October 25, 2023 at 03:51PM
Five Ontario hospitals are facing a cyberattack that has disrupted their IT systems, resulting in the cancellation of patient appointments. Service provider TransForm is investigating whether patient data was accessed. In addition, a disinformation campaign called Spamouflage, linked to China, has been targeting Canadian government officials on social media since August. The campaign includes spam comments and deepfake videos.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. Five Ontario hospitals have been targeted by cybercriminals, resulting in a shutdown of IT systems and the cancellation of patient appointments. The service provider, TransForm, is investigating whether patient data was accessed during the incident.
2. TransForm, a nonprofit organization, manages IT, supply chain, and accounts payable services for the five hospitals: Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Bluewater Health, and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.
3. The cyberattack on the hospitals is affecting patient care in various ways, although specific details were not provided.
4. A disinformation campaign called “Spamouflage,” allegedly connected to the People’s Republic of China, has been targeting Canadian government officials’ Facebook and Twitter accounts since early August.
5. Spamouflage is a troll farm that has been linked to numerous social media accounts and platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X.
6. The campaign has been spamming government officials with thousands of comments, including fake news stories and deepfake videos, accusing them of criminal and ethical violations.
7. Global Affairs Canada has notified social media platforms about the campaign, and some of the spam has been removed. However, new accounts are likely to be created in the future.
8. The issue of disinformation campaigns is a global problem and not limited to Canada.