The Nova Scotia government says it has discovered 11 other instances of “unusual activity” and downloads from its Freedom of Information website.
A breach of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) website, which was reported on April 11, shut down the site and led to the arrest of a 19-year-old man. The accused has been charged with the seldom-laid charge of unauthorized use of a computer.
The province says that through the course of its investigation into the breach, it has discovered that “11 additional instances of unusual activity involved the download of almost 900 of the same documents accessed in the breach previously reported on April 11.”
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The province says it is notifying 53 people who had sensitive personal information accessed, which could include birth dates, social insurance numbers and addresses. The 53 people would have already been impacted by the previously-discovered breach and already notified, so they are being notified again.
“There are multiple ongoing investigations and our main goal is to help support Nova Scotians in keeping their private and personal information secure,” said Minister of Internal Services Patricia Arab, in a news release.
“We’re co-operating with police and will work closely with both the Auditor General and the Information and Privacy Commissioner to assist them with their investigations. We want to make this right and we want Nova Scotians to once again have confidence that their information is secure.”
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The province says it is also providing free credit reporting services for a year to the 323 people affected by the breach.
The FOIPOP website continues to be shut down, and tests are being conducted to make sure it’s secure before going back online. A third-party has been contracted by the province to do further testing.
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The province says information on all unusual activity has been reported to police as part of its investigation. Auditor General Michael Pickup and the province’s privacy commissioner, Catherine Tully, are also investigating.