RCMP dealing with ‘cyber event’ targeting networks, launches criminal probe

The RCMP is dealing with a situation that it calls a “cyber event” targeting its network.

RCMP has also launched a criminal investigation into the breach, a spokesperson told Global News.

“The situation is evolving quickly but, at this time there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians,” the force said in a statement.

“At this time, there are no known impacts on safety and security partners in Canada or abroad. While a breach of this magnitude is alarming, the quick work and mitigation strategies put in place demonstrates the significant steps the RCMP has taken to detect and prevent these types of threats.”

The nature of the event is not yet clear.

The force said it is working with Shared Services Canada, the Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other Government of Canada partners “to continue assessing the breadth and scope of the security breach and hold those responsible accountable.”

2:01 Is your personal information at risk after staggering data leak?

“As Canadians rely more and more on cyber technology in our daily lives, this incident is a reminder to all to remain vigilant against these types of threats in order to avoid becoming victims,” the RCMP said.

This comes after Global Affairs Canada’s systems were compromised last month in a data breach.

At the time, Global Affairs Canada has said there were early indications  of  “unauthorized access to personal information of users including employees.”

In that case, a virtual private network managed by Shared Services Canada had been compromised and was used to access Global Affairs Canada network traffic.