Scottish Environment Protection Agency Company Cyber Security Posture

sepa.org.uk

Our purpose is to protect and improve the environment in ways that, as far as possible, also help create health and wellbeing benefits and sustainable economic growth. We are a non-departmental public body, accountable to Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, and an independent advisor on the environment. We have 1,2512 employees working in 22 offices, giving us a geographical presence across the whole of Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders. We regulate and advise on a wide range of environmental activities. We help business and industry to understand and comply with their environmental responsibilities and legislation and have a range of enforcement powers which we can apply to ensure that regulations are complied with. We take tens of thousands of samples every year from land, water and air, analysing them in the field and in our laboratories to help assess the quality of our environment. Our services include: monitoring and reporting on the state of our environment, working with partners to promote sustainable resource use, environmental regulation, responding to environmental emergencies and providing a range of public warning systems, including our flood warning and guidance service and bathing water quality forecasts. We also operate the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network and the Airborne Hazards Emergency Response service. We recognise the context we are working in as an environment protection agency is changing. A fundamental challenge for the 21st century is the over-use of resources and the need to find ways to create social and economic success within planetary constraints. For us, one example of this changing context is that whilst there are still compliance challenges, many of those we regulate are increasingly recognising the value of going beyond compliance. They recognise the positive outcomes that this can bring not just to the environment but to their business and the communities they operate in.

SEPA Company Details

Linkedin ID:

scottish-environment-protection-agency

Employees number:

864 employees

Number of followers:

25823.0

NAICS:

541

Industry Type:

Environmental Services

Homepage:

sepa.org.uk

IP Addresses:

Scan still pending

Company ID:

SCO_2606128

Scan Status:

In-progress

AI scoreSEPA Risk Score (AI oriented)

Between 900 and 1000

This score is AI-generated and less favored by cyber insurers, who prefer the TPRM score.

Ailogo

Scottish Environment Protection Agency Company Scoring based on AI Models

Model NameDateDescriptionCurrent Score DifferenceScore
AVERAGE-Industry03-12-2025

This score represents the average cybersecurity rating of companies already scanned within the same industry. It provides a benchmark to compare an individual company's security posture against its industry peers.

N/A

Between 900 and 1000

Scottish Environment Protection Agency Company Cyber Security News & History

Past Incidents
2
Attack Types
2
EntityTypeSeverityImpactSeenUrl IDDetailsView
Scottish Environment Protection AgencyCyber Attack100512/2020SCO058121122Link
Rankiteo Explanation :
Attack threatening the organization's existence

Description: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has been targeted in a cyberattack. The agency was subjected to a significant cyberattack in the early hours of Christmas Eve. While core regulatory, monitoring, flood forecasting and warning services continued, communication into and across the organization was significantly impacted.

Scottish Environment Protection AgencyRansomware100512/2020SCO205121222Link
Rankiteo Explanation :
Attack threatening the organization's existence

Description: Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) was affected by ransomware on Christmas Eve 2020 which knocked out a number of key systems offline and exposed data to the attackers. The attackers stole about 1.2GB of data regarding a number of business areas from their systems and leaked some of the information online. SEPA immediately isolated the affected systems and cybersecurity specialists were called to investigate and contain the incident.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency Company Subsidiaries

SubsidiaryImage

Our purpose is to protect and improve the environment in ways that, as far as possible, also help create health and wellbeing benefits and sustainable economic growth. We are a non-departmental public body, accountable to Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, and an independent advisor on the environment. We have 1,2512 employees working in 22 offices, giving us a geographical presence across the whole of Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders. We regulate and advise on a wide range of environmental activities. We help business and industry to understand and comply with their environmental responsibilities and legislation and have a range of enforcement powers which we can apply to ensure that regulations are complied with. We take tens of thousands of samples every year from land, water and air, analysing them in the field and in our laboratories to help assess the quality of our environment. Our services include: monitoring and reporting on the state of our environment, working with partners to promote sustainable resource use, environmental regulation, responding to environmental emergencies and providing a range of public warning systems, including our flood warning and guidance service and bathing water quality forecasts. We also operate the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network and the Airborne Hazards Emergency Response service. We recognise the context we are working in as an environment protection agency is changing. A fundamental challenge for the 21st century is the over-use of resources and the need to find ways to create social and economic success within planetary constraints. For us, one example of this changing context is that whilst there are still compliance challenges, many of those we regulate are increasingly recognising the value of going beyond compliance. They recognise the positive outcomes that this can bring not just to the environment but to their business and the communities they operate in.

