Upper Austria Chamber of Labour keeps internal systems offline after cyberattack

The Upper Austria Chamber of Labour has not returned to normal IT operations more than three weeks after a cyberattack, ORF reported on Tuesday. Its internal systems remain unavailable while work continues to restore them and introduce additional security measures.

The organisation is now fully reachable from outside, according to director Andrea Heimberger. All departments can be contacted by telephone and email and are therefore fully operational, she said.

The main restriction remains the lack of access to internal systems. Staff are currently working with laptops. “Nothing is being done by hand anymore. That was only the case in the first few days,” Heimberger said.

The Chamber of Labour is reviewing which additional security measures are needed immediately and which can be implemented later.

Data belonging to members was accessed during the attack. In the coming days, all members will receive another letter by post informing them about the cyberattack.

The Chamber of Labour said the letter is required under the General Data Protection Regulation. It will also include important contact details so members can check whether a letter or call actually comes from the organisation.