A number of Canadian government sites and servers went offline in a cyber attack a few days ago. Afterwards, the well-known hacking group Anonymous claimed responsibility for the hack committed in a so-called retaliation for a new anti-terrorism bill passed by the local politicians

The attack took down several government sites, including the general website for government services – canada.ca, and the website of Canada’s spy agency – the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

According to Twitter account of Tony Clement, the cabinet minister responsible for the Treasury Board, the cyber attacks on government websites were officially confirmed. It was also revealed that the cyberattack also affected email service and Internet access, but the government claimed it was working to solve the problem and restore the services.

In the meantime, the Anonymous hacking collective posted a video on YouTube, saying that the new Canadian anti-terrorism legislation violated human rights and targeted the country citizens who disagree with the government. The industry observers admit that Bill C-51, also known as the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, would broaden the mandate of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, providing the agency new powers to disrupt perceived security threats. The new law would also facilitate surveillance for federal agencies and make it easier for them to share data about individuals.

In mass media, the public safety minister Steven Blaney denounced the hacker attacks, saying that the Canadians could express their views in other democratic ways. Now the Canadian government is going to implement efforts to improve its cyber security.