THE Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) said that on Wednesday, around 04:21hrs, the company experienced a cyber attack on its computerised systems.

However, upon identification of the cyber attack, the power company took immediate action to isolate and prevent further spread of the malware (virus).

GPL added that permanent corrective measures were taken. Such included, but was not limited to, initiating an information system quarantine.

During this period, while the company worked assiduously to restore normalcy, there were service interruptions for customers who visited the offices, attempting to submit queries and new service applications, as its Customer Information System was taken offline.

The power company stated that service was incrementally restored at its commercial offices and Customer Call Centres between Friday, February 8, and Sunday, February 10.

However, GPL’s prepaid customers were able to purchase tokens during the ‘troubled period’, as per norm, and their electricity supply was not affected by the incident.

“The perpetrators of this act requested a ransom of bitcoins (digital money) to remove all encryptions from within the network. However, it should be noted that GPL Inc. has not heeded, and will not pay heed to, any such ransom,” GPL said.

The company has commenced the process of strengthening its cyber-attack mitigation measures and disaster recovery planning strategies in alignment with industry best practices.

It is therefore fitting to advise and encourage all local companies with computerised systems to review their existing cyber security systems and disaster recovery plans as well.

GPL extended gratitude to public and private entities that offered support and assistance during the period of disruption.