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
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.