Quebec government says data not compromised after websites hit by cyberattack

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2016, file photo illustration, a person types on a laptop in Florida. Riviera Beach, Fla., agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. Spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said Wednesday, June 19, 2019, that the city of 35,000 residents has been working with outside security consultants, who recommended the ransom be paid. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

The Quebec government has been hit with a denial-of-service style cyberattack allegedly carried out by the pro-Russian hacker group NoName, with some government-linked websites down as a result.

Eric Caire, the province's cybersecurity minister, told reporters today the websites hit include the province's Treasury Board, the Quebec securities regulator, the Economy Department and Investissement Quebec, a provincially run investment fund.

Caire attributed the attack to NoName but said there's nothing to indicate personal data was compromised.

The province's Cybersecurity and Digital Technology Department says in a statement the attack took place between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and certain websites could be down temporarily.

A denial-of-service attack occurs when attackers flood an internet server with traffic and overwhelm it, triggering a crash.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted before on Moscow's orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the United States and its allies in the past and claimed responsibility for an attack on Hydro-Quebec's website and mobile app in April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 13, 2023.