Security News
Threat actors allegedly looking for contacts and monitoring org's future plans The Canadian branch of Amnesty International was the target of an attack it has pinned on a Chinese state-sponsored actor.…
Amnesty International's Canadian branch has disclosed a security breach detected in early October and linked to a threat group likely sponsored by China. "The investigation's preliminary results indicate that a digital security breach was perpetrated using tools and techniques associated with specific advanced persistent threat groups," Amnesty International Canada said.
The state-sponsored cyber programs of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea continue to pose the greatest strategic cyber threat to Canada. From a government cybersecurity perspective, Canada has a robust framework and clear governance mechanisms to support the defense of government networks against cyber attacks.
Europol has announced today the arrest of a Russian national linked to LockBit ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure organizations and high-profile companies worldwide. "One of the world's most prolific ransomware operators has been arrested on 26 October in Ontario, Canada," Europol said today.
The Hive ransomware gang claimed responsibility for an attack that hit the systems of Bell Canada subsidiary Bell Technical Solutions.BTS is an independent subsidiary with more than 4,500 employees, specializing in installing Bell services for residential and small business customers across the Ontario and Québec provinces.
A massive Rogers outage is causing widespread disruption in Canada due to lack of mobile service, inability to process payment card transactions, and impacting 911 emergency services. According to DownDetector, the outage started at around 5 AM EST, with customers suddenly unable to make phone calls or connect to the Internet.
The Government of Canada announced its intention to ban the use of Huawei and ZTE telecommunications equipment and services across the country's 5G and 4G networks. "Today, the Government of Canada is ensuring the long-term safety of our telecommunications infrastructure. As part of that, the government intends to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE products and services in Canada's telecommunications systems," reads the announcement.
The Canadian government has joined many of its allies and banned the use of Huawei and ZTE tech in its 5G networks, as part of a new telecommunications security framework. "The Government is committed to maximizing the social and economic benefits of 5G and access to telecommunications services writ large, but not at the expense of security," stated the Government of Canada.
Five major Canadian banks went offline for hours blocking access to online and mobile banking as well as e-transfers for customers. The banks hit by the outage include Royal Bank of Canada, BMO, Scotiabank, TD Bank Canada, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
The Canadian government department for foreign and consular relations, Global Affairs Canada was hit by a cyberattack last week. While critical services remain accessible, access to some online services is currently not available, as government systems continue to recover from the attack.