Several cyberattacks to the Health Bureau (SSM) computer system were recorded last Friday and Saturday, the SSM acknowledged in several statements to the media.
The attacks caused several disruptions to the system – namely “affecting the normal operations of the health code system, the booking systems for vaccination against Covid-19, and the nucleic acid tests (NAT),” the SSM informed.
The first attack was recorded on May 7 at around 10:30 a.m. and, according to the SSM, all the systems were operational within 45 minutes following the prompt intervention by its technicians and the telecommunications company CTM.
The SSM noted that besides users facing difficulties in accessing the system, there were no other complications on SSM’s operations reported.
Another attack to one of SSM’s communication lines was reported around 3:30 p.m. on the same day. According to the SSM, an immediate action was taken to halt the line’s operations, which enabled all services to continue operations without disruption.
Problems persisted on Saturday causing another disruption of the system for a short period around 7 a.m., which was also resolved in less than 30 minutes.
During this disruption, the SSM said that cross-border passages in all border checkpoint posts were slightly affected.
The final attack from hackers was reported on Saturday around 5 p.m., which made it impossible for users to obtain the Macau Health Code or schedule vaccinations and NAT.
After immediate repairs to the computer systems, services including the transfer of the Macau Health Code to the Guangzhou Province Health Code resumed as per normal.
According to procedures, the SSM has forwarded the cyberattack cases to the Judiciary Police, who will proceed with the investigation on the cyberattacks through the Cybersecurity Incident Alert and Response Center.
The SSM strongly condemns the cyberattacks, stating that, “[the hackers] had the purpose to affect the fight against the epidemic and the public services.”
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