A sensitive document detailing a classified computer database of the Canadian government has turned out on the rainy street of the capital city Ottawa, media reports said Friday.
The document is a risk assessment of a classified enforcement database of Environment Canada. It details a number of the system's failings and describes how the data could be attacked and corrupted, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.
The document, with each of its pages marked "Protected B" on the top, was lying on an Ottawa street corner in a rain-stained, tire-marked brown envelope. It was spotted by a passer-by and turned to CBC.
The database, named National Enforcement Management Information System and Intelligence System (NEMISIS), is used by officers to track and prosecute polluters and environmental law-breakers. The system provides accurate and timely statistical information and detailed reports on enforcement efforts.
The lost document described in detail how the database could be attacked by industrial hackers and organized crime, as well as environmental activists.
If someone were able to shut the system down, or hack inside and delete or corrupt the information, officers might not be able to prosecute their cases, which would seriously interfere with the enforcement of the law, the risk assessment said.
Documents labeled Protected B must be handled with special care for security reasons and not left lying around for just anyone to see, said Christian Rouillard, an expert on public administration and associate professor at the University of Ottawa's school of political studies.
Environment Canada spokeswoman Sujata Raisinghani said the department will look into the incident.
"We take document security seriously," she said.
Source: Xinhua
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