July 12, Colombo (LNW): The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) has disclosed that the Treasury had been operating with an outdated email system since 2019, a weakness brought to light during its investigation into the cyber theft of US$2.5 million from government funds.
The revelation emerged as committee members questioned Treasury officials over the circumstances surrounding the cyberattack, which has raised fresh concerns about the security of the country’s critical financial infrastructure and the adequacy of existing cybersecurity safeguards.
COPF conducted a series of sittings over recent months to examine the incident, seeking explanations from senior officials and reviewing the systems that were in place at the time of the breach. Much of the evidence presented during those proceedings was not made public due to the sensitive nature of the information and its potential implications for the management of the State’s finances.
The committee’s findings were formally presented to Parliament on Friday by COPF Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva, marking the conclusion of the inquiry. The report is expected to inform future efforts to strengthen cybersecurity measures within key government institutions and prevent similar breaches from occurring.