Canadian federal department computers hit by suspected Chinese cyber attack

Toronto, Feb.17 (ANI): Key Federal departments in Canada have detected an "unauthorized attempt" to access their computer networks, and investigations have revealed that the cyber attack originated from servers based in China.

The cyber attack first became public at the Treasury board and also hit other federal public services including the Finance department, reports the Globe and Mail.

According to CBC News reports, the attackers infiltrated the computer systems of the finance department and the treasury board, in an attempt to steal key passwords and access government data, but the source of the attack does not necessarily mean that it is linked to the Chinese government.

"Officials responsible for security have taken appropriate action in response to the threat, in line with the Government Security Policy," said Jay Denney, Treasury Board spokesperson. "There are no indications that any data relating to Canadians was compromised by this unauthorized attempt to access the [department's] network," he added.

Canadian spy services have been warning the government about Beijing's intelligence-gathering practices for a long time.s a result of the breach, federal employees are being limited in their access to the Internet, Denny said. (ANI)