Hacker demands ransom from B.C. libraries after data breach [Video]

Libraries in British Columbia have been targeted by a hacker who threatened to release user data if a ransom was not paid.

The B.C. Libraries Co-operative said in a statement Monday that on April 19 it was contacted by a hacker “attempting to extort payment” using private information taken from its servers.

The co-operative provides library systems for multiple institutions around the province.

It said the hacker had accessed log file data from its new cloud hosting infrastructure and, upon review, “minimal data” from its email server was obtained.

“We determined that no passwords nor any content of emails (neither subject lines nor message contents) were stolen,” the statement said. 

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The hacker was …