The most recent local organization to fall victim to a cyberattack is the Toronto Zoo. The zoo claims that on January 5, 2024, staff members discovered the ransomware/cyber incident for the first time, and they moved right away to ascertain its scope.

The effect on the records of visitors, members, and donors is being looked into. The zoo declared that the cyberattack had no bearing on the welfare or treatment of the animals and that it does not retain any credit card information.

The zoo has reported the issue to Toronto police and is collaborating with the city’s chief information security office as well as outside cyber security specialists to find a solution. At the Toronto Zoo, business as usual will continue.

A representative for the Toronto Zoo, Katie Grey, stated, “We regret that these incidents are growing more frequent and we are happy that we have upgraded our technology infrastructure over the last few years.”

“We appreciate your understanding and patience while we resolve this incident.”

Following a ransomware attack that was discovered in late October, the Toronto Public Library is still recuperating.

Service will be gradually restored this month, according to the Toronto Public Library, which described it as an “aggressive timeframe.” 

In a previous statement, the library stated that the hack on October 28 most likely revealed the addresses, social security numbers, government identity numbers, and names of workers going back to 1998. 

Cyberattack targets Toronto Zoo as the most recent public entity

The Toronto Zoo declared on Monday that there may be a delay in customer response times due to a recent cybersecurity attack.

The zoo said in a news release that last Friday was the first time a ransomware attack was discovered.

“Zoo staff took immediate steps to start to determine the extent of the incident,” according to the press release.

“We are investigating the impact, if any, to our guests, members and donor records.”

The zoo stated that the attack has not had an impact on animal welfare, care, or support systems and that visitors may still visit the zoo. It also stated that there was no impact on its website, that ticket purchases could still be made online, and that it does not keep credit card information on file.

Yet, it stated that over the next few days, response times for visitors attempting to get in touch with zoo employees might be affected.

The zoo stated, “We will be keeping you updated as we learn more.”

The event is the most recent in a run of cyberattacks that have targeted provincial and local government entities in the past year, including the LCBO, several hospitals in Ontario, and most recently the Toronto Public Library, which is still getting back up and running.

The City of Toronto owns the zoo, and it has reported the incident to Toronto police. To address the issue, the zoo is collaborating with the city’s Chief Information Security Office and outside cyber security specialists.

“Unfortunately, these incidents are becoming more and more common and we are grateful we took steps over the past few years to upgrade our technology infrastructure,” said the zoo.