Thanks to the significant efforts of teams from across the province’s health care system, services have been restored and the investigation continues into the cyberattack that impacted health care IT systems in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The ongoing investigation has identified that patient health and employee information on an Eastern Health shared drive was also taken during the incident. Over 200,000 files were taken from a drive in Eastern Health’s IT environment, a portion of which may contain patient information. This represents less than one per cent of the information on the server. Eastern Health is undertaking a thorough review to determine the exact number of files containing personal health or personal information. There is no evidence that this information has been misused or that banking information was involved.
This information is being thoroughly reviewed and individuals involved with this aspect of the incident will be notified directly and offered Equifax credit monitoring services. The confidentiality and privacy of information is very important to government and the Regional Health Authorities, and they deeply regret that this incident has occurred.
At this late stage of the investigation, it is believed that the full extent of the incident is understood, and further updates regarding the breach of information as a result of this incident are not anticipated. If this changes, the public will be informed. The RCMP and other agencies continue their investigations.
Additional information is available here. To access Equifax credit monitoring services, please call 1-833-718-3021.
We recognize this may be stressful for affected individuals. Everyone is encouraged to remain vigilant and take steps to protect their information. If you notice any unusual activity in any of your accounts or your account statements, please contact your service providers such as your bank, or report this activity to law enforcement. Further information on how to protect your information is available here.
– 30 –
Media contact
Laura Thomas
Health and Community Services
709-729-6986, 709-727-0341
laurathomas@gov.nl.ca