Thousands Affected By CRA Data Breach

Exploit: Data Breach
Company: Canada Revenue Agency
Industry: Government
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-revenue-agency-cra-cyberattack-1.5688163

The Canada Revenue Agency has temporarily shut down online services after a data breach involving two cyber attacks compromised thousands of accounts linked to their services. In a recent statement, the CRA noted that at least 5,500 accounts have been affected by the two incidents. Personal information, such as usernames and passwords, stolen in previous breaches may have been used and the CRA is recommending that “people are strongly encouraged to avoid reusing passwords for different systems and applications.”

Although CRA authorities claim that the incidents have been contained, a number of other services have been shut down as the CRA plans to take extra precaution. This could affect several Canadians looking to apply for COVID-19 financial relief.

The RCMP has been contacted with an investigation now underway. An email written by CRA spokesperson, Christopher Doody, also explained, "The CRA quickly identified the impacted accounts and disabled access to these accounts to ensure the safety and security of the taxpayer's information," and that "The CRA is continuing to analyze both incidents. Law enforcement assistance has been requested from RCMP and an investigation has been initiated."

Along with these recent attacks there has been an increasing number of fraudulent CERB activity, as the CRA continues to be targeted by bad actors. Canadians are advised to be vigilante of their accounts and not to reuse passwords across platforms. For those affected, it will be critical to exercise further caution looking out for fraudulent emails looking to extract further sensitive information. Monitor financial accounts, and possibly even look into dark web monitoring services over the next few months.

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