Next wave of letters sent to notify Nova Scotia residents of global cybersecurity breach

HALIFAX, NS — The government of Nova Scotia is sending the next wave of notice letters to people who had their information stolen in the MOVEit global cybersecurity breach.

The next stage of reporting is for people whose stolen information was less sensitive, such as names, addresses, license plate numbers, and emails.

The county said that while the data is personal, it does not pose the same risk as those whose social security numbers and bank information were stolen in the May 30-31 breach.

In addition, those who have only had less sensitive information taken will not receive credit monitoring and fraud protection because there is a low risk of identity theft or fraud, the county said.

Secretary of Cybersecurity and Digital Solutions Colton LeBlanc said the province has decided to carefully provide credit monitoring and fraud protection, taking into account “best practices”.

“We have also discussed these and other issues with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner as we move forward with our response to breaches,” said LeBlanc.

“I know many people are concerned about the possibility of identity theft and fraud. I encourage all residents of Nova Scotia, whether affected by this breach or not, to take steps to keep themselves cyber safe. Unfortunately, these incidents are increasingly becoming a reality in the digital age, and it is up to all of us to take steps to protect ourselves.”

The province is also almost done notifying people whose sensitive personal information has been stolen.

Letters offering credit monitoring have been sent to nearly 81,000 state officials, employees of Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health and others, and about 44,000 certified teachers will soon receive letters, the county said.