating for residents.
She said: "Technical and security issues can require urgent action, but the council will need to communicate clearly with residents about how long it expects services to be offline.
"It must also ensure that people who need urgent help can still access support while online services are unavailable."