August 18, 2025 The House of Commons has confirmed it was the target of a cyberattack that exposed personal and technical information about employees.
The breach, detected Friday, exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft’s SharePoint system that allowed attackers to run malicious code remotely. The flaw, known as CVE-2025-53770 or “ToolShell,” was only recently disclosed.
Information taken includes names, job titles, office locations, email addresses and details about staff devices. Officials warned the stolen data could be used in phishing campaigns or impersonation attempts against members of Parliament and staff.
The Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s national cyber defence agency, is assisting with the investigation. While no group has claimed responsibility, cybersecurity researchers told ITPro the attack bears similarities to past activity by China-linked hackers known as “Salt Typhoon.” That group has been tied to intrusions in more than 20 Canadian government systems over the last four years.
Parliament said measures have been put in place to contain the breach and strengthen network protections, but it urged employees to remain vigilant about suspicious emails or calls.
