STILL NO CYBERCRIME REPORT FROM GONZALES

PUBLIC Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales is confirming his image as Dr. Dolittle with the slow investigation into a cyber attack of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT).

Eight months after the ransomware violation exposed thousands of accounts, Gonzales is saying the process should not be rushed.

While the probe is ongoing, the Government has reappointed Sean Roach as TSTT’s chair in spite of then-CEO Lisa Agard’s claim that he had requested sensitive information.

Agard had also accused TSTT of not reporting the cause of the October 9 cybercrime.

In the midst of growing anxiety, Gonzales said the report is not yet completed, prompting fears of a high-level cover-up.

Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), which represents workers at the telecommunications company, said it is “very concerned” about the delay in providing the report.

The union said that the “debacle … eroded trust in our valued internal and external customers at large.”

CWU also accused Gonzales of not looking at “new emerging services” to make TSTT profitable.

There are concerns among telecom experts that there could be a repeat cyber attack if the cause is not identified and resolved.

TSTT “remain s open to further malicious attacks,” one expert said.

“There could be fraud, identity theft, further breaches, extortions, computer virus scams and other crimes.”

Investigations could run into “several weeks,” it was revealed, “but eight months is a long time to complete an enquiry.”

Experts admitted that enquiries are “complex matters” involving various tools and processes, and occasionally working with international forensic professionals.

But they acknowledged that the probe “must be handled expeditiously and modern digital security applied.”

The slow pace of the TSTT probe is another debit on Gonzales’ ministerial report card, to add to on-going crises in the water sector.

Hundreds of thousands of consumers have been complaining of limited or non-existent pipe-borne water supply.