PEI Government Investigating Ransomware Attack

Exploit: Data Breach
Company: PEI Government
Industry: Government
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-data-breach-malware-ransomware-government-1.5483171

After a busy start to 2020, there have been no breaks in action and very little reprieve regarding cyber threats for the Canadian Government and Canadian businesses. Last week saw another province under fire from a malware attack.

Security experts have praised the local government in PEI for their quick action and transparent reporting after they were able to contain a virus 90 minutes after its deployment. The virus, which could have been laying dormant for some time within the system, began to encrypt the IT infrastructure. Officials noticed suspicious activity and immediately began taking measures against the spread of the attack. Originally the incident was reported as a ransomware attack but the province is now labeling it as a data breach.

Although proper backups and protected data helped to mitigate the damages, updates have reported that, “a small amount of data was moved from government of P.E.I. servers." Government representatives stated that any citizens suspected to be affected will be notified accordingly.

As the investigation continues, more information on the attack will be provided by the local government. What we do know now is that the attack seems to have originated outside of Canada. The PEI government is working diligently with a team of 30 people investigating the incident.

Awareness, backups and immediate response helped the local government to contain the attack and avoid costly downtime and data exposure. However, investigation costs, reputational damages and other resources are sure to mount as the government continues to figure out what happened and ensure security measures are revised proving that no matter how prepared we are and regardless of how quickly we act, attacks are still costly and draining.

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