Amnesty International Canada says it was hacked by Beijing
The Canadian branch of Amnesty International says it was the target of a cyberattack sponsored by China
TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian branch of Amnesty International said Monday it was the target of a cyberattack sponsored by China.
The human rights organization said it first detected the breach Oct. 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 organization offline for nearly three weeks.
U.S. cybersecurity firm Secureworks said there was no attempt to monetize the access, and “a threat group sponsored or tasked by the Chinese state” was likely behind the attack because of the nature of the searches, the level of sophistication and the use of specific tools that are distinctive of China-sponsored actors.
