In the wake of increased cyberattacks on its systems, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) is warning both applicants and state land-owners to ignore emails seeking personal information or money and report any such suspicious activity.
“These phishing attacks are coming every day and using our handles as if it is coming from this office. It is a virus and they are also sending it to applicants in the form of emails,” GL&SC Commissioner Trevor Benn told Stabroek News yesterday.
“We are asking persons to be aware and know that if they receive any email asking for their personal information or money, that is not us. Any email we send, we will follow-up with a call and any [payment] that has to be made must be made in person here,” he added.
Benn explained that the attacks started a few months ago but have intensified within the past few weeks.
He said the agency’s Information Technology (IT) staff have not been able to ascertain the culprit(s) and a complaint has been made to the National Data Management Authority (NDMA).
“It could be external or it could be somebody right in here that we know. Somebody [is] trying to make trouble. We have told the NDMA and they are looking into it,” he said.
According to Benn, when the attacks first started, there was an attempt to extort money from the agency as there was a warning that if money wasn’t paid, “they started saying that they will expose us.”
He is asking applicants and state landowners to not open attachments that come with the emails purportedly from the agency while exercising vigilance and reporting to the agency if they receive any such correspondences.
“We implore our clients and stakeholders to be on the lookout for strange emails coming from the Commission, the CEO’s personal email as well as the personal emails of staffers from the Commission,” GL&SC Public Relations Officer Royden James wrote in a letter to the editor that was released yesterday.
He advised that anyone in receipt of such correspondence to contact him by phone on 226-6490 ext. 1010 or by email at rjames@glsc.gov.gy to verify its legitimacy.
He further urged GL&SC clients not to click on the links or attachments from senders that they do not recognise or which are suspicious in content, structure, or tone. In particular, he warned against compressed or executable file types, such as .rar, .exe and .zip.
James added that the GL&SC remains committed to serving the people of Guyana through proper, legitimate channels and, therefore, rejected the attempt by the hackers to “mingle in the internal affairs” of the agency.
Since last year, there have been a number of cyberattacks targeting ministries and state agencies. Those targeted included the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and more recently the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated. The attack on the utility company resulted in delays in bills being delivered to customers.
