The computer failure that paralyzes the online services of SSQ Insurance and La Capitale Insurance since Friday morning is linked to a cyber attack, according to specialists.
“We know from a good source that there are attacks in progress,” said Saturday evening Patrick Mathieu, co-founder of Hackfest, a festival of computer security enthusiasts.
For two days now, no way to get a quote, an online insurance certificate or even log into the user area for the more than 3 million customers of these companies.
“That’s a long time for a computer system that has crashed …”, Judge Julie Pelletier, a woman from Joliette who was already doing business with SSQ.
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On the SSQ Insurance site, people are informed that online and telephone services are temporarily interrupted due to a computer failure.
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The latter had to postpone taking possession of her new vehicle until Friday because the dealership could not leave it without proof of insurance.
Several customers find themselves like her in uncertainty as to the consequences of this generalized blackout.
Has their personal data, which insurance companies hold in large quantities, been compromised?
Rather, was the system taken out of service to avoid irreparable damage?
La Capitale spokesperson Pierre-Thomas Choquette limited himself to reporting a ” [au] computer system ”, without confirming or denying the cyber attacks or their nature.
photo-source position-absolute" itemprop="copyrightHolder"> Courtesy photo
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On the sites of La Capitale, whose head office is located in Quebec, and of SSQ Insurance, people are informed that online and telephone services are temporarily interrupted due to a computer failure that could be linked to a cyber attack, experts say.
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“As long as they leave a doubt, the rumors will run, warns Steve Waterhouse, specialist in cybersecurity. It is clear that this was not a scheduled interview. People are not fooled. “
Faced with the proliferation of attacks, he believes that companies have an advantage in showing their feet and advising their customers quickly.
“Of course, it may take a while to get information on the type of attack. But whether it is or not, I think they are able to say it quickly enough, ”adds Patrick Mathieu, from Hackfest.
This incident afflicts SSQ and La Capitale shortly after their announcement with great fanfare of their regrouping under the name “Beneva” last Thursday.
The two specialists point out that the new beneva.ca website uses the “Drupal” platform, which has been exposed to major security vulnerabilities in the past month.
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