No data loss in Calgary Public Library cybersecurity incident, officials say

The Calgary Public Library says its investigation into the cyberattack earlier this month has determined that no business, employee or member data was compromised.

All 22 of the city's public library branches were abruptly closed in response to the suspected ransomware attack on Oct. 11, one day after a monitoring service detected suspicious activity.

In an update Tuesday, the library's CEO Sarah Meilleur said its cybersecurity advisers say the decision to shut down operations proved to be the right call.

"The investigation confirmed our incident response protocol prevented a significant loss of infrastructure and the compromising of private data. We were prepared and our systems worked," she said.

Meilleur said at no point was the library in contact with the culprits and that no ransomware was paid.

Officials are now moving toward a full-scale reopening, in a three-phased approach.

The first stage will see the return of secure staff networks and devices to restore communication and connectivity at all the sites. Next, the library will reintroduce some digital and technology services, and the last stage will see restoration of the full suite of technological services at the library.

"We need to ensure that we're inspecting servers and technology before they come online," Meilleur said.

"And we've also learned a lot. As I mentioned, other library systems and other organizations have experienced this, and we've learned a lot from the things that they've experienced and we are going to take that forward."

Meilleur says the library doesn't yet have a date for a full reopening. 

For now, locations continue to operate at regular hours with modified service.