NV GEBE offices on W.J.A. Nisbeth Road.
PHILIPSBURG--Utilities company GEBE will close for a third day today, Friday as the company continues “to perform system-wide checks” of its Information Technology (IT) business systems.
“In light of this, our main offices will be closed on Friday, July 21, 2023. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure the safety and security of our systems,” GEBE said in a brief press release issued on Thursday evening.
Questions from The Daily Herald asking whether persistent reports that the issue being encountered at GEBE is in fact another hack and if so, whether it was another ransomware attack, were not responded to. The Daily Herald also asked what areas of the company’s system were compromised in the “unusual activity” detected; how long did it take for the company to detect the “unusual activity” on the network and what consequences, if any, will this security breach have for GEBE’s clients in addition to the problems that they are still experiencing with GEBE’s billing system. None of the questions were responded to.
In its press release on Thursday evening GEBE said clients should be assured that it “is fully committed to providing reliable and efficient service to all our customers.”
GEBE initially closed to the public on Wednesday and Thursday after observing “an abnormal pattern” in its IT system on the evening of July 18, 2023.
The company had said in a press statement issued late Wednesday afternoon that its monitoring team observed an abnormal pattern in IT systems, noting “this discovery highlights our increased awareness of cyber threats and proactive approach to cybersecurity.”
“Upon detection, our IT specialists joined forces with our external cybersecurity monitoring agency to investigate and safeguard NV GEBE’s systems and information. This active approach reinforces our commitment to learn, adapt and fortify our digital environment,” GEBE had said in its first press release about the matter.
“We have implemented strict precautionary measures to enhance our cybersecurity infrastructure as we continue investigating this matter.”
The company had said it was working tirelessly to resume its services quickly and had indicated that “despite the network pause, its production and distribution services continue to function optimally. Power and water services remained unaffected.
