Chinese hackers blamed for cyberattacks in US, Canada

Name: ‘It’s important that they’re protesting’: Canadian PM voices support for China Covid protesters
Uploaded: 2022-12-06T01:20:57.000Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: ‘It’s important that they’re protesting’: Canadian PM voices support for China Covid protesters

Amnesty International Canada said it first detected the breach on October 5, and hired forensic investigators and cybersecurity experts to investigate

Meanwhile, Chinese hackers stole millions worth of US Covid relief money, the Secret Service says

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The Canadian branch of Amnesty International said it was the target of a cybe attack sponsored by China. Photo: Shutterstock/File

Associated Press

Published: 9:20am, 6 Dec 2022Updated: 12:33pm, 6 Dec 2022

The Canadian branch of Amnesty International said on Monday it was the target of a cyberattack sponsored by China.

The human rights organisation said it first detected the breach on October 5, and hired forensic investigators and cybersecurity experts to investigate.

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, said the searches in their systems were specifically and solely related to China and Hong Kong, as well as a few prominent Chinese activists. The hack left the organisation offline for nearly three weeks.

US cybersecurity firm Secureworks said “a threat group sponsored or tasked by the Chinese state” was likely behind the attack because there was no attempt to monetise the access, the nature of the searches, the level of sophistication and the use of specific tools which are distinctive of China-sponsored actors.

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Nivyabandi encouraged activists and journalists to update their cybersecurity protocols in light of it.