KOROR, Palau — Palau’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP) confirmed on July 2nd that a database server was compromised in a ransomware attack. The attack, discovered at 11:00 a.m., encrypted data on the server.
Officials emphasized there was no disruption to operations at the Palau International Airport.
An initial investigation found a ransom note, but no contact has been made by the attackers to negotiate a ransom payment.
The Ministry of Finance’s Information Security Systems Section (ISSS) is collaborating with an external cybersecurity firm and law enforcement to determine the full scope of the incident. The ministry promised further information, though a specific timeframe was not provided.
In March of this year, a cyberattack on the Ministry of Finance system crippled the financial system forcing the government to use manual payroll temporarily. Reports said that over 20,000 documents were stolen from the system, but the government insists that the information taken did not pose any harm.