Canadian Cyberattack Targets Electric Utility

Canadian electric utility Nova Scotia Power and its parent company Emera are handling a cyberattack. The problem was discovered on April 25 when unauthorized access to parts of their network and business servers in Canada was found. In response, they quickly shut down and isolated these servers to stop the intrusion.

This caused disruptions in their IT systems, affecting services like the customer service phone line and online portal. Since April 28, there haven't been any new updates regarding the restoration of these systems.

Nova Scotia Power supplies electricity to about 550,000 customers. Emera reaches 2.6 million customers in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean through its electric and natural gas services.

Importantly, the cyberattack did not lead to any power outages. Both companies confirmed that no physical operations were disrupted. Electricity generation and distribution facilities, including the Maritime Link and Brunswick Pipeline, are operating normally. Emera's services in the US and Caribbean were also unaffected.

Nova Scotia Power is investigating whether any private customer or business information was compromised during the attack.

While some might suspect it to be a ransomware attack, no group has claimed responsibility yet.

Energy companies often face such cyber threats from criminals seeking profit or state-sponsored groups. For instance, the Chinese hacker group Volt Typhoon allegedly accessed the US electric grid for 300 days in 2023.