Updated: September 22, 2023 03:09 PM
IT outage notice issued by the government this morning
Yesterday afternoon, it emerged that a suspected cyberattack from Russia may have been the cause of a breakdown in government IT systems.
David Burt revealed that at least one other country was also believed to have been targeted.
The Prime Minister said the government was in the early stages of ascertaining what happened, but said it was believed no digital information was collected in this incident.
Burt explained: “Governments face several challenges with IT systems.
“An incident has occurred that has affected not only the Bermuda government but also some other local governments.
Above the clouds: Prime Minister David Burt speaks about yesterday's alleged cyber attack (Photo by Blair Simmons)
“Our first indication is that it is from an external source, most likely Russia, and we are working with government agencies to identify the specific issue and ensure service is restored as soon as possible. We are cooperating.”
The government earlier informed the public that telephone, internet and email systems were disrupted, with all sectors affected.
Mr Burt said the team was “working with local partners, doing everything in our power and with international partners, and may need to engage further” to determine the cause of the incident.
The Prime Minister said Tourism Minister and Cabinet Office minister Vance Campbell, who oversees IT, would be able to provide an update “as soon as the situation becomes clearer”.
The immediate effect is that the House will be adjourned for the second week in a row, reconvening hours later to begin at noon.
A government spokesperson confirmed that “Due to network disruptions, Parliament will not be able to meet''.
She added: “Further service disruptions are expected today. Investigation into the incident continues and steps are underway to restore service.
“While work has begun to expedite payroll and vendor payments, we anticipate delays in payments. At this time, our registers are only accepting cash and checks.
“The Government House is aware of the situation and is working with the government. All civil servants are expected to attend as usual today.
Burt added: “Our focus right now is just making sure we identify any challenges.
“At this time, it does not appear that any data has been stolen, so at this time, yes, but it appears that our systems have been affected.
“We are trying to identify which systems are affected and which are not, so that TCD officers, immigration officers and others can rely on We're making sure that we can resume services to people so they can get the government services they need.”
The Prime Minister explained that while the government's IT systems are run by the Ministry of Information and Digital Technology, the Ministry of National Security deals with cybersecurity issues more broadly.
He added: “IDT must report any violations to the Ministry of National Security.
“The Ministry of National Security will consult with external agencies.” [organisations].
“We know that at least one other country is affected by the same level of suspected attack.”
Mr Burt said: “We know there are other issues going on and people are just trying to determine if it is widespread, but we are taking action.
“We recognize and understand that there has been significant investment recently to improve government security, moving many items to the cloud.
“Cloud services are not affected.”
Asked to confirm whether the incident could be considered an “attack”, the Prime Minister said: “We don't know yet, but it is clear that there is something external that is affecting government services and that The indications are that it is based in Russia.”
Mr Burt said “other jurisdictions in the Caribbean” were also believed to be affected, but added: “We will await confirmation from the minister.”
Bermuda Police announced yesterday that services were operational and emergency and non-emergency telephone numbers were operating as normal.
It added that the community reporting portal (portal.police.bm) also remains operational.
royal gazette asked the BPS to comment on its involvement in the aftermath of the incident, which affected government IT systems, and whether police contacted overseas counterparts or agencies.
A BPS spokesperson said today: “The Bermuda Police Service supports the government's efforts to return to normalcy.”
Asked if BPS was investigating the alleged cyber attack, there was no further comment.
The Government will hold a full press conference today to further update the public.
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• Update: This article has been updated with information and comment from Bermuda Police.
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