Malware Inflicts Major Cyber Attack on Government of Nunavut’s Network

A ransomware cyber attack appears to have crippled essential electronic communications within the Government of Nunavut, according to Nunatsiaq News.

“We are not sure how far it reaches,” Premier Joe Savikataaq says to the paper. In a Facebook post, the Government of Nunavut identified the virus as a ransomware attack.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or data, usually by encrypting it, until the victim pays a bribe to the attacker. In many cases, the ransom demand comes with a deadline and if it’s not paid in time, the data is destroyed forever.

The Government of Nunavut has said it will take at least a week for it to get back online with its systems, and some public services will be affected in the meantime, requiring temporary solutions.