RCMP initiates criminal probe amid cyber attack on network

Canada’s national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has revealed a recent cyber attack targeting its networks, prompting a criminal investigation to ascertain the extent of the security breach.

RCMP’s chief security officer, Paul L. Brown, described the incident as a "cyber event" and urged employees to remain vigilant. Despite the alarming nature of the breach, an RCMP spokesperson reassured that there is currently no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians.

While the cyber incident has not affected foreign police and intelligence services, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has been notified of the attack.

The RCMP website is offline in response to the breach, displaying an HTTP 404 (Not Found) error message. Requests to www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca are redirected to an install.php page, typically associated with fresh website installations like WordPress and Drupal.

The RCMP confirmed that the breach is under active management and stated its collaboration with Shared Services Canada and the Communications Security Establishment to assess its scope. Additionally, the police force pledged to hold those responsible for the breach accountable.