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SEPA Cyber Security News

2024-12-06T08:00:00.000Z
When every minute counts

When you are dealing with a serious incident, every minute counts and the way in which you respond in those initial stages dictates how successful or otherwiseย ...

2021-01-15T08:00:00.000Z
Scotland environmental regulator hit by โ€˜ongoingโ€™ ransomware attack

SEPA confirms ongoing ransomware attack likely to be by international serious and organised cyber-crime groups intent on disrupting public services andย ...

2022-02-01T08:00:00.000Z
SEPA continues to count cost of cyber-attack

The full financial impact of a cyber-attack on Scotland's environmental agency is still not clear, and the incident remains a warning to otherย ...

2025-05-15T07:00:00.000Z
Royal Bank of Scotland owner targeted by 100 million cyber-attacks per month, MSPs told

The company blocks around a third of all the emails it receives because 'they are believed to be the start of an attack' against its staff.

2025-01-31T08:00:00.000Z
Over 200 legacy systems identified in national audit highlighting โ€˜severe and advancingโ€™ cybersecurity threat to UK government services

More than 200 legacy systems identified in a national cyber audit highlighting the 'severe and advancing' threat to UK government services.

2022-02-10T08:00:00.000Z
'Human error' let cyber criminals hack Sepa's systems with ยฃ42m unaccounted for

SCOTLAND'S auditor general has revealed that a huge cyber attack on the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) was carried out after โ€œย ...

2021-01-22T08:00:00.000Z
Ransomware Attackers Publish 4K Private Scottish Gov Agency Files

The incident also points to ransomware actors evolving from previously destroying critical data or bringing companies' services and operationsย ...

2022-02-01T08:00:00.000Z
Full cost of 2020 cyber attack on Sepa still not known

A suspected phishing attack in 2020 has cost Scotland's environmental regulator millions of pounds.

2021-01-15T08:00:00.000Z
Environmental agency SEPA hit by ransomware attack since Christmas Eve

The cyber security attack which has been going on since Christmas Eve resulted in the theft of 1.2GB of data. A dedicated data loss supportย ...

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faq

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Cybersecurity Incidents

SEPA CyberSecurity History Information

Total Incidents: According to Rankiteo, SEPA has faced 2 incidents in the past.

Incident Types: The types of cybersecurity incidents that have occurred include ['Cyber Attack', 'Ransomware'].

Total Financial Loss: The total financial loss from these incidents is estimated to be {total_financial_loss}.

Cybersecurity Posture: The company's overall cybersecurity posture is described as Our purpose is to protect and improve the environment in ways that, as far as possible, also help create health and wellbeing benefits and sustainable economic growth. We are a non-departmental public body, accountable to Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, and an independent advisor on the environment. We have 1,2512 employees working in 22 offices, giving us a geographical presence across the whole of Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders. We regulate and advise on a wide range of environmental activities. We help business and industry to understand and comply with their environmental responsibilities and legislation and have a range of enforcement powers which we can apply to ensure that regulations are complied with. We take tens of thousands of samples every year from land, water and air, analysing them in the field and in our laboratories to help assess the quality of our environment. Our services include: monitoring and reporting on the state of our environment, working with partners to promote sustainable resource use, environmental regulation, responding to environmental emergencies and providing a range of public warning systems, including our flood warning and guidance service and bathing water quality forecasts. We also operate the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network and the Airborne Hazards Emergency Response service. We recognise the context we are working in as an environment protection agency is changing. A fundamental challenge for the 21st century is the over-use of resources and the need to find ways to create social and economic success within planetary constraints. For us, one example of this changing context is that whilst there are still compliance challenges, many of those we regulate are increasingly recognising the value of going beyond compliance. They recognise the positive outcomes that this can bring not just to the environment but to their business and the communities they operate in..

Detection and Response: The company detects and responds to cybersecurity incidents through {description_of_detection_and_response_process}.

