Bermuda Struggles to Recover From Cyberattack

Bermuda government workers Monday remained cut off from email and normal telephone systems following a hacking incident disclosed late last week.

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Bermuda Premier David Burt on Thursday attributed the hack to “Russia-based actors,” without elaborating. Burt also told reporters that other neighboring islands were also affected due to the unprecedented cyberattack.

“Clearly, there’s something external that is affecting government services, and the initial indication is that this is Russia-based,” Burt said. No evidence exists, he added, that hackers stole information. Western nations have long accused Moscow of turning a blind eye to cybercriminals operating inside its territory (see: Western Capitals Riled by Russian Hacking).

The attack, which has not affected the dispatch of emergency services, has forced the self-governing British overseas territory into manual processes. Deputy Premier Walter Roban told Parliament on Thursday that the attack had occurred around 10 p.m. the night before, reported daily newspaper the Royal Gazette.

Government officials said they had contacted the U.K. National Cybersecurity Center and the National Crime Agency. In a Monday afternoon post on social media, the government said it had established alternative phone numbers for components of the Department of Health. The governmental email system and switchboard remain out of service, the government said.

Throughout the past 12 months, other island nations in the nearby Caribbean region have reported a spate of criminal cyberattacks. These include attacks in French overseas region Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, French overseas region Guadeloupe, and the Dominican Republic.

London-based pro-business organization The Caribbean Council has repeatedly warned that regional cyber defenses are relatively weak.