The provincial government says it has temporarily deactivated some online services because of a new global online security threat called Log4j.
The services were taken offline as “preventive measure,” and there is no indication that any services have been affected, Finance and Treasury Department spokesperson Erika Jutras said in a news release Monday afternoon.
CBC News has requested information about which services have been deactivated, and for how long.
The provincial government became aware of the threat on Friday, Jutras said in the release, noting that “a large number of information technology applications and services worldwide” have been affected by the Log4j threat.
Earlier Monday, federal Defence Minister Anita Anand said a number of federal departments had taken some services offline as a preventive measure following the discovery of a software flaw she said “has the potential to be used by bad actors.”
Anand noted that groups using the popular Apache Log4J system should “pay attention to this critical internet vulnerability” affecting organizations worldwide, and she cited reports of “active exploitation.”
She urged Canadian organizations to report any incidents to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, part of the Communications Security Establishment.
The vulnerability — located in open-source software used to run websites and other web services — has been described as one of the worst discovered in years.
Unless it’s patched, it grants hackers access to impose code, allowing them to steal data and unleash malware.
CRA took some services offline earlier
On Friday, the Canada Revenue Agency took some services offline as a precaution after it learned of a global security vulnerability.
There was no indication its systems have been compromised or of any unauthorized access to taxpayer information, the CRA said.
In New Brunswick, Jutras said there is likewise no indication of breaches. However, she said in Monday’s release, some applications and services have been taken offline to apply corrective patches.
Government staff continue to follow developments closely and are working to assess and mitigate any risks to provincial government websites and applications, Jutras said.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
