Canada Department of Global Affairs reports cyber attack and data breach

The Canadian government's Department of Global Affairs - Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has experienced a significant data breach, confirmed through multiple reports and official statements. This breach involved unauthorized access to personal information of users, including employees of the department.

The breach's discovery prompted GAC to trigger an unplanned IT outage on January 24 to counter the identified malicious cyber activity. This action affected the department's remote access network, necessitating alternative solutions for employees working remotely within Canada.

It's reported that the vulnerability in GAC's internal systems persisted from December 20 to January 24, as per sources quoted by Canadian media. The breach may have compromised email traffic and files on personal and shared drives, potentially exposing sensitive corporate information, including credit card and banking data.

Specific details of the breach haven't been disclosed. GAC assured that critical services and external communication channels remained unaffected. The department is currently working to restore full connectivity and has taken steps to mitigate the breach's impact.