Social insurance numbers removed from NS Power systems: utility

The Nova Scotia Power headquarters is seen in Halifax on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Nova Scotia Power says it has permanently removed customer’s social insurance numbers (SINs) from its systems.

The utility said it would remove customer’s SINs from its systems and reconnect customer meters to their digital billing system following a 2025 cyberattack which impacted around 900,000 customers.

In an update on Wednesday, NS Power says it has followed through on both commitments.

“We’re committed to rebuilding trust with our customers. Part of that is following through on commitments we made following the cyberattack – including reconnecting meters to our billing system and ensuring all SINs have been removed from our system, both by the end of March,” said the utility’s president and CEO, Vivek Sood, in a statement Wednesday.

“Our team has worked diligently to follow through on these commitments, and remain focused on transparency, listening to our customers and earning their trust.”

NS Power said it first found issues with its system on April 25, 2025, later learning that a “threat actor” had accessed parts of its network on or around March 19, 2025, after an employee unknowingly downloaded malware from a website. The utility told customers of the breach in early May.

Information which was stolen included customers’ social insurance numbers, birth dates and bank account information, some of which has been posted to the dark web.

In an interview with CTV’s Bruce Frisko on Monday, Sood said social insurance numbers were kept in the past for “authentication,” adding, “They’re not used anymore.”

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