Chinese hackers have launched an unprecedented cyberattack on the Canadian government, penetrating the computer systems of two key agencies and forcing them offline, CBC reported.
Asked about the report, the Treasury Board issued a brief statement recognizing it had detected an "unauthorized attempt to access its networks," but did not elaborate.
"Employee access to the Internet has been limited for the time being," said Treasury Board spokesman Jay Denney.
CBC News cited "highly placed sources" in conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government as saying that the cyberattacks, first detected in January, were traced to computer servers in China.
The hackers managed to penetrate the computer systems at the Finance Department and the Treasury Board, according to CBC. They also successfully overpowered computers in the offices of senior government officials in a bid to steal passwords that hold the key to government data systems.
But CBC noted it remained unclear whether the attackers were able to access other computer networks, such as those containing Canadians' tax and health records along with other personal details.
Upon learning of the attack, Canadian cybersecurity officials shut down Internet access at the two departments as they scrambled to prevent hackers from stealing more information via the Internet, it added.
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