Nova Scotians' personal information stolen in global security breach: province
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information stolen through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
The province has yet to determine what information may have been taken or how many Nova Scotians could be affected by the breach to software company MoveIt's products, Cyber Security and Digital Solutions Minister Colton LeBlanc said in a Sunday news conference.
"At this time, staff are manually going through all of the files that were accessed to identify what information was stolen and who it belongs to," he said.
"Until all of this work is complete, we aren't able to say how many Nova Scotians have been impacted."
The MoveIt software made by Burlington, Massachusetts-based company Ipswitch 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 last week, saying the issue could lead to potential unauthorized access of users' systems and files.
But the company notified the province of a critical vulnerability within its system on Thursday, LeBlanc said.
The province then took the service offline and installed a security update before bringing it back online Friday, only to be told further investigation was needed. Cyber security experts were then called in.
On Saturday evening.
LeBlanc said the investigation gave the province "a high degree of confidence that yes, there has been a breach of personal information."
"We did not want to wait for all the answers before we told Nova Scotia what we are dealing with," he said.
"I know there are questions we can't answer right now because we're still analyzing the full extent."
LeBlanc would not say which departments had been using MoveIt or whether he was aware of other provinces or territories affected by the breach.
He said the province has informed Tricia Ralph, Nova Scotia's information and privacy commissioner, of the breach and intends to create a website offering the public more information on the situation.
He also promised the province will directly notify Nova Scotians who have been impacted.
"I know that this is a stressful time for many Nova Scotians right now and I want to reassure all Nova Scotians that we are working tirelessly to resolve this issue as quickly and as efficiently as possible," LeBlanc said.
Progress Software did not answer questions about how many Canadians may be affected and what other governments or businesses in the country have used its products.
But it said it promptly launched an investigation after discovering a vulnerbility, alerted customers, provided immediate mitigation steps and developed a security patch within 48 hours.
"We are also continuing to work with industry-leading cybersecurity experts to investigate the issue and ensure we take all appropriate response measures," the company said in an email.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.