Theft of NS Power customer data is likely ransomware attack: security experts – Halifax [Video]

Security experts say the theft of customer data from Nova Scotia’s electric utility has the hallmarks of an extortion attempt by cybercriminals.

In a news release following the April 25 data breach, the utility said it notified police about the theft and confirmed that “certain customer personal information was accessed and taken by an unauthorized third party.”

Nova Scotia Power, however, refuses to say whether it was being extorted by criminals. But cybersecurity experts have little doubt about what happened.

The breach at the utility “walks, talks, barks like a ransomware attack” or other similar forms of cyber extortion, David Shipley, CEO of New Brunswick-based Beauceron Security, said in a recent interview.

Ransomware extortionists use malicious software to infiltrate a system to prevent companies from accessing files and then demand a ransom — often cryptocurrency — to unlock them. Shipley said there are also instances of “double extortion,” cases in …