Halifax Water Investigates Privacy Breach in Customer Connect Portal
Halifax Water is probing a privacy breach affecting its Customer Connect online portal, which allows users to manage account details, water usage, and billing information. The utility confirmed the incident on Friday but has not yet determined when the unauthorized access occurred, its duration, or when the breach was detected.
A spokesperson, Brittany Smith, stated that the scope of exposed customer data remains unclear, though financial information does not appear to be at risk. The portal has been taken offline during the investigation.
Halifax Water has engaged Halifax Regional Police, the Nova Scotia Regulatory Appeals Board, and the Nova Scotia Privacy Office as part of its response. Customers have been advised to ignore unsolicited communications claiming to be from Halifax Water, as the utility is not currently contacting individuals about the breach.
This is the second privacy incident for Halifax Water in recent years. In 2023, a MOVEit file transfer service compromise exposed 25,000 account numbers and names, though financial records were again unaffected. The current investigation is ongoing.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-water-data-breach-9.7118153
Halifax Water cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/halifax-water
"id": "HAL1772850229",
"linkid": "halifax-water",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "3/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Water Utility',
'location': 'Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada',
'name': 'Halifax Water',
'type': 'Utility'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Customers advised to ignore unsolicited '
'communications claiming to be from Halifax Water',
'data_breach': {'type_of_data_compromised': 'Customer account details, water '
'usage, and billing information'},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-06-07',
'description': 'Halifax Water is probing a privacy breach affecting its '
'Customer Connect online portal, which allows users to manage '
'account details, water usage, and billing information. The '
'utility confirmed the incident but has not yet determined '
'when the unauthorized access occurred, its duration, or when '
'the breach was detected. The scope of exposed customer data '
'remains unclear, though financial information does not appear '
'to be at risk. The portal has been taken offline during the '
'investigation.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Customer account details, water usage, and '
'billing information',
'downtime': 'Portal taken offline during investigation',
'payment_information_risk': 'Financial information does not appear '
'to be at risk',
'systems_affected': 'Customer Connect online portal'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'source': 'Halifax Water Statement'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Nova Scotia '
'Regulatory Appeals '
'Board',
'Nova Scotia Privacy '
'Office']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Customers advised to ignore '
'unsolicited communications',
'containment_measures': 'Portal taken offline',
'law_enforcement_notified': 'Halifax Regional Police'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Customers advised to ignore unsolicited '
'communications claiming to be from Halifax Water',
'title': 'Halifax Water Investigates Privacy Breach in Customer Connect '
'Portal',
'type': 'Privacy Breach'}