On May 10, British Columbia (BC) Director of Public Services Shannon Salter described a sophisticated cyberattack on BC government systems. The attacks, which have been carried out three times since last month, are highly likely to have been carried out by other countries or “actors” supported by other countries.
Regarding the cyber-attack, BC Premier David Eby announced on May 8 that an “advanced security issue” had been discovered and that the province was working with the Canadian Center for Cyber Security (CCCS) to respond. Salter said the state began an investigation after someone attempted to compromise the system on April 10. Cyber security issues were acknowledged on the 11th.
Then, on April 29, the same actor attacked again, prompting state government employees to change their passwords. A further cyberattack was discovered on May 6th. The government said it made the announcement after the CCCS had established safeguards. Salter said he believes the same actor was responsible for all three attacks and is currently analyzing more than 40 terabytes of data.
The government has not stated which countries were involved in the cyber-attack or which systems were targeted, as the investigation is still ongoing. B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said there is no confirmation that health data or other sensitive information was compromised, and he has not received any demands for money. He said there will be no disruption to government operations or services.
The government says 76 staff members work on system security year-round. Premier Eby has stated that there is no connection to the cyber-attack on London Drugs that occurred last month.