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Conservative MP says constituency office computers were hacked

Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai says computers in his constituency office were hacked on Thursday, June 29, 2017.
Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai says computers in his constituency office were hacked on Thursday, June 29, 2017.

Conservative MP and former party leadership candidate Deepak Obhrai says the computers at his constituency office in Calgary fell victim to a virus on Thursday.

Obhrai tweeted out a warning on Thursday afternoon, confirming the hack and telling people “beware this virus spreading fast.”

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It’s unclear what exactly happened to computers in the office, located on 28th Street SE in Calgary, or if any personal information was compromised.

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A staffer who answered the phone in the office said he could not provide any details but would try to find someone who could speak on the record.

The apparent hack comes just two days after worldwide ransomware attacks disabled government, airline and banking networks, with Ukraine hit especially hard earlier in the week. There is no evidence that the virus affecting Obhrai’s office is part of that wider series of attacks, however.

WATCH: Latest ransomware attack hits computers worldwide

Click to play video: 'Latest ransomware attack hits computers worldwide'
Latest ransomware attack hits computers worldwide

The incident in Calgary also comes about a week after Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which monitors online threats against the government, launched a series of training sessions for all federal parties to help them better defend against cyberattacks.

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The CSE has said it expects Canada’s political parties, candidates, journalists and even government servers to be targeted by hackers during the 2019 federal election campaign, and wants everyone to be prepared.

Obhrai finished last in the Conservative leadership race last month, behind 12 other candidates vying for the job.

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