A $40,000 cyber investigation into the Department of Finance

A computer glitch forced the Finance Department to launch a $40,000 “cyber-investigation” to determine whether the situation had been “corrected.”

Agreement with Encutes Forensic Inc. Terminated by mutual agreement on July 15.

The flaw was discovered in early July, but the ministry declined to say how long it had been there.

“The error was quickly corrected. The Ministry of Finance is taking all necessary measures to ensure the integrity of its computer systems and the confidentiality of the data they contain,” assured Philippe Berube, a spokesman for the government agency.

The ministry also confirms that “the system in question does not contain personal or sensitive information and is not linked to direct services to the population.”

The statement raised eyebrows for a computer security expert contacted by our investigation office.

Eric Parent, an expert in cyber security, analyzed: “The fact that these types of experts are hired means that they probably have evidence of an exploit.”

Awarding a contract to a private firm when there are no indications of data theft is tantamount to “taking a covid test every time you go grocery shopping”.

“Exploitable vulnerabilities in IT, all organizations have them. It is counted in tens of thousands. No need to fear: you Patches Bobo”, added the president of EVA Technologies.

He’s also deeply incredulous that the department used $40,000 in public funds, if not the least bit suspicious of extortion of sensitive information.