THE government has declined to confirm whether Jersey’s digital identity services have been targeted by attempted cyber attacks or experienced security incidents that could have put personal data at risk.
It follows reports that there may have been disruption to secure digital ID services leading up to the online tax deadline linked to a cyber-security incident or attempted attack.
The government was initially asked whether JerseyMe or Yoti had experienced any recent unplanned outages or service disruption, what had caused them and whether they were connected to a cyber incident.
In response, a government spokesperson said: “There have been no reports of operational incidents that resulted in the unauthorised access to, or compromise of, personal data in the government systems.
“Any interruptions that occur are addressed through established support and recovery processes.”
However, the response did not confirm whether there had been any interruptions to JerseyMe or Yoti, nor did it explicitly rule out attempted attacks or security incidents which posed a potential risk but did not ultimately result in personal data being accessed or compromised.
The JEP therefore asked the government to clarify whether there had been any incidents involving its systems that could have resulted in unauthorised access to or compromise of personal data – regardless of whether an attack was ultimately successful.
It was also asked to provide details of any such incidents and whether they had caused disruption to JerseyMe, Yoti or other government digital services.
Following a further request for an update, the government said yesterday it had nothing further to add to the earlier response.
The JEP is seeking further information through a request under the Freedom of Information Law.
