Most govt websites and online systems resume operations

Kathmandu / Oct 26: Most government websites and online systems that had been shut down since last Thursday have resumed operations, allowing the public to access regular services after government offices reopened on Monday following the extended Dashain holiday.

However, problems with the online recommendation system at Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s ward offices remain unresolved.

Suresh Sahu Shrestha, ward secretary of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-31, said the disruption had made it difficult to process recommendation requests. To prevent delays in public services, the ward office has been typing details on computers, printing them and issuing recommendations manually, he said.

Most government websites and online systems were temporarily taken offline last Thursday after a serious security vulnerability was identified in PHP, a programming language widely used to build websites worldwide.

The Software Development and Operations Centre (SDOC) issued a security notice stating that the systems had been taken offline as a precaution to prevent potential cyberattacks and data loss. Hundreds of government websites were temporarily shut down because of technical and security vulnerabilities in PHP.

Most government websites and online services have since resumed operations following security updates and testing. However, the remaining problems at Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s ward offices indicate that some public services have yet to return fully to normal.