The Canada Revenue Agency has recently locked out 800,000 users from their online accounts, out of fear that people’s usernames and passwords have been hacked.
Citing the cybersecurity risk of having this information in the hands of potentially bad actors, obtained through email phishing schemes or third-party data breaches, the CRA says the move is precautionary.
“Like the accounts that were locked in February, these user IDs and passwords were not compromised as a result of a breach of CRA’s online systems, rather they may have been obtained by unauthorized third parties and through a variety of means by sources external to the CRA,” said the CRA in a statement.
“The total number of accounts impacted is roughly 800 thousand,” said the CRA.
The agency said that unlike what happened in February, it wanted to warn people ahead of time that the access to their accounts may be down, given its tax time.
If attempts are made to log in to a frozen account, the user will receive an error message informing them that their CRA user ID has been revoked.
Impacted individuals will be contacted by the email address associated with their accounts, or if there was not one on file, by mail.
Taxpayers can re-gain access to their CRA account by going to the CRA login page and creating a new CRA user ID and password or by using a different login method associated with their CRA account, the agency says.
It may take until March 22 for the issues to be resolved, but after that date, if users are unable to log in they should call the CRA.
As part of its ongoing monitoring the agency keeps an eye on any government-used usernames and passwords that go up for sale on the dark web and the CRA then moves to lock these accounts. This can happen when people use the same login information across multiple websites.
“All Canadians should monitor their CRA accounts for any suspicious activity including unsolicited changes to banking, mailing address or benefit applications made on their behalf. In addition, passwords should be updated regularly,” said the CRA.
Source: CTVNews
Newsletters
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Events & Sponsorship
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Articles & Publications
Changes to RRSP and CPP in 2021
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has made annual announcements about the nation’s retirement programs. Namely, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) are being updated as we enter the new year. Here are the changes you need to...
CRA Collection Letters for CERB Ineligibility & Repayment
The Canada Revenue Agency has begun issuing formal collection letters for CERB repayment to recipients who may or may not have been eligible for the payments they received. You may have received a letter from CRA regarding CERB payments to be paid back along with one...
TFSA limit for 2021 released
The TFSA new contribution limit for 2021 has been officially released. That limit is $6,000, matching the amount set in 2019 and 2020. With this TFSA dollar limit announcement, the total contribution room available in 2021 for someone who has never contributed and has...
CERB has ended, here is what to know about your benefits
After providing millions of Canadians with financial relief since the beginning of the pandemic, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will be coming to an end on Saturday and recipients will be forced to transition to a recently updated Employment Insurance...
CRA Warning: Pay Your Taxes on the CERB!
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) might have helped you through the lockdown if you lost your job due to COVID-19. The federal government initially announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) that would see qualifying Canadians receive $2,000 per month over...