Canadian Morale and Welfare Services server attacked with “brute force” 

The Canadian Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) experienced a security breach earlier this month when an unidentified person hacked into CFWMS’ server and accessed non-sensitive personnel information. 

 The security breach took place on March 4, and according to a cybersecurity report issued by CFWMS CEO, Sean Cantelon the attackers used “brute” force to log into the server by trying a number of passwords and pass-phrases. 

Due to the repeated attempts, the hacker, or hackers, was able to access “non-sensitive” personal information from the CFMWS employee directory, including name, title, email address, telephone numbers, and passwords. 

“We are pleased to report that no member information was compromised, nor the integrity of core systems,” read the report. 

Because of the breach, CFMWS was forced to implement security protocols and shut down access to all external gateways, including email, websites, and portals. 

As of March 9, the core system is being restored, which could take up to several days, reads the report. 

“CFMWS takes this matter very seriously and is committed to providing our members with a secure and positive experience. We continue to take steps to improve and build an even more robust security system. This includes working with our trusted cybersecurity partner to assist us in securing our systems now and in the future,” stated Cantelon in the report. 

Such security breaches are not uncommon. 

While we cannot confirm the identity, the Canadian Military Family Magazine also had an attempt on our website recently. More than 500,000 attempts were made to login to the administration section of our site. 

However, and thankfully, they were unsuccessful. 

The Family Information Line is still available 1-800-866-4546 for families or you can reach out directly to your local MFRC.