The Town of Ponoka says it has implemented enhanced cybersecurity measures as a result of an incident that occurred in February of 2024.
The enhanced measures include 24/7 advanced endpoint detection and response monitoring.
On February 20, 2024, the Town learned that an unauthorized third party had gained access to a portion of its network environment and encrypted a number of the Town's IT systems.
In response, the Town immediately disconnected its systems from the network to prevent any further unauthorized activity and engaged external cybersecurity experts to assist with containment, remediation and to conduct a forensic investigation.
The Town reported the incident to law enforcement as well as to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.
The Town's investigation into the matter has concluded.
Certain emails and files such as: complaint notifications from residents and resulting follow up; Certificates of Recognition for residents achieving milestone birthdays; vendor quotes; details of Town or AHS enforcement actions related to residential properties, including property owner information; direct banking information for utility customers and direct deposit information for business suppliers may have been accessed and/or copied by the unauthorized third party.
The Town says that there is no evidence that any personal information has been misused as a result of this incident.
Review the steps below to best protect your personal information from being misused, including for the use of phishing:
- If you receive emails, telephone calls or text messages asking for your financial or any other personal information you were not expecting, particularly if they purport to be from the Town, please consider such communications to be fraudulent and contact us immediately to verify their authenticity.
- Change online passwords for your financial and other sensitive accounts regularly and make sure they are secure.
- Never respond to unsolicited requests for your financial information and be careful when sharing your personal information unsolicited, whether by phone, email or on a website.
- Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments in suspicious emails.
Click here for additional tips and resources to help you protect your identity.
If you have questions regarding this incident, contact Dawn Sauvé at dawn.sauve@ponoka.ca or 403-783-0121
"We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue working to fully address this matter and do everything possible to help prevent it from reoccurring in the future," the Town of Ponoka stated in a letter that was posted to its website.
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