B.C. provincial employees directed to change passwords [Video]

Every provincial employee is receiving emails or memos directing them to change their passwords immediately, CTV News has learned.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) confirmed the urgent requests began rolling out government-wide on Monday, the day after dozens of London Drugs locations shut down across Western Canada due to a cyberattack.

“The OCIO is taking preventive measures to safeguard government data and systems,” wrote a spokesperson in a statement. “As a security precaution … password length has increased from 10 to 14 characters.”

Websites, servers and other online infrastructure face thousands of hacking attempts each day, government officials have stated publicly, so CTV News asked if there has been a surge in cyberattacks or if it was a response to the ongoing London Drugs closures. A spokesperson said there’s no link to the pharmacy issues, but was unclear about whether there’ve been any increases in malicious activity …