Kate McKenna and Philip Ling, writing for CBC News »
The “compromised” system was the virtual private network (VPN) staff use to access Global Affairs’s Ottawa headquarters. The VPN system was managed by Shared Services Canada, the GAC notice said.
Shared Services Canada is a federal department created in 2011 to take over the delivery of email, data centres and network services for many government departments and agencies.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada said an “unplanned IT outage” is affecting remote access to its network. The department said the partial outage was activated intentionally on Jan. 24 to “address the discovery of malicious cyber activity.”
“Early results indicate there has been a data breach and that there has been unauthorized access to personal information of users including employees,” the statement said, adding that the department is investigating the matter and contacting those affected to ensure their information is secure.
Last Updated on December 13, 2024