Cybersecurity incident results in closure of Co-op locations

Federated Co-operatives Limited has confirmed that a cybersecurity incident has resulted in the closure of its retail Co-op and cardlock fuel locations.

Brad DeLorey, director of communications and public affairs for the company, says the cybersecurity incident has impacted some of its internal and customer facing systems.

“As a precaution we have shut down some of our systems and brought in third party experts,” DeLorey said. “An investigation is underway. We regret that this outage has occurred and we thank Co-op members and customers for their patience as our teams work to resolve the issue.”

The Co-op incident is one of the latest in a string of cybersecurity attacks that have effected B.C. and Western Canada-based businesses and government organizations.

On June 26, the Cowichan Valley School District said it was dealing with a cybersecurity incident, but had no reason to believe personal information was compromised.

The B.C. government recently announced it had been targeted by a cybersecurity attack which Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s public safety minister and solicitor general, said was likely a state or state-sponsored.

B.C.’s First Nations Health Authority was also targeted by a cyberattack, and the attackers reported they had accessed an unspecified amount of the health authority’s data.

In May, London Drugs had to shut its stores for several days as it dealt with a cyberattack, and the hackers eventually leaked the information after the company refused to pay a ransom.

In the first six months of 2023, Emsisoft estimates over $449 million was paid in ransomware attacks, with 2023 on track to be “the second most profitable year to date for ransomware actors.”

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