Petro-Canada Cyber Attack Disrupts Services

Petro-Canada, the Canadian national energy company, has been the target of a cyber attack that has caused significant disruption to its services. Customers have been unable to pay by card at the pumps or access their accounts since the attack was launched on Friday, June 23rd. The incident has left many customers who do not carry around cash struggling as they get to the stations with the need to fill their tanks. The effects of the incident, including the inability to use Petro-Points on the company’s app and website, were still being felt on Monday.

The attack on Petro-Canada, a subsidiary of the major Canadian energy producer Suncor Energy, has raised alarm due to the potential impact on Canadian the energy sector. Cyber attacks on this sector can have severe repercussions, as demonstrated by the 2021 ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in the U.S., which led to significant gasoline shortages along the Southern Eastern coast of the U.S.. Furthermore, this incident follows a previous cyber attack in April on the Canadian energy sector, intensifying concerns about the vulnerability of the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Petro-Canada’s customers have been left frustrated and inconvenienced. Many have been forced to pay with cash at select locations, causing significant disruption for those unable to do so. As of Saturday, Petro-Canada was unable to provide a timeline for when services would be fully restored. This has led to dozens of customers voicing their complaints on social media platforms like Twitter, with some customers even questioning whether they would be compensated for days of missed use for services such as their car wash season pass.

Suncor Energy has assured members of the public that they are working with third-party experts to investigate and resolve the situation, and have notified appropriate authorities. As of now, there is no evidence to suggest that customer, supplier, or employee data has been compromised or misused as a result of the cyber attack, although at this time the investigation is still continuing. However, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has warned that the oil and gas sector in Canada is likely to continue being targeted by cyber criminals, especially those motivated by financial gain, such as those ransomware attacks we have reported on recently.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of a comprehensive cyber security strategy, especially in businesses and critical public sectors such as energy. As businesses across the globe try to comprehend the ever evolving and growing Cyber Security threats that they face, One2Call are here to help you though it all. Our FREE Cyber Security Self Assessment Form (which can be downloaded at the link below) covers all of the key pillars of a comprehensive Cyber Security strategy such as; Endpoint Detection & Response, Active Email Threat Protection, Dark Web Monitoring, Cyber Security Training, Firewalls and much more. Our Cyber Security experts can work with you to help you understand the key areas where your business could be exposed, learn how your business operates, and help you put the solutions and strategies in place to keep you protected from the current and future Cyber Threats you may face.

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