“There is a sense of inevitability” that Jersey will fall victim to large-scale cyber-attacks, according to the External Relations Minister – who said the island needs to be prepared for when they happen.
In the opening speech of a cyber security event at the Royal Yacht yesterday, Deputy Ian Gorst warned a room of business leaders that islanders should focus on preparing for an attack from cyber criminals, rather than stopping one.
The event was hosted by cyber forensic company iSanctuary.
Deputy Gorst alluded to how the island had already seen the effects of such incidents, which can have drastic economic consequences.
He referenced the impact of food instability, mass power outages in Europe, unstable geopolitics, and ‘deepfake’ images of local politicians circulated online.
Yesterday’s event also saw around 25 executives from firms including Jersey Electricity, Jersey Water, and Island Energy tasked with an interactive wargame-style challenge simulating a ransomware attack from online hackers who bribed the return of private data for money – mimicking the recent real-life cyber attack on M&S and the Co-op.
Representatives from Channel Islands Co-op and Sandpiper CI – which operates local M&S stores – also took part.
Deputy Gorst said: “Jersey cannot rely on our outdated understanding of our place in the world. We face the same threats as everyone else.”
He explained that the government specifically had a long way to go to safeguard its systems and vulnerable data, which he said were “sadly still relatively paper-based.”
The Minister explained that Jersey’s global finance centre – which indirectly attributes to 60% of the island’s economic activity – makes the island somewhat more vulnerable than larger jurisdictions.
The consequences of such attacks would therefore be further felt, he added.
“Twenty or thirty years ago we thought we were immune,” said Deputy Gorst, adding that the island’s level of rise is a “call to action and a call to arms”.
The Minister also confirmed a report on the island-wide Cyber Security Strategy, which was launched in 2017 and aims to ensure Jersey remains a safe place to live and do business online, is due to be published later this year.
The iSanctuary event continues at the Royal Yacht hotel until Wednesday 18 June, covering crypto and digital asset security and data-driven compliance.