100,000present and past provincial government employees information stolen in MOVEit cybersecurity breach

By CityNews Halifax Staff

A recent cybersecurity breach has resulted in the theft of personal information belonging to employees of Nova Scotia Health, the IWK Health Centre, and the public service, according to the Province of Nova Scotia.  The breach, which occurred through the MOVEit file transfer service used for employee payroll information, exposed sensitive data such as social insurance numbers, addresses, and banking details.

The Province is currently conducting an investigation to determine the extent of the breach’s impact. While the exact number of affected employees remains unknown, initial estimates suggest that up to 100,000 individuals may be affected. Minister Colton LeBlanc, responsible for Cyber Security and Digital Service, assured the public that efforts are underway to identify and notify each affected person promptly.

“We know people are concerned, and we are, too. We are now working to identify each person who has been impacted, and once we do, we will notify them,” said LeBlanc. “We’re working as quickly as we can. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.”

In the meantime, current and former employees are advised to monitor their banking information for any suspicious activity and proactively contact their banks. The Province plans to offer credit monitoring services to affected individuals and has reinstated the MOVEit service with additional security updates and monitoring in place.