Ransom demand behind B.C. health authority cyberattack, premier reveals
British Columbia’s premier has revealed a cyberattack on a health authority is another ransomware incident, while experts say it appears to be a different group of criminals than those behind two other recent attacks.
The First Nations Health Authority, which provides services and healthcare to Indigenous people across the province, announced a “cyber security incident” on Wednesday but provided little detail.
When David Eby was asked about the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday, he told reporters cyberthreats are growing and that “we have seen high-profile retailers like London Drugs be the victim of ransomware, and now the First Nations Health Authority.”
The data stolen by cybercriminals and now being used to blackmail officials is considerable, with samples already posted on the dark web: the signatures of senior FNHA staff on seven-figure contracts with medical providers, legal agreements with First Nations governments, as well as emails between providers and patients.
Other health authorities affected?
One of those emails involves a staffer in the Northern Health Authority, so CTV News asked the health minister what other health authorities could be compromised. FNHA has only a handful of facilities and patients often get medical care through the five geographic health authorities (Island Health, Vancouver Coastal, Fraser, Interior, and Northern Health).
“There's no evidence that the health authorities have been at all affected by the breach at the First Nations Health Authority,” said Adrian Dix, who seemed unaware of the data package posted to the dark web. “They're taking it extremely seriously, they're bringing in all of the required supports to provide maximum protection to both data and to people.”
How this hack is different
CTV News consulted several cybersecurity experts about this latest hack. One pointed to sloppy coding on the FNHA website’s contact page, while others said it appears a different group of hackers is behind the London Drugs ransomware attack since the information was posted by another group.
“The blueprint for how these attacks unfold would be very similar to what happened at London Drugs,” explained Sophos Security analyst, Chester Wisniewski. “There's almost a manual to teach these hackers how to do these attacks; start with human resources information, then target finance, then target legal, then go through peoples' inboxes and look for the word ‘password’ or this type of thing.”
Eby emphasized that the attack on provincial systems earlier this month is likely separate, but would not commit to expanding funding or staffing to combat the rising threat, having made millions in investments in the last few years.
“In 2022 we deployed additional resources to be able to detect and prevent cyberthreats, that enabled us to detect and begin the work to address the cyberattack we've faced from a state-level actor,” he said.
Wisnkiewski warned that those problems are much harder to solve.
“An attacker that is a nation-state is typically carrying out a spy mission or a military mission and they won't give up no matter how hard you defend yourself,” he said. “The criminals behind the attack on the health authority and London Drugs are really just after money.” https://bc.ctvnews.ca/all-provincial-employees-in-b-c-directed-to-change-passwords-1.6869968
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5951067.1655435425!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Global study ranks two Canadian cities high on list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
Prince William shares childhood photo of him and King Charles III for Father's Day
Prince William on Sunday shared a photograph showing him as a child with his father, King Charles III, to mark Father’s Day in the United Kingdom this year.
Riot police in Germany intervene to stem fan clashes ahead of England vs. Serbia soccer match
England soccer fans cheer in front of police ahead the Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Clooney and Roberts help Biden raise US$30 million-plus at a star-studded Hollywood gala
Some of Hollywood's brightest stars headlined a fundraiser for U.S. President Joe Biden that took in a record US$30 million-plus for a Democratic candidate, according to his campaign, in hopes of energizing would-be supporters for a White House contest they said may rank among the most consequential in U.S. history.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
Ottawa Food Bank receives largest donation in its 40-year history
210,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, the largest donation in its 40-year history.
Halifax chef speaks about traumatic brain injury
Halifax chef Lauren Marshall was working in the Bahamas on a special event in February when she fainted and fell from a golf cart, hitting the back of her head.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Rare surgery in Montreal allows 9-year-old girl to live normal life
A rare surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital is allowing a nine-year-old girl to keep her adrenal glands and live a normal life.