States hit by attempted cyber attack on emails

Deputy Mark Helyar said States members lost access when their passwords were reset "without warning"

An attempted cyber attack on the States of Guernsey's IT network forced deputies out of their email accounts, it has been confirmed.

The States said the attempted attack took place on Thursday and saw politicians locked out of systems including email and Microsoft Teams as a precaution.

Deputy Mark Helyar, a former treasury lead for Policy and Resources Committee, said members lost access when their passwords were reset "without warning".

Ge Drossaert, the chief digital and information officer at the States, said: "A cyber attack was attempted against the States of Guernsey IT network, by targeting email accounts."

He said "quick action" was taken to prevent the attack and "no data or systems were compromised".

"Due to the security protocols we have in place we will not be commenting any further," he said.

'Utter shambles'

Mr Helyar said on Facebook he had security concerns over the password reset process.

He said he was asked to call someone "with no identification required" to get a new password.

"So my new one, which didn't work anyway, is written on the back of a wine menu in London," he said.

"Someone without warning has completely shut down government communications.

"Utter, utter shambles."

Mr Helyar said several States members had set up a WhatsApp group at short notice to allow them to communicate with each other.

The States said in response: "We can also confirm that there are processes in place to verify the identity of users contacting the help desk."