State actor blamed for cyberattack on B.C. government systems | CBC News

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses a cyberattack on the British Columbia (B.C.) government's systems, which was attributed to a state or state-sponsored actor. The attack involved three separate attempts to breach the government's systems over the last month, and the investigation is ongoing.

🙋 Q&A

[01] State Actor Blamed for Cyberattack

1. What was the nature of the cyberattack on the B.C. government systems?

• The cyberattack involved three separate attempts to breach the government's systems over the last month.
• The attacks were directed by a foreign state, according to the head of the B.C. public service.
• The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) and other agencies are involved in the investigation.

2. What is the current status of the investigation?

• The investigation into the cyberattacks is ongoing, and the motivation behind the attacks remains unknown.
• Over 40 terabytes of data is being analyzed as part of the investigation, which is more than what is held in the U.S. Library of Congress.
• The CCCS believes a state or state-sponsored actor is behind the attack based on the sophistication of the attempted breaches.

3. What measures have been taken to protect the government systems?

• The government spends more than $25 million a year to beef up its security controls and works closely with its federal partners.
• The government's cybersecurity infrastructure helped detect the attack last month.
• Public service employees were directed to change their passwords to ensure the security of government email systems.

[02] Impact and Response

1. Has any sensitive information been compromised?

• There is no evidence that sensitive information, such as health data, has been compromised in the attack.
• There is also no evidence that the cyberattack succeeded in accessing the information, and no ransom demand has been made.

2. How has the government responded to the incident?

• Government staff, with support from other agencies, have worked to protect government systems and respond to the incident.
• They have been able to ensure that there has been no interruption to government operations or services.
• The CCCS was clear that the cyberattacks could not be made public until appropriate measures had been put in place to avoid further attacks.

3. How does this incident compare to other recent cyberattacks in the region?

• The premier stated that the cyberattack is not connected to the recent attack on London Drugs, a pharmacy and retail chain based in B.C.
• The B.C. Libraries Co-operative was also targeted by a hacker who threatened to release user data if a ransom was not paid.