B.C.'s First Nations Health Authority hit by cyberattack

A "cybersecurity incident" at B.C.'s First Nations Health Authority nine days ago impacted some employee and other personal information.

The FNHA saw "unusual activity" on its corporate network on May 13, a statement issued Wednesday said.

"We took immediate action to investigate this activity and intercepted an unauthorized entity who had gained access to our corporate network. We immediately deployed countermeasures to block the unauthorized entity's access and prevent any further unauthorized activity," a spokesperson wrote.

The health authority says law enforcement and privacy commissioners were notified and that third-party experts were called in to do a forensic investigation. Impacted individuals were contacted immediately.

"FNHA has no evidence that this cyber incident has impacted any clinical information systems it uses," the statement continued.

There is no indication of any connection between this cyberattack and other recent incidents in B.C., according to the health authority.

"The ongoing investigation is the utmost priority for FNHA. We are working diligently, around the clock, to resolve this matter in a safe and secure manner," the statement concluded.

Details about the nature of the attack were not provided.

Last month, retailer London Drugs was forced to abruptly close all of its stores across Western Canada when it was hit with what has now been confirmed to have been a ransomware attack.

The provincial government also revealed recently that a “state or state-sponsored actor” was behind multiple cybersecurity incidents against its networks.