Emera, Nova Scotia Power grapple with cybersecurity breach

Emera and Nova Scotia Power say they are responding to a cybersecurity incident.

They say in a news release that someone gained unauthorized access to parts of their Canadian network and servers supporting their business applications. The breach was discovered on Friday, according to the release.

The news release does not say what information was accessed, or what, if anything, was done with it.

It says there is no impact on the utility's ability to serve customers in Nova Scotia, and there has been no disruption to any Canadian physical operations such as Nova Scotia Power's generation, transmission and distribution facilities, the Maritime Link or the Brunswick Pipeline.

However, Nova Scotia Power posted to its social media channels Sunday night that it was having a "technical issue" with its phone line and customers' ability to access their accounts.

Emera's U.S. and Caribbean utilities have not been affected, the news release says.

When the breach was discovered, the companies took steps to isolate the affected servers and prevent further intrusion, and also called police and brought in third-party cybersecurity experts.

No further information provided

Spokespeople for Emera and Nova Scotia Power declined an interview and said they could not provide any further information.

They did not answer questions about whether customers' information has been compromised.

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Power asked the province's utility regulator for permission to spend $6.8 million to upgrade its cybersecurity.

The utility identified 12 sites that would have upgrades under its plan, but those locations were not made public. The deadline to provide written submissions on the matter is May 14.