Incident Details

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Title: {Incident_Title}

Description: {Brief_description_of_the_incident}

Date Detected: {Detection_Date}

Date Publicly Disclosed: {Disclosure_Date}

Date Resolved: {Resolution_Date}

Type: {Type_of_Attack}

Attack Vector: {Attack_Vector}

Vulnerability Exploited: {Vulnerability}

Threat Actor: {Threat_Actor}

Motivation: {Motivation}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Title: {Incident_Title}

Description: {Brief_description_of_the_incident}

Date Detected: {Detection_Date}

Date Publicly Disclosed: {Disclosure_Date}

Date Resolved: {Resolution_Date}

Type: {Type_of_Attack}

Attack Vector: {Attack_Vector}

Vulnerability Exploited: {Vulnerability}

Threat Actor: {Threat_Actor}

Motivation: {Motivation}

Common Attack Types: As of now, the company has not encountered any reported incidents involving common cyberattacks.

Identification of Attack Vectors: The company identifies the attack vectors used in incidents through {description_of_identification_process}.

Impact of the Incidents

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Financial Loss: {Financial_Loss}

Data Compromised: {Data_Compromised}

Systems Affected: {Systems_Affected}

Downtime: {Downtime}

Operational Impact: {Operational_Impact}

Conversion Rate Impact: {Conversion_Rate_Impact}

Revenue Loss: {Revenue_Loss}

Customer Complaints: {Customer_Complaints}

Brand Reputation Impact: {Brand_Reputation_Impact}

Legal Liabilities: {Legal_Liabilities}

Identity Theft Risk: {Identity_Theft_Risk}

Payment Information Risk: {Payment_Information_Risk}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Financial Loss: {Financial_Loss}

Data Compromised: {Data_Compromised}

Systems Affected: {Systems_Affected}

Downtime: {Downtime}

Operational Impact: {Operational_Impact}

Conversion Rate Impact: {Conversion_Rate_Impact}

Revenue Loss: {Revenue_Loss}

Customer Complaints: {Customer_Complaints}

Brand Reputation Impact: {Brand_Reputation_Impact}

Legal Liabilities: {Legal_Liabilities}

Identity Theft Risk: {Identity_Theft_Risk}

Payment Information Risk: {Payment_Information_Risk}

Average Financial Loss: The average financial loss per incident is {average_financial_loss}.

Commonly Compromised Data Types: The types of data most commonly compromised in incidents are {list_of_commonly_compromised_data_types}.

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Entity Name: {Entity_Name}

Entity Type: {Entity_Type}

Industry: {Industry}

Location: {Location}

Size: {Size}

Customers Affected: {Customers_Affected}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Entity Name: {Entity_Name}

Entity Type: {Entity_Type}

Industry: {Industry}

Location: {Location}

Size: {Size}

Customers Affected: {Customers_Affected}

Response to the Incidents

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Incident Response Plan Activated: {Yes/No}

Third Party Assistance: {Yes/No}

Law Enforcement Notified: {Yes/No}

Containment Measures: {Containment_Measures}

Remediation Measures: {Remediation_Measures}

Recovery Measures: {Recovery_Measures}

Communication Strategy: {Communication_Strategy}

Adaptive Behavioral WAF: {Adaptive_Behavioral_WAF}

On-Demand Scrubbing Services: {On_Demand_Scrubbing_Services}

Network Segmentation: {Network_Segmentation}

Enhanced Monitoring: {Enhanced_Monitoring}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Incident Response Plan Activated: {Yes/No}

Third Party Assistance: {Yes/No}

Law Enforcement Notified: {Yes/No}

Containment Measures: {Containment_Measures}

Remediation Measures: {Remediation_Measures}

Recovery Measures: {Recovery_Measures}

Communication Strategy: {Communication_Strategy}

Adaptive Behavioral WAF: {Adaptive_Behavioral_WAF}

On-Demand Scrubbing Services: {On_Demand_Scrubbing_Services}

Network Segmentation: {Network_Segmentation}

Enhanced Monitoring: {Enhanced_Monitoring}

Incident Response Plan: The company's incident response plan is described as {description_of_incident_response_plan}.

Third-Party Assistance: The company involves third-party assistance in incident response through {description_of_third_party_involvement}.

