The Canadian branch of human rights organization Amnesty International says it was the target of a cyberattack it says was sponsored by the Chinese state.
In a statement posted on its website, Amnesty International Canada says the digital security breach was first detected on October 5, 2022, when suspicious activity was spotted on Amnesty’s computer system.
An investigation by investigators and cybersecurity experts was immediately launched and measures were taken to protect the organization’s systems.
Amnesty International Canada says preliminary results of the investigation suggest that tools and techniques associated with specific advanced persistent threat groups were used in the cyberattack.
Experts from international cybersecurity firm Secureworks later determined that the likely source of the security breach was a Chinese state-sponsored or mandated group, based on the nature of the targeted information as well as the tools and behaviors observed.
In the statement, Amnesty International Canada says it has “taken swift and robust action to strengthen its digital security and restore online systems safely.”
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