By: Isuru Parakrama
November 12, Colombo (LNW): The website of Sri Lanka’s Meteorological Department is undergoing restoration following a cyber attack that disrupted its services earlier this month.
The attack, which occurred on November 01, caused alterations to the department’s official site, prompting immediate action by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), the country’s principal cyber security authority.
Charuka Damunopola, Senior Information Officer at SLCERT, confirmed that the cyber attack had been swiftly reported, and initial investigations revealed that changes were made to the Meteorological Department’s website.
In response, SLCERT has been leading the recovery and mitigation efforts, working diligently to restore the website’s normal functionality.
Damunopola reassured the public that while the attack had impacted the website, no data breaches or theft of sensitive information had been detected.
He stressed that CERT’s team continues to monitor the situation rigorously to ensure the site’s full restoration, both in terms of its operation and security.
Preliminary measures have been implemented to recover the website, and further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of the attack.
The SLCERT team is collaborating closely with the Meteorological Department to assess any lasting effects and to bolster the security of the site against potential future threats.
Cyber attacks on web portals operated by public bodies in Sri Lanka had been prevalent during the consecutive years, but remained un-evident since April, 2024. The reemergence of the trend, however, raises grave concerns on data security and accessibility.
