On November 22, 2024, the Montreal North borough in Canada revealed that its Access Montreal and permit offices were offline due to a cyberattack that compromised its computer systems. The breach, which was detected earlier that day, disrupted critical services, affecting local residents’ ability to access municipal resources. The borough swiftly took action by reporting the incident to the Montreal police (SPVM), who have launched an investigation into the source and nature of the intrusion.
In response to the attack, the Montreal North borough has enlisted the help of a specialized cybersecurity firm to investigate the breach. This external firm will work closely with borough officials and the city’s IT teams to identify the origin of the attack and assess the extent of the damage. The goal is to determine whether sensitive data was compromised and to restore the disrupted services as quickly as possible.
The borough emphasized that, while operations have been impacted, it is prioritizing the restoration of its IT systems. Specialized resources have been mobilized to ensure that the systems are secure before they are brought back online. Local government officials have reassured the public that efforts are underway to return to normal operations, though the timeline for this recovery remains uncertain.
At this stage, the borough has not provided further details about the breach, including whether any personal data or confidential information was exposed. The investigation is still ongoing, and no additional statements will be made until the results are available. The Montreal North borough has stressed that it is committed to transparency and will share information with the public once the situation has been fully assessed.
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