Nova Scotia Power executive believes Russia-based actor was behind cyberattack

HALIFAX — The president and chief executive officer of Nova Scotia Power says a Russia-based actor is likely behind a cybersecurity breach that targeted the utility’s customers in April.

“This incident was an unprecedented, sophisticated and targeted attack,” Peter Gregg told a committee of the Nova Scotia legislature in prepared remarks on Tuesday. “Based on expert assessments and intelligence, there is a high degree of confidence that the activity was closely associated with a Russia-based threat actor group.”

The cyberattack in April has morphed into a crisis for the utility, prompting a barrage of complaints from customers concerned about who had gained access to their personal information.

The breach has also prompted some complaints from customers who say they were overbilled, after the utility said it could no longer rely on remote meter readings, choosing instead to estimate electricity consumption for billing.

Gregg told the committee that the utility refused to pay ransom to recover the stolen data, explaining that the evidence suggests the perpetrator was listed on a U.S. sanctions list of Russian actors.

“I wouldn’t want to perpetuate the business model of these attackers, but it would have been illegal for us to pay a ransom in this situation because the attacker, who we believe … is on the U.S. sanctions list, and that makes it illegal for a payment to be made,” Gregg said. “So we didn’t have an option.”

The executive added that the utility has subsequently gone through a “difficult” period of rebuilding office systems following the cyberattack.

He also said staff are working on finding solutions to address customer complaints. He suggested one solution could see the utility automatically reimburse people who were overbilled so that they don’t have to request refunds.

Gregg told the panel that crews have been working “around the clock” to reconnect remote meter reading, and that they hope to have all meters reconnected by the end of March.

Once the meters can be read remotely, Gregg said, the utility would stop billing customers using estimates.

Opposition NDP Leader Claudia Chender asked Gregg and Chris Lanteigne, the director of customer care, why the company couldn’t bill customers the same amount as last year, rather than use an estimate.

“If you are not confident in your ability to estimate accurately, I don’t understand why the company wouldn’t just take last year’s use as a proxy.”

Lanteigne replied that their billing system simply could not do that.

Iain Rankin, a Liberal member of the committee, spoke about a constituent who had received a bill three times higher than the same period last year.

“If I’m right, there’s a lot of people being overcharged,” Rankin said, before asking what the utility would do with extra revenue that is accumulating interest.

Gregg flatly denied that the company would benefit from any overpayments, adding that the utility would audit its books to verify this.

“That’s our commitment,” Gregg said. “I don’t want anyone to think that we’re just taking that money. We will give them back that money.”

Kyle MacQuarrie, a member of the governing Progressive Conservatives, told reporters after the meeting that the government would continue to discuss the issue in cabinet, but that he believed the utility should be subjected to a “fine that would hurt.”

When asked to put a number to that fine, MacQuarrie said “it would have to have six zeros.”

Both Gregg and Lanteigne told the panel they are confident that customers’ meters are accurately recording power usage.

They said that if customers wanted to send in photos of their meters to get an accurate reading, they could arrange that.

Lanteigne also stressed the company is not charging late fees or interest to customers who are unable to pay the elevated bills.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2025.

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press