Hackers have been fraudulently accessing CRA accounts for more than a month, according to the Office of the Chief Information Officer
Evidence of suspicious activity has been found on more than 48,000 user accounts associated with the Canada Revenue Agency – four times as many as previously believed, according to the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Last month, the CRA temporarily restricted all access to its online services portal after multiple cyber attacks that saw the theft and fraudulent use of previously stolen user information.
Initial reports by federal authorities placed the number of affected accounts, which included GCKey information that can access data and services at 30 agencies, at only 11,200.
The Office of the Chief Information Officer also said that there is solid evidence of criminal elements accessing these accounts for more than a month before the CRA uncovered the breaches.
“As a result of ongoing forensic analysis of these cyber incidents, the CRA has identified suspicious activities occurring between early July and August 15 on approximately 48,500 of the more than 14 million CRA user accounts,” said the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
The RCMP and the affected government bodies are continuing their respective investigations on the matter, CTVNews.ca reported.
The CRA said that it has already sent identity reconfirmation emails to affected users, but did not divulge how many have been able to regain access to their accounts.
“The CRA will work with individuals affected by identity theft or fraud to help ensure they are not held liable for fraudulent claims and payments made by fraudsters using their account. Individuals whose accounts have been compromised will be offered credit protection services free of charge,” the agency said in a statement.
