Government
Cabinet update on Cyber Security Breach, MONDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2024
Turks and Caicos Islands – Governor, Her Excellency, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, chaired a special meeting of Cabinet held on Monday, 30th December 2024 at the Office of the Governor, Leeward Highway, Providenciales.
All members of Cabinet were present.
The Cabinet were briefed on the ongoing response by the external cyber security technical experts and TCIG officials from the Ministry of Finance, DETI and National Security.
Summary 
On Wednesday 18 December, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) was the victim of a ransomware cyber-attack resulting in major distribution to services.
The investigation into the attack continues by external forensic investigators funded by the UK Government.
Due to a number of factors including the heightened threat of attack from malign actors, restoration and recovery is being conducted carefully, balancing the need for access to critical operations against the necessity for safe restoration of services, appropriately secured against known threats.
TCIG has engaged external cyber security specialists who are taking forward the technical recovery, which is focused on the restoration of essential services. This has included deploying a capability that will manage the detection and response of any malicious activity within the network.
In order to accelerate the restoration of critical services, the relevant business continuity plans are being activated, initially focused on the TCIG financial systems to enable payments. In parallel, work is underway to build alternative systems whilst work is ongoing to restore systems. Additional resources are being sought to accelerate this further and to enhance security measures in the coming weeks.
Recovery and Business Continuity Measures
TCIG is working in collaboration with external forensic investigators and external cyber security specialists who are continuing to work around the clock to investigate the breach, contain the threat and restore functionality.
Supported by a managed threat response service, all affected systems are undergoing comprehensive assessments to ensure their security before being brought back online and endpoint protection.
To mitigate the immediate impact, business continuity plans are being enacted to manually process outstanding and urgent payments. Priority will be given to the processing of payments prioritised by urgency within the following categories:
- Social Welfare
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Scholarship and Grants
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Healthcare Related Payments
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Cost of Living Program
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Financial Assistance Program
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Community Enhancement Program
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Utility Payments
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Bi-Weekly Employees
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All other approved payments for goods and services
Dedicated resources from the Ministry of Finance are being deployed to process these transactions manually while ensuring compliance with all necessary controls and safeguards. Consequently, non-urgent payments are likely to experience delays.
A detailed report on the nature of the attack and the steps taken to prevent future incidents will be submitted once the recovery process is complete.
Cabinet were assured that every possible measure was being taken to address the incident comprehensively and ensure ongoing protection.
Cabinet was also advised that several other key databases and applications remain operational. These include:
- Status Cards;
- Passports;
- Elections Database;
- RDS application for Driver’s License;
- BMS Airport passenger processing; and
- ASYCUDA (customs clearance)
Cabinet affirmed its commitment to providing all the resources needed to restore TCIG’s systems, whilst also building resiliency to mitigate against future attacks.
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
Turks and Caicos, July 4, 2025 – Sustainable infrastructure is not just about development—it is about survival, resilience, and national dignity. That was the resounding message from Kenva Williams, Director General of the Turks and Caicos Islands Telecommunications Commission, as he called on Caribbean governments to lead with vision and courage in building future-ready infrastructure systems across the region.
Delivering a powerful address under the theme “Fixing and Delivering Sustainable Infrastructure,” Williams emphasized that in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), infrastructure gaps are not abstract policy concerns—they are barriers to opportunity and threats to national security.
“These are not luxuries; they are lifelines,” Williams stated. “A paved road meant access to school, a telephone line kept us connected with loved ones abroad, and reliable electricity brought dignity to daily living.”
His remarks were delivered as part of the Turks and Caicos Islands Business Outlook, held on June 13, 2025, at the Messel Ballroom of The Palms Resort in Providenciales. The forum brought together key business and policy leaders to examine the territory’s development trajectory.
Confronting SIDS Realities with Strategic Action
Williams pointed to the escalating costs and vulnerabilities faced by SIDS: outdated infrastructure, the growing toll of climate change, and market disinterest in smaller, less-populated islands. But within these challenges, he argued, lies the potential for transformational leadership—one that redefines how governments think about investment, equity, and national resilience.
“We must invest with purpose,” he said. “The model must change—governments must lead, partner with the private sector, and ensure that sustainability is measured not just in profits, but in people.”
He lauded several Caribbean countries already embracing this approach:
- The Bahamas, which connected 14 islands via subsea fiber as early as 2006.
- Antigua and Barbuda, where the state utility spearheaded a nationwide fiber-to-the-home network and initiated a subsea cable.
- The Cayman Islands, pursuing a second undersea link not based on market demand, but for resilience and national security.
“These aren’t isolated acts of ambition—they’re signs of a quiet but crucial shift,” Williams said. “Governments are not just regulators—they’re becoming co-builders of national infrastructure.”
TCI: Rebuilding Smarter After Crisis
Williams drew on the painful lessons of 2017, when Hurricanes Irma and Maria crippled the Turks and Caicos Islands’
communications and power systems, cutting off entire communities. The storm exposed the fragility of the nation’s infrastructure—and catalyzed change.
Since then, both major telecommunications providers have rebuilt their networks using modern fiber-optic systems, with much of their core infrastructure now placed underground to withstand extreme weather. Looking forward, TCI is now investing in a national fiber ring to connect all six inhabited islands and planning a second international fiber cable to ensure redundancy and uninterrupted global connectivity.
These efforts are framed within the government’s National Physical Sustainable Development Plan, which promotes infrastructure as an integrated, cross-sector tool—touching transport, tourism, utilities, and community services.
Digital is the New Critical Infrastructure
Williams highlighted a critical evolution: infrastructure is no longer just physical—it is digital. In today’s world, a single outage can grind governments to a halt, disrupt healthcare delivery, or prevent children from attending school. Digital resilience, he asserted, is now a national imperative.
“Connectivity is not a convenience—it is essential,” Williams warned. He called on governments to treat digital infrastructure with the same urgency and permanence as roads, ports, and electricity.
Governments Must Build Where Markets Won’t
A core message of Williams’ speech was the need for governments to become strategic investors, especially on islands and communities that commercial developers often overlook.
He proposed direct public investment in:
- Small-scale eco-hotel projects to stimulate remote island economies.
- Core infrastructure like water plants, energy and telecom towers, and multi-utility ducts.
- Policies that prioritize national interest over short-term returns.
“An investor profits from a single service,” he said, “but governments gain from the entire economy—jobs, tax revenues, and broad prosperity. If we build the foundation, the market will follow.”
A Regional Vision, Rooted in Purpose
In closing, Williams broadened his remarks to the entire Caribbean, calling on regional governments to act boldly, think inclusively, and plan for future generations.
“We may be small in size, but we are not lacking in vision. We are vulnerable to storms, yet anchored in resilience,” he declared. “Infrastructure is not just the foundation of our economies—it is the foundation of our confidence as a region.”
With rising climate threats and technological demands, Williams challenged leaders to reframe infrastructure as a moral and strategic priority—a bridge not just to connectivity, but to greatness.
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