Cybersecurity breach at Calgary Public Library forces closure of locations across the city
All libraries shuttered as of 5 p.m. Friday
All Calgary Public Library locations closed early on Friday after a cybersecurity breach compromised some systems, according to a spokesperson.
All locations were shut down as of 5 p.m.
The library says the closures are a proactive measure to mitigate the potential impact. All servers and computer access will also be shut off in addition to the closure of library locations.
"Data security is a key priority for the library and our security team is working diligently to determine the scope of the breach," a library spokesperson said in a release.
"We will provide timely updates of the library's closures as more information becomes available."
Watch for phishing emails, warns expert
John Zabiuk, who teaches IT security at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, told CBC News cybersecurity breaches usually involve personal information being leaked to hackers.
In the case of the Calgary Public Library, Zabiuk says if the information of library users has been compromised, they can be at risk of further cyber attacks.
"Typically that information can be used or sold on the dark web for various means, even creating false identities," he said.
Zabiuk says the library itself could also lose the ability to provide services, depending on which systems were compromised. It's not uncommon for hackers go after financial information in hacks such as this one, he said.
"Typically, most of these attacks start with a phishing email," Zabiuk said. "[Hackers] are going to send out a phishing email to as many targets as they can and whichever one responds, that's the target they're going after."
It's unclear how the library's cybersecurity was breached, but Zabiuk said it's likely a phishing scheme has already played a role.
