Cyberattack on government service provider exposes records of 1.4 million Albertans

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This article was published 11/08/2023 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON – An Alberta government service provider says the records of more than 1.4 million residents were the target of a cyberattack last month.

Alberta Dental Service Corporation says in a news release that a third party gained unauthorized access to part of its information technology infrastructure.

It says that third party was able to obtain some personal information of people enrolled in provincial government health benefit programs and health providers.

The corporation says that includes names, addresses and, potentially, banking information.

Corporate information of certain health providers also appears to be affected.

The dental services corporation administers low-income health benefit programs such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and the Dental Assistance for Seniors Program.

“We take the security of information in our care very seriously. Unfortunately, even with the most stringent measures in place, these incidents are not always preventable,” chairman Lyle Best said in a statement.

“ADSC would like to sincerely apologize to our valued clients and health providers and appreciates the worry this incident may cause.”

The corporation said the information of a total of 1.47 million people was compromised. Of those, less than 7,300 had personal banking information on file.

It said it will contact affected Albertans directly with tips on how to safeguard their personal information. Those whose banking information was accessed will be offered complimentary credit monitoring, it added.

The corporation said the data breach has been reported to law enforcement and enhanced safeguards have been put in place.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2023.