Cybersecurity Breach: MOVEit costs N.S. taxpayers more than $3 million; personal info from thousands still at risk
More than 165,000 letters have been sent to Nova Scotians caught up in the MOVEit global cybersecurity breach.
The breach took place between May 30 and May 31, and was first reported by the Nova Scotia government a few days later.
The province says $2.85 million has been spent so far for credit monitoring services related to the online hack.
That is in addition to the $240,000 paid by Nova Scotia to IBM following the breach for incident response support.
IBM remains on retainer, which costs $5,600 a month to ensure that they're available immediately if needed.
In a news release Thursday, Nova Scotia’s Cyber Security and Digital Solutions Minister Colton LeBlanc said once the province discovered the breach, the goal was to notify those impacted as quickly as possible so they could take steps to protect their identity.
“We've now finished that process," said LeBlanc. "Now, we can turn our focus to setting out the lessons we've learned and ensuring departments are doing what they need to do to keep Nova Scotians' personal information safe.”
The province offered five years of credit monitoring and fraud protection to people whose sensitive personal information was stolen.
In an email late Thursday afternoon, the province said to date, there have been no confirmed financial losses or confirmed claims of information being used to commit an offence using personal information obtained through the breach.
There have been no confirmed government department losses related to the breach.
SOFTWARE COMPANY
The cybersecurity breach involved a file transfer service called MOVEit that is used around the world by the private sector and governments.
The software is made by Burlington, Massachusetts-based company Ipswitch and allows organizations to transfer files and data between employees, departments and customers.
Progress Software, the parent company of Ipswitch, confirmed a vulnerability in its software in late May, saying the issue could lead to potential unauthorized access of users' systems and files.
After the company notified the government of Nova Scotia of a critical vulnerability within its system, the province took the service offline and installed a security update before bringing it back online.
The province continues to use MOVEit, which it says is essential to delivering core government services.
In August, the province said certified teachers born in 1935 or later were among those whose personal information was stolen, which included personal details about deceased people.
A group known as Clop, which claimed to be behind the attack, said they deleted all the stolen data from governments, cities, and police services but are keeping information from private companies.
In an interview with CTV near the end of June, cybersecurity expert Scott Beck questioned whether the word of this group can be trusted.
“There’s no way to know if they’ve actually deleted the data or not,” Beck said.
Beck suggested people still monitor their accounts for unusual activity.
N.S. government quick facts:
- more than 118,000 letters with TransUnion credit monitoring codes have been sent to people whose sensitive personal information, such as social insurance numbers or banking information, was stolen in the breach
- just over 47,000 letters without credit monitoring codes have been sent to Nova Scotians who had less sensitive information stolen, which put them at lower risk of identity theft
- more than 29,000 people have signed up for credit monitoring
- credit monitoring codes expire Oct. 31 for those who have received them
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians prefer Trudeau work with Harris, Poilievre with Trump: Angus Reid
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.
Elections BC says box of 861 votes uncounted, others votes unreported
Elections BC says it has discovered that a ballot box containing 861 votes wasn't counted in the recent provincial election, as well as other mistakes including 14 votes going unreported in a crucial riding narrowly won by the NDP.
Peel police officer suspended after video appeared to show him at protest while off duty
Peel police say four people were arrested and an officer was injured following several protests in Mississauga and Brampton Sunday afternoon, including one at a Hindu temple that turned violent.