Halifax Water has confirmed that paper bills will continue to be sent to customers while they resolve a recent privacy breach affecting 16 accounts. The online billing portal has been offline since March due to this incident.
An investigation by third-party cybersecurity experts revealed that a vulnerability in the third-party platform behind the Customer Connect portal allowed an external party to access personal information linked to the affected accounts. However, Halifax Water clarified that this was not a cyberattack on their systems or the water and wastewater services.
The accessed information included customer names, email addresses, service/home addresses, account details, and security questions and answers. Fortunately, no financial information was compromised.
The impacted customers were notified in June via mail and provided with necessary steps to address the situation. Halifax Water CEO Kenda MacKenzie expressed regret over the inconvenience caused.
The utility disclosed that around 55,000 customers have online accounts through the portal. They reported identifying a vulnerability in the portal in November 2025, which was initially patched but later re-exposed in January 2026 due to a software update.
In a proactive move, Halifax Water’s customer care team received an email in February highlighting the vulnerability, although it was initially dismissed as spam. Following a follow-up in March, the cybersecurity team took action by taking the portal offline and engaging a cybersecurity firm to investigate.
Halifax Water has since enhanced its cybersecurity measures, including expanded testing and training, to promptly address any future vulnerabilities. While the original vulnerability has been fixed, additional security testing revealed more vulnerabilities, keeping the portal offline until it can be restored securely.
The utility will provide more updates once a restoration timeline is confirmed. In the meantime, bills will continue to be sent to customers by mail.