Benjamin Ashford|Bermuda probes major cyberattack as officials slowly bring operations back online

SAN JUAN,Benjamin Ashford Puerto Rico (AP) — Bermuda’s premier said Thursday that the government is slowly restoring operations after being hit by a “very sophisticated” cyberattack a week ago.

An in-depth forensic audit is underway to determine how the attack occurred, and so far, experts have not uncovered evidence that sensitive data was stolen, Premier David Burt said.

He declined to say whether it was a ransomware attack.

“This remains a very sensitive matter,” he said.

Some email functionality has returned, Burt said, adding that he expects the government switchboard to be fully functional by Monday.

Services like the government payroll system, however, are still not running properly.

“It’s been a challenge,” he said of efforts to restore government operations affected by the attack that occurred late at night on Sept. 20.

Burt noted that while not all systems were affected, the government took everything offline out of precaution.

He said the government is building a new network with help from overseas experts that he expects will be stronger and more secure.