Cyber Incident Victim: Pelmorex Corp
Date:
Sep 2023
Location:
Canada
Summary
A cybersecurity incident at Pelmorex Corp., linked to a third-party software provider, disrupted weather data systems for The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, causing multi-hour outages that prevented users from accessing forecasts via websites and mobile apps. While Alert Ready capabilities remained operational, the disruption impacted millions of Canadians reliant on these services, with partial functionality restored later the same day; cybersecurity experts are investigating the incident, and relevant authorities have been notified.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 0 motives | 0 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On September 12, 2023, Pelmorex Corp. confirmed a cybersecurity incident affecting its subsidiaries The Weather Network and MétéoMédia. The disruption originated from a compromise linked to an unspecified third-party software provider, impacting weather data systems responsible for delivering forecasts through websites and mobile applications. The outage began in the morning and persisted into the afternoon, preventing millions of users across Canada from accessing local weather updates. Mobile app functionality and website services were partially restored by Tuesday evening, though full operational recovery remained pending. Pelmorex emphasized that Alert Ready—the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) System managing Canada’s public emergency alerts—remained unaffected throughout the incident. Initial public communication occurred via Pelmorex’s social media account on X, acknowledging the cyberattack and assuring users that technical teams were prioritizing service restoration.
Cybersecurity experts were engaged immediately to investigate the breach, though no specifics regarding the attack vector or threat actor were disclosed. Pelmorex notified relevant authorities of the incident but did not identify which agencies were involved. The Weather Network app, with over 10 million downloads on Google Play and a historical reach of 16.2 million Canadians in 2017, represented a critical disruption point for public access to real-time weather data. Environment Canada’s website served as an alternative information source during the outage. Pelmorex projected incremental service improvements within hours of their initial announcement, targeting full system restoration as swiftly as possible. The company issued a public apology for the inconvenience but did not disclose whether user data was compromised or elaborate on long-term operational consequences.