Network attack against Nunavut power utility.
N2K logoJan 20, 2023

Power plants are still operating as normal.

Network attack against Nunavut power utility.

Qulliq Energy Corp (QEC) in Nunavut was hit by a cyberattack on Sunday that took down its IT systems, the CBC reports.

IT systems affected.

QEC disclosed yesterday that the attack took down the systems at its Customer Care and administrative offices. The company has enlisted external cybersecurity experts to investigate the scope of the attack and determine which data were accessed. QEC says it will notify anyone whose information was accessed. Premier P.J. Akeeagok said in a statement:

“The Departments of Community and Government Services, Justice, Finance and Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs have deployed services and personnel to help the corporation respond, while the corporation continues providing power to all of Nunavut’s communities.

“These types of attacks are criminal. Expert cyber-security and legal advice have been retained and the RCMP are assisting QEC’s ongoing investigation. The corporation is following best practices and taking the utmost caution to protect the private information of QEC’s customers.”

Customers urged to stay vigilant.

The attacks didn’t affect power plant operations, though customers are unable to pay their bills via credit card. While it’s still unclear if the attackers accessed customer information, the company says customers should be vigilant just in case:

“Out of an abundance of caution, all QEC customers are encouraged to take steps to protect personal information. Customers should monitor bank and credit card accounts regularly for unusual activity. Also consider changing personal passwords (such as email and online banking). Strong passwords are typically long and include upper- and lower-case letters mixed with numbers and special characters.”