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Power corporation suffers cyber attack from unknown source

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0301gjcm7.jpg Cody Punter/NNSL photo Northwest Territories Power Corporation NTPC

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation announced in a statement Thursday evening that it had experienced a cyber attack from an unknown source earlier in the day.

The territory's wholly owned subsidiary of NT Hydro stated that on April 30 it had been subjected to the attack which led to having to shut down most of its information technology services. Most activity in the corporation's business areas was impacted, it added in the statement.

“Ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly aggressive and are frequently directed at governments, utilities and financial institutions," Noel Voykin, President and CEO, Northwest Territories Power Corporation said in a statement. "NTPC takes all threats to safety and security very seriously and will complete a thorough investigation of this matter.”

A notice on the NTPC Facebook page shows that the corporation was having issues with its information systems early in the day on Thursday. The website was inaccessible on Thursday night.
photo screenshot taken on April 30, 2020

The news release states that NTPC is conducting an investigation to assess the impact of the attack and identify any systems that may have been accessed.

"An investigation is underway to assess the impact of the attack and identify any systems that may have been accessed," states the release. "No timetable has been set for completion of the investigation. NTPC has been in communication with the territorial and federal governments as well as the Canadian Cybersecurity Agency."

There is no indication yet as to whether generation, transmission and distribution systems have been impacted, although all electricity systems are functioning.

The news release states that NTPC has shut down its email system until it can be determined if it has been compromised.

The website was inaccessible on Thursday night and for much of the day.

More information will be shared as it becomes available.