October 30, 2023 at 12:59PM
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) experienced a cyberattack on October 28th, causing many of its online services to be unavailable. However, the library branches remain open, and borrowing and returning books can still be done as usual. The library assures that there is currently no evidence of data exposure and is working towards restoring normal operations, which may take several days. Recent cyberattacks in Canada have raised concerns about service availability and potential data breaches.
Meeting Notes:
– The Toronto Public Library (TPL) recently experienced a cyberattack, resulting in many of its online services being offline.
– TPL is Canada’s largest public library system with 100 branch libraries and over 1.2 million registered members.
– The following services are currently unavailable: “Your Account” feature, ‘tpl:map’ passes, digital collections, public computers, and printing services at library branches.
– Library branches remain open and operational, allowing borrowing and returning of books as usual. WiFi access and telephone lines are also available.
– Online services hosted elsewhere, like Kanopy, Digital Archive, Digital Archive Ontario, TPL Kids, and ‘Ready for Reading,’ are unaffected.
– TPL does not provide specific details about the cyberattack, but states that no evidence suggests data exposure for staff or customers.
– TPL highlights their quick response and proactive security measures, but notes that system restoration may take several days.
– No ransomware actors have claimed responsibility for the attack on TPL’s systems.
– Recent cyberattacks have targeted Canadian firms and organizations, impacting service availability and raising concerns about data breaches.
– Examples include IT outage at five hospitals in Ontario, Air Canada data breach, and a cyberattack on Petro-Canada gas station locations.