Data Breach Information

Incident 2: Data Breach

Type of Data Compromised: {Type_of_Data}

Number of Records Exposed: {Number_of_Records}

Sensitivity of Data: {Sensitivity_of_Data}

Data Exfiltration: {Yes/No}

Data Encryption: {Yes/No}

File Types Exposed: {File_Types}

Personally Identifiable Information: {Yes/No}

Prevention of Data Exfiltration: The company takes the following measures to prevent data exfiltration: {description_of_prevention_measures}.

Handling of PII Incidents: The company handles incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) through {description_of_handling_process}.

Ransomware Information

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Ransom Demanded: {Ransom_Amount}

Ransom Paid: {Ransom_Paid}

Ransomware Strain: {Ransomware_Strain}

Data Encryption: {Yes/No}

Data Exfiltration: {Yes/No}

Ransom Payment Policy: The company's policy on paying ransoms in ransomware incidents is described as {description_of_ransom_payment_policy}.

Data Recovery from Ransomware: The company recovers data encrypted by ransomware through {description_of_data_recovery_process}.

Regulatory Compliance

Ransomware Logo

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Regulations Violated: {Regulations_Violated}

Fines Imposed: {Fines_Imposed}

Legal Actions: {Legal_Actions}

Regulatory Notifications: {Regulatory_Notifications}

Data Breach Logo

Incident 2: Data Breach

Regulations Violated: {Regulations_Violated}

Fines Imposed: {Fines_Imposed}

Legal Actions: {Legal_Actions}

Regulatory Notifications: {Regulatory_Notifications}

Regulatory Frameworks: The company complies with the following regulatory frameworks regarding cybersecurity: {list_of_regulatory_frameworks}.

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance: The company ensures compliance with regulatory requirements through {description_of_compliance_measures}.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Lessons Learned: {Lessons_Learned}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Lessons Learned: {Lessons_Learned}

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Recommendations: {Recommendations}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Recommendations: {Recommendations}

Key Lessons Learned: The key lessons learned from past incidents are {list_of_key_lessons_learned}.

Implemented Recommendations: The company has implemented the following recommendations to improve cybersecurity: {list_of_implemented_recommendations}.

References

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Source: {Source}

URL: {URL}

Date Accessed: {Date_Accessed}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Source: {Source}

URL: {URL}

Date Accessed: {Date_Accessed}

Additional Resources: Stakeholders can find additional resources on cybersecurity best practices at {list_of_additional_resources}.

Investigation Status

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Investigation Status: {Investigation_Status}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Investigation Status: {Investigation_Status}

Communication of Investigation Status: The company communicates the status of incident investigations to stakeholders through {description_of_communication_process}.

Stakeholder and Customer Advisories

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Stakeholder Advisories: {Stakeholder_Advisories}

Customer Advisories: {Customer_Advisories}


Incident 2: Data Breach

Stakeholder Advisories: {Stakeholder_Advisories}

Customer Advisories: {Customer_Advisories}

Advisories Provided: The company provides the following advisories to stakeholders and customers following an incident: {description_of_advisories_provided}.

Initial Access Broker

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Entry Point: {Entry_Point}

Reconnaissance Period: {Reconnaissance_Period}

Backdoors Established: {Backdoors_Established}

High Value Targets: {High_Value_Targets}

Data Sold on Dark Web: {Yes/No}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Entry Point: {Entry_Point}

Reconnaissance Period: {Reconnaissance_Period}

Backdoors Established: {Backdoors_Established}

High Value Targets: {High_Value_Targets}

Data Sold on Dark Web: {Yes/No}

Monitoring and Mitigation of Initial Access Brokers: The company monitors and mitigates the activities of initial access brokers through {description_of_monitoring_and_mitigation_measures}.

Post-Incident Analysis

Incident 1: Ransomware Attack

Root Causes: {Root_Causes}

Corrective Actions: {Corrective_Actions}

Incident 2: Data Breach

Root Causes: {Root_Causes}

Corrective Actions: {Corrective_Actions}

Post-Incident Analysis Process: The company's process for conducting post-incident analysis is described as {description_of_post_incident_analysis_process}.

Corrective Actions Taken: The company has taken the following corrective actions based on post-incident analysis: {list_of_corrective_actions_taken}.

