Nova Scotia estimates up to 100,000 people affected by online security breach
As many as 100,000 Nova Scotians may have had sensitive personal information stolen in a global privacy breach affecting a file transfer system used by the provincial government, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Cybersecurity and Digital Solutions Minister Colton LeBlanc said a government investigation indicates social insurance numbers, addresses and banking information of current employees of the public service, as well as those at Nova Scotia Health and the IWK hospital, were taken.
LeBlanc says some information may also have been stolen from former public service and health authority employees. He said the information was shared through the MOVEit file transfer service, which the province uses to transfer employee payroll information.
"The investigation remains underway so there is the potential for this number to go up or to go down," the minister said. "I know this is an alarming situation, but rest assured we are working hard to solve this quickly and efficiently."
LeBlanc said the province is working to contact those affected and will be offering them a free credit monitoring service. "But when we are talking 100,000 Nova Scotians, that's going to be a challenge," added LeBlanc, who pointed out some people's contact information may have changed over the years. He also urged current and former employees to look for suspicious transactions and to contact their banks.
The department's deputy minister, Natasha Clarke, said that at this point there is no indication that any of the information compromised came from members of the public who were not provincial employees.
MOVEit software is made by Massachusetts-based company Ipswitch and allows organizations to transfer files and data between employees, departments and customers. Parent company Progress Software confirmed a vulnerability in its software last week, saying the issue could lead to potential unauthorized access of users' systems and files.
The Nova Scotia government has said it was first informed of a critical vulnerability within its system on Thursday. The province took the service off-line and installed a security update before bringing it back online Friday, only to be told further investigation was needed. Cybersecurity experts were then called in on Saturday evening.
Clarke confirmed the investigation indicates that the data was stolen two days before the Nova Scotia government learned of the vulnerability. "So once we put the patching in place, there was no more nefarious activity that we were able to see," she said.
Microsoft Threat Intelligence has said in a tweet that the Lace Tempest hacking group, which is known for running the Clop extortion site, exploited that vulnerability.
LeBlanc would not confirm who had hacked into Nova Scotia's system, adding "I am not going to comment on interactions with criminals." But Clarke said the government "at this point in time" is not negotiating with the hackers.
"Now the focus is understanding the impact of the data that has been stolen, and we have not been asked for any ransom," she said.
The deputy minister said the government has been working with its internal security team as well as with outside experts, including an unnamed large private firm that the province has on retainer. Clarke said Nova Scotia is also working with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
In an email, MOVEit said it disabled web access to protect customers and developed the security patch and gave it to customers within 48 hours of discovering the vulnerability.
"We are continuing to work with industry-leading cybersecurity experts to investigate the issue and ensure we take all appropriate response measures," the company said. "We have engaged with federal law enforcement and other agencies with respect to the vulnerability."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.