Calgary Public Library closed all branches after cyberattack

The Calgary Public Library shut all 22 of its branches on the evening of Friday, October 11, 2024 after detecting a cybersecurity breach. Staff closed early, powered down every server and cut library computer access as a containment measure while the technology team worked to determine how far the intrusion had reached.

The system, which serves roughly 1.3 million residents, reopened its buildings on Wednesday, October 16 with what it called modified services. Patrons could use the physical spaces and borrow from the shelves, but book returns were not processed, due dates on borrowed items were extended, and anything dependent on technology was unavailable, including public computers, printing, WiFi, eResources and the digital library. Online room bookings and program registration were also suspended.

The library said little at first about the nature of the attack, and neither it nor the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security answered questions from reporters about whether ransomware was involved. In a statement issued on October 29 the library described the incident as an attempted ransomware attack that its monitoring systems had successfully blocked, and said Microsoft Incident Response had been engaged alongside its own staff.

That statement also reported that the investigation had confirmed no business, employee or membership data was affected. The library set out a three stage recovery: restoring secure staff networks across 23 worksites, reintroducing digital and technology services at locations, and then restoring technology services in full. Comparable attacks had hit the Toronto Public Library in late 2023 and library systems in British Columbia earlier in 2024.