Some government employees’ email boxes with “sensitive personal information” may have been accessed in a cyberattack, according to the BC government.
Mike Farnworth, solicitor general minister of public safety, provided an update Monday regarding “sophisticated cybersecurity incidents involving government networks” BC’s technical experts identified last month.
Farnworth said the province has since confirmed that 22 email boxes may have been accessed and “a handful of these inboxes contain sensitive personal information on 19 individuals.”
“These were employee files, with one exception being an employee who had family information in their inbox. At this time, we have no indication that the general public’s information was accessed,” he added.
The province said the information does not seem to have been misused, but everyone impacted has been notified and will receive credit monitoring and identity protection support.
Farnworth confirmed the email boxes belonged to public service workers and not Cabinet members.
He also said there was reason to believe that a state or state-sponsored actor was involved.
A Ministry of Citizens’ Services spokesperson told Daily Hive, “No ransom is being sought.”
“I know this situation is concerning for many, and I want to take this opportunity to reassure British Columbians. Since then, we have continued to work closely with the Canadian Center for Cyber Security and other agencies to address and investigate the incidents and implement additional measures to safeguard data and information systems,” he said.
“We also continue to meet with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.”
The province is providing limited information about the case to ensure the ongoing and complex investigation is not compromised.