Global accounting firm Deloitte hit by cyberattack

One of the world’s top accountancy companies, Deloitte, has been hit by a targeted cyberattack.

Emails, passwords, usernames and IP addresses were apparently accessed by the hack, the Guardian reported Monday; Deloitte declined to confirm those details.

Deloitte — one of the big four accounting firms in the world — said only a small number of its clients had been impacted.

The attack was said to have been discovered earlier this year, according to the report, and client information was leaked. The report also said the attackers may have accessed the systems since October or November 2016.

The cyberattack focused on the  U.S. operations of the company, which provides auditing, tax advice and consultancy to multinationals and governments worldwide, the report said.

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Deloitte said it reviewed its systems following the attack and only a small number of clients are affected.

“In response to a cyber incident, Deloitte implemented its comprehensive security protocol and began an intensive and thorough review including mobilizing a team of cybersecurity and confidentiality experts inside and outside of Deloitte,” a spokesman told the Guardian.

“As part of the review, Deloitte has been in contact with the very few clients impacted and notified governmental authorities and regulators.”

A spokesperson for Deloitte in Canada told Global News no Canadians were impacted in the breach.

This breach comes weeks after Equifax, the U.S. credit monitoring agency, said the personal data of 143 million U.S. customers and 100,000 Canadian costumers had been accessed or stolen in a massive cyberattack in May.

The breached data may have included names, addresses, social insurance numbers and — in some cases — credit card numbers.

— With files from Reuters