Cyber Incident Victim: Kingston Police Service
Date:
Jan 2025
Location:
Canada
Summary
A cyber incident impacted the Kingston Police Service's IT systems, primarily affecting non-emergency functions while emergency response capabilities remained operational. The police immediately implemented mitigation measures including system access shutdowns and engaged third-party cybersecurity experts alongside their investigative team. The Ontario Provincial Police's Cybercrime Investigations Team is leading the investigation, with the Information and Privacy Commissioner notified of the breach. The organization established alternate processes to maintain critical operations and coordinated with government and enforcement partners to restore services. The incident is possibly linked to a separate cyber disruption affecting a local school board's internet systems.
| 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 January 3, 2025, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed an investigation into a "cyber incident" impacting the Kingston Police Service's IT infrastructure. The disruption was first detected by Kingston Police on an unspecified Friday preceding the announcement, with technical analysis subsequently confirming a cybersecurity breach. The incident affected select non-emergency IT systems, though Kingston Police emphasized that emergency response capabilities remained fully operational throughout the event. Public-facing digital services, including the police service website, appeared functional by the evening of January 3, and departmental email communications remained accessible. Kingston Police implemented immediate containment measures upon identifying the breach, including network access shutdowns to isolate affected systems and prevent further compromise. A dedicated response team was activated, incorporating third-party cybersecurity specialists to assist forensic analysis and system recovery efforts.
The OPP's Cybercrime Investigations Team assumed primary investigative responsibility, with spokesperson Bill Dickson noting the inquiry remained in preliminary stages as of January 3. Kingston Police formally notified Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner regarding the breach, adhering to regulatory protocols for potential data exposure incidents. Internal continuity protocols were enacted to maintain critical operations through alternative procedures while affected systems underwent remediation. Coordination occurred with municipal stakeholders including the Kingston Police Service Board, Mayor’s Office, and City of Kingston administration to align incident response resources. Authorities publicly acknowledged but did not confirm potential links to a contemporaneous cyber incident disrupting the Upper Canada District School Board’s networks east of Kingston, which had caused widespread internet outages across educational facilities since January 2. Restoration timelines for Kingston Police’s compromised systems were not disclosed in available reporting.