The government’s Information Technology Department is managing a cyber incident targeting the government network.

Minister for Communications Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says cyber experts are working with cyber-security vendors to identify and contain the incident and ensure minimal disruptions to government services.

As a measure of extreme precaution, advice has been disseminated across government to protect network integrity resulting in a temporary disruption to the government network, including GovNet.

Sayed-Khaiyum says the network is being gradually brought back online in accordance with internationally-recognised security protocols and government services may take several days to be fully and securely restored.

The minister confirms a preliminary forensic investigation has revealed that the source of the incident is likely a government server housed separately from the ITC Department.

The ongoing forensic investigation is expected to reveal more about the extent of incident in the coming days.

Sayed-Khaiyum also says cyber-based threats are growing in scale and complexity globally.

The minister adds Fiji has developed security infrastructure in line with international best practices and that has allowed them to respond to past incidents and quickly manage the impact of this incident.

As the investigation reveals more about the extent of the incident, cyber-security measures will be adapted to evolve alongside new threats.