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Government Internet Outage Shakes Public Trust as Officials Cite “Cable Fault”
On the morning of October 14, Cyprus experienced a widespread disruption of internet services across government networks. Public sector employees found themselves unable to access internal systems, while popular public portals, such as Ariadni and Taxisnet, displayed error messages to citizens attempting to log in. The interruption, which lasted around two to three hours, affected the Presidential Palace and multiple ministries.
Initial reports speculated that the event was a cyberattack, fueling concerns about the security resilience of the state’s digital infrastructure. Later, government communications softened that stance, attributing the outage to a fault in the internet service provider’s cable network. The Deputy Ministry of Research and Innovation confirmed that service has been restored and that systems are gradually returning to normal.
Simultaneously, the Shipping Deputy Ministry announced the launch of CYSh1P, a new “one-stop digital portal” intended to streamline maritime services such as ship registration and licensing. This initiative forms part of broader efforts to digitize regulatory services.
This incident exposes the fragility of Cyprus’s digital infrastructure, especially when a single cable fault, or worse, a targeted cyberattack, can cripple core government operations. In an era where state functions are increasingly digital, public confidence hinges not just on the user experience but on consistent, secure availability. The shift from fearing cyberattack to blaming a cable fault raises questions about accountability and transparency in incident response.
At the same time, the CYSh1P portal is a promising step forward: centralizing maritime services can reduce bureaucratic friction and improve regulatory transparency. However, launching new e-services without fortifying the underlying infrastructure is akin to building skyscrapers on shaky foundations. The government must pair digital expansion with hard investments in redundancy, cybersecurity audits, and contingency planning. Otherwise, future disruptions, engineered or accidental, will inflict far more severe damage to trust and legitimacy.
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