Canada’s Department of National Defence said the company that assists the Canadian military when it moves around the world has recently been hacked.
According to an internal message obtained by CBC News, the cyberattack has caused the website of Brookfield Global Relocation Services (BGRS) to be offline for several weeks now.
The Canadian government said it received confirmation that there was unauthorized access to government personnel information held by the relocation company.
Although a clear implication for the Canadian military is not yet established, a number of military members have already expressed concern about how the current inaccessibility of the company’s online portal is affecting their moves.
The government assured that it is coordinating with BGRS to assess and resolve the problem.
Precautionary Measures Ordered
Rumors of a cyberattack on BGRS circulated among military members when some of them reported asking for updates for weeks.
The defense ministry said the company provided few details, excluding the size or scope of the ongoing breach.
However, its members have reportedly been warned to take precautionary measures if they have open files that can be accessed easily. These measures include updating their login credentials.
Additionally, the employees were told to monitor their financial and personal online accounts for any unusual activity.
BGRS has been providing relocation services to the Canadian government, including the military, since 1995. It reportedly arranges about 20,000 federal moves annually.