Data safe after cyber attack, finance minister says

No private data was released during a ransomware attack on the P.E.I. government’s website yesterday, says Finance Minister Heath MacDonald.

MacDonald was responding to questions from Opposition MLA Steven Myers during Tuesday’s question period after a ransomware attack knocked out the province’s website.

“We shut it down immediately and there was no information released on Islanders,” MacDonald said.

Ransomware attacks lock access to files with a promise to decrypt them for a price.

In the government’s case, the attacker demanded payment through digital currency Bitcoin after exploiting a vulnerability in the underlying software the website uses. A spokesman for the province told The Guardian Monday that an investigation found no data was breached.

MacDonald said cyber attacks will happen and the government needs to be prepared for them.

“We’re gonna continue to work with ITSS (Information Technology Shared Services) and the people that know this information best and try to minimize these happening in the future,” he said.

Myers said MacDonald wasn’t taking the matter seriously and asked him to go further.

“Will you call in the privacy commissioner and have her investigate and ensure all Islanders that their data is safe?” Myers asked.

MacDonald responded the vulnerability has been resolved.

“I do take it seriously and I will continue to take it seriously and so does my staff take it seriously,” MacDonald said.