ST. JOHN’S, NL –
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they’ve uncovered more data thefts and privacy breaches resulting from a cyberattack discovered last October against the province’s health-care networks.
David Diamond, head of the province’s largest health authority, said Wednesday the breaches could involve “thousands” of people, but he said his team hasn’t yet determined an exact number.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority president told reporters the personal data was part of about 200,000 files found in late February to have been stolen by the perpetrators of the attack.
Diamond says the stolen files could include health-care numbers, medical diagnoses and procedures ordered for patients, with some data going back as far as 1996.
He says employment information may also have been stolen, adding that there is no indication social insurance numbers were taken.
Officials have announced several privacy breaches and data thefts stemming from the attack last October that took down the province’s health-care IT networks, and the government is offering free credit monitoring to anyone who may be affected.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2022.