BELMOPAN, Belize, Aug 11, CMC – The Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry (BCCAR) says its online registry system (OBRS) has been restored following the “cybersecurity incident” on August 4.
BCCAR said that following the incident it “proactively and temporarily disabled access” to the OBRS in order to conduct an assessment, implement additional security measures and complete the necessary system recovery and testing activities.
BCCAR said that it had identified documents that were downloaded during the period of “unauthorised access” and that “these documents have been marked in the OBRS so that the relevant users can identify them”.
It said that users can view the marked documents and that each marked document is identified by a solid warning icon.
“The warning icon indicates that the document was identified as having been downloaded during the period of unauthorised access. BCCAR wishes to emphasize that there is no evidence that any marked document was amended or deleted, and the warning designation does not affect the documents validity.
“Users who identify a marked document in their account should review the BCCAR’s Cybersecurity Incident Update page and Frequently Asked Questions for the latest guidance,” it said, adding that additional security measures have been introduced as part of the restoration process.
It said these include a temporary limit of 100 documents views or downloads per user per hour and the temporary disablement of passport-based registration for limited public user accounts, which provide access only to unrestricted information services.
“BCCAR’s investigation identified this registration method as a system vulnerability that was exploited to gain unauthorised access. These measures will remain under review and may be adjusted as necessary”.
The BCCAR said that the restoration of the OBRS does not conclude the investigation and that it remains committed to “maintaining the security, reliability and integrity of the online registry services”.
The BCCAR is the country’s registry for business entities or legal vehicles including Belize Companies Act, Limited Liability Partnerships, International Foundations as well as Non-Governmental Organizations.
CMC/ah/ir/2027