Police in Prince Albert, Sask., say their website has been hacked by apparent supporters of Islamic State militants.
The police force’s website was completely altered Wednesday morning, to show a black screen with the message: "Hacked by Team System Dz. I Love Islamic state," with a non-English language audio track playing in the background.
The hacked webpage was removed at approximately 10 a.m. CST on Wednesday. Prince Albert Police says theforce’s IT department is working to overcome the hack and get their site back up and running.
The police force says the breach doesn’t affect police operations or data.
“This incident serves as a reminder to the public that agencies and individuals can be vulnerable and if they receive questionable e-mails or content on their computer or device to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or their internet service provider,” said Prince Albert Deputy Chief Jeff Rowden in a Facebook post.
Sgt. Travis Willie wrote on Facebook that this kind of cyberattack has never happened to the Prince Albert police before, and the force is taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Team System Dz has claimed responsibility for a number of recent cyber-attacks including one Monday, on the sites of more than 800 schools in the U.S.
In June, the group hacked government websites in Maryland, Ohio and New York.
With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Saskatoon