Additional Questions

General Information

Ransom Payment History: The company has {paid/not_paid} ransoms in the past.

Last Ransom Demanded: The amount of the last ransom demanded was {last_ransom_amount}.

Last Attacking Group: The attacking group in the last incident was {last_attacking_group}.

Incident Details

Most Recent Incident Detected: The most recent incident detected was on {most_recent_incident_detected_date}.

Most Recent Incident Publicly Disclosed: The most recent incident publicly disclosed was on {most_recent_incident_publicly_disclosed_date}.

Most Recent Incident Resolved: The most recent incident resolved was on {most_recent_incident_resolved_date}.

Impact of the Incidents

Highest Financial Loss: The highest financial loss from an incident was {highest_financial_loss}.

Most Significant Data Compromised: The most significant data compromised in an incident was {most_significant_data_compromised}.

Most Significant System Affected: The most significant system affected in an incident was {most_significant_system_affected}.

Response to the Incidents

Third-Party Assistance in Most Recent Incident: The third-party assistance involved in the most recent incident was {third_party_assistance_in_most_recent_incident}.

Containment Measures in Most Recent Incident: The containment measures taken in the most recent incident were {containment_measures_in_most_recent_incident}.

Data Breach Information

Most Sensitive Data Compromised: The most sensitive data compromised in a breach was {most_sensitive_data_compromised}.

Number of Records Exposed: The number of records exposed in the most significant breach was {number_of_records_exposed}.

Ransomware Information

Highest Ransom Demanded: The highest ransom demanded in a ransomware incident was {highest_ransom_demanded}.

Highest Ransom Paid: The highest ransom paid in a ransomware incident was {highest_ransom_paid}.

Regulatory Compliance

Highest Fine Imposed: The highest fine imposed for a regulatory violation was {highest_fine_imposed}.

Most Significant Legal Action: The most significant legal action taken for a regulatory violation was {most_significant_legal_action}.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Most Significant Lesson Learned: The most significant lesson learned from past incidents was {most_significant_lesson_learned}.

Most Significant Recommendation Implemented: The most significant recommendation implemented to improve cybersecurity was {most_significant_recommendation_implemented}.

References

Most Recent Source: The most recent source of information about an incident is {most_recent_source}.

Most Recent URL for Additional Resources: The most recent URL for additional resources on cybersecurity best practices is {most_recent_url}.

Investigation Status

Current Status of Most Recent Investigation: The current status of the most recent investigation is {current_status_of_most_recent_investigation}.

Stakeholder and Customer Advisories

Most Recent Stakeholder Advisory: The most recent stakeholder advisory issued was {most_recent_stakeholder_advisory}.

Most Recent Customer Advisory: The most recent customer advisory issued was {most_recent_customer_advisory}.

Initial Access Broker

Most Recent Entry Point: The most recent entry point used by an initial access broker was {most_recent_entry_point}.

Most Recent Reconnaissance Period: The most recent reconnaissance period for an incident was {most_recent_reconnaissance_period}.

Post-Incident Analysis

Most Significant Root Cause: The most significant root cause identified in post-incident analysis was {most_significant_root_cause}.

Most Significant Corrective Action: The most significant corrective action taken based on post-incident analysis was {most_significant_corrective_action}.

What Do We Measure?

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Incident
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Finding
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Grade
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Digital Assets

Every week, Rankiteo analyzes billions of signals to give organizations a sharper, faster view of emerging risks. With deeper, more actionable intelligence at their fingertips, security teams can outpace threat actors, respond instantly to Zero-Day attacks, and dramatically shrink their risk exposure window.

These are some of the factors we use to calculate the overall score:

Network Security

Identify exposed access points, detect misconfigured SSL certificates, and uncover vulnerabilities across the network infrastructure.

SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)

Gain visibility into the software components used within an organization to detect vulnerabilities, manage risk, and ensure supply chain security.

CMDB (Configuration Management Database)

Monitor and manage all IT assets and their configurations to ensure accurate, real-time visibility across the company's technology environment.

Threat Intelligence

Leverage real-time insights on active threats, malware campaigns, and emerging vulnerabilities to proactively defend against evolving cyberattacks.

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