Canadian Software Vendor Breach Exposes Cloud Environments Across Energy Sector

Toronto, ON —

A sweeping cyberattack on a trusted Canadian software vendor has triggered widespread disruption across enterprise cloud systems, as security investigators reveal that attackers used a software update to quietly breach dozens of major clients, including key players in the energy sector.

Gridlock Solutions, based in Toronto, confirmed that its popular infrastructure analytics platform PulseCore 6.3 was compromised through a supply chain attack that injected a remote access trojan into a February software update.

The malware-laced update was downloaded by over 2,300 organizations. Once installed, it gave attackers access to cloud credentials, virtual machines, and security tokens across multiple platforms including Azure and Oracle Cloud.

“This is a textbook supply chain breach — clean until the customer deploys it,” said Greg Tsui, principal analyst at Seaboard Intelligence.

Several publicly traded companies have suspended Gridlock contracts, and the vendor’s stock dropped 17% within 24 hours of the disclosure. Multiple class-action lawsuits have already been filed, alleging negligence and lack of transparency in third-party security practices.

A spokesperson for Gridlock said the company is cooperating with federal cyber investigators and has issued a full patch along with forensic assistance for partners.

The incident has reignited debate around software supply chain security, with policy experts and CISOs urging stricter controls on how backend infrastructure software is audited and verified.

“This wasn’t ransomware. It was surgical, silent, and designed for espionage,” said Theresa Chan, CISO at Novaxa Energy. “We’re seeing trust itself being weaponized.”

Timeline of Events:

Feb 10, 2025 – Malicious code inserted into PulseCore update
Mar 3, 2025 – First anomalies detected in partner networks
Mar 27, 2025 – Gridlock acknowledges possible compromise
Apr 12, 2025 – Breach confirmed, patch issued

Impact Summary:

Affected Vendor – Gridlock Solutions
Compromised Product – PulseCore 6.3
Method of Attack – Supply chain (update-level injection)
Impacted Clients – ~2,300 enterprise customers
Estimated Downtime – 4–7 days average
Stock Price Movement – -17% in 24 hours

As scrutiny mounts, the breach has become a wake-up call for enterprise leaders relying on cloud-optimized vendor tools without complete visibility into how software updates are built, signed, and deployed. Analysts are now warning that convenience, if left unchecked, could be the single largest risk in digital supply chains.

Following the risk behind the ROI. — Leila Park

ODTN News’ Ayaan Chowdhury contributed to this report.