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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.