Alberta Innovates hit by a cyber attack

An Alberta Crown company says it recently experienced “network issues” after being the target of a cyberattack.

Dwayne Brunner, a spokesperson for Alberta Innovates, would not confirm when the problems started but said an investigation is underway and all network issues have been resolved.

“Alberta Innovates recently experienced network issues, which we quickly resolved and investigated with cybersecurity experts,” Brunner said in an email.

“The incident involved unauthorized access to our network by a third party.”

The provincially funded organization provides grants and programs to entrepreneurs, researchers and industry to accelerate technological innovation.

Brunner would not say whether the attack exposed or compromised personal or proprietary information, but said more information will become available as the agency’s investigation continues.

“The privacy and security of the information we maintain is our top priority, and we work closely with cybersecurity experts, our employees and our customers,” Brunner said.

Alberta Innovates, which has been around in one form or another for more than a century, reports to Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish.

“We are aware of the incident and our cyber team is providing assistance to Alberta Innovates if necessary,” said Glubish’s press secretary Jonathan Gauthier.

Last year, a cyberattack on the Alberta Dental Service Corporation led to the disclosure of personal information for nearly 1.5 million Albertans.

The company was the government administrator of dental benefit programs for seniors and low-income people with health benefits.

Alberta Blue Cross took over the role of dental benefits administrator this summer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024