Nova Scotia Power and its parent company Emera Inc. are actively managing a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to parts of their Canadian IT network.
Although some business applications were affected, the companies confirm that critical infrastructure operations remain unaffected.
The breach was initially identified by Nova Scotia Power's internal IT team, who immediately activated incident response and business continuity protocols. External cybersecurity experts have been engaged to assist in the investigation and system restoration efforts. Emera and Nova Scotia Power also reported the incident to law enforcement authorities. However, no further details about the attacker or the method of intrusion have been disclosed at this stage.
Nova Scotia Power, headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a key electricity provider serving approximately 500,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers across the province. It operates under the umbrella of Emera Inc., an energy and services company with assets throughout North America and the Caribbean. Despite the cyberattack, the company confirmed there has been no disruption to the generation, transmission, or distribution of electricity, nor to major assets like the Maritime Link and the Brunswick Pipeline. Furthermore, Emera's U.S. and Caribbean operations remain untouched.
The incident has primarily impacted IT systems supporting customer service operations, including the “MyAccount” online portal and the customer care phone line, which are currently experiencing service delays. Nova Scotia Power has advised customers to continue reporting power outages or emergencies through their dedicated outage line. Customers should expect longer wait times as the company works to bring all services back online safely.
At present, Emera maintains that the cybersecurity incident is not expected to materially impact its financial performance.
Regarding the potential exposure of customer or confidential business data, Nova Scotia Power states that protecting data privacy is a top priority. A thorough investigation is ongoing to assess any impact on stored information. Customers are urged to remain vigilant for suspicious communications and report suspicious emails or phone calls. Also, avoid clicking links or downloading attachments from unfamiliar sources, monitor your accounts for unusual activity, and update passwords on critical accounts.
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