Cybersecurity firm assessing Halifax Water privacy breach

Halifax Water’s Robie Street Reservoir is shown through fencing. (CTV Atlantic/ Callum Smith)

Nearly a month after a privacy breach that took the Halifax Water customer connect portal offline, the utility has confirmed a cybersecurity firm is assessing the incident.

On March 6, Halifax Water shut down the portal after it detected an unauthorized access to information. At the time they said there was no indication any financial information was at risk.

Halifax Water says the portal was built on a third-party platform and is managed by a service provider on a contract.

“The independent cyber security firm has not yet confirmed the full scope of the information that may have been accessed or the number of customers affected,” Halifax Water said in a news release. “However, we can confirm that there is no indication that customer financial or banking information was accessed.

“The Customer Connect portal remains offline as a precaution while the investigation continues and required safeguards are confirmed. We recognize this is a disruption and appreciate customers’ patience.”

The utility says customers who are registered for paperless billing will receive paper bills by mail while the portal is down.

Halifax Water is also warning customers that they will not contact them about personal or financial information in relation to the incident. Anyone who receives an unsolicited call, email or text from Halifax Water about the breach is asked to report it to 902-420-9287.

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