Nova Scotia Power confirms server breach was sophisticated ransomware attack – Halifax [Video]

Nova Scotia Power confirmed on Friday what cybersecurity experts have suspected for weeks — that it was the victim of a ransomware attack.

In an update posted to its website, the private utility said that no payment was made to the person or group behind the “sophisticated” attack. It refused to pay the ransom, it said, after “careful assessment of applicable sanctions laws and alignment with law enforcement guidance.”

The utility’s investigation had found that its servers were breached on or around March 19 and the stolen customer information included credit histories, social insurance numbers, and bank account data. The company said late last month it was dealing with a cybersecurity incident it had discovered on April 25.

Cybersecurity experts have said the breach has the hallmarks of a ransomware attack — in which extortionists steal a company’s data and then demand a ransom to unlock the files or prevent …