Torrevieja town hall is one of the worst in the Valencia region for taking cybersecurity precautions, with Alicante and Benidorm being the only two who are taking action considered sufficient.
This is according to the Audit Office who have published their latest cybersecurity indices and shows that since the previous audit of the Sindicatura de Comptes Audit Office in 2019-2020, generally town halls have only partially addressed some of the recommendations made to them.
The average maturity index now only reaches 52.4%, although that is an increase over the 44.1% in 2019/2020, and remains “insufficient” and must improve to reach the 80% required by the ENS.
Benidorm reaches that figure of 80%, and whereas most of the municipalities across Valencia are above 60%, there are several with very low percentages, such as Torrevieja and Torrent, the worst performers, with just 15 and 18% respectively.
For its part, neighbouring Orihuela is getting closer to the magical figure, reaching 69%
Although most of the town councils have improved compliance with regulations related to information security, the Audit Office’s review has revealed that “the degree of compliance is, in general, deficient, with significant widespread non-compliance”.
The results of the work show that entities, in general, do not have adequate cybersecurity governance established, as required by both the regulations and a well-established internal control system. Organisations require the commitment and involvement of their superior bodies. Senior management has the responsibility to establish adequate cybersecurity governance.
Among the new recommendations, the Audit Office has urged formal approval of procedures that describe the actions and controls implemented, the establishment of solutions to monitor and detect anomalous behaviour in corporate networks, the deployment of tools to manage vulnerabilities, restrict access to physical devices unauthorised access to the corporate network or upgrade outdated systems.
