Halifax Water has confirmed that paper bills will continue to be sent to customers as the utility deals with a recent privacy breach that impacted 16 accounts. The web portal for accessing bills has been offline since March due to the incident.
According to Halifax Water, a third-party cybersecurity investigation revealed a vulnerability in the platform powering the Customer Connect portal, allowing an external party to access personal information linked to the affected accounts. The utility emphasized that this was not a cybersecurity attack on its systems or the systems controlling water and wastewater services.
Personal information such as names, email addresses, service/home addresses, account details, and security questions and answers were accessed, but no financial information was compromised. The affected customers were notified in June via mail and provided with guidance on necessary steps to address the situation.
Halifax Water’s CEO, Kenda MacKenzie, expressed regret over the concern caused by the incident and assured customers that efforts are being made to safeguard their interests and handle contractual and insurance matters appropriately. The utility stated that around 55,000 customers have online accounts through the portal.
The timeline of events revealed that the vulnerability was first identified in November 2025 and reported to the vendor, Avertra. Despite applying a patch, a subsequent software update in January 2026 exposed the vulnerability again. The utility initially dismissed an email about the vulnerability as spam in February but later took action after a follow-up contact in March.
Halifax Water has since enhanced its cybersecurity measures, including expanded testing and training, to better respond to such incidents in the future. While the original vulnerability has been addressed, additional security gaps were identified, and the portal remains offline until it can be securely restored. No specific timeline for the portal’s restoration has been established at this time.
Customers are encouraged to expect paper bills until the portal is back online, and Halifax Water will provide updates when more information becomes available.