LifeLabs pays ransom after cyberattack exposes information of 15 million customers in B.C. and Ontario
2019-12-18 from cbc.ca
The Canadian laboratory testing company LifeLabs says it made a payment to criminals to retrieve the sensitive information of millions of customers after a cyberattack on its computer systems.
In a letter to customers, LifeLabs president Charles Brown wrote that information related to about 15 million customers, mainly in B.C. and Ontario, may have been accessed during the breach.
The company says it paid the ransom, "in collaboration with experts familiar with cyberattacks and negotiations with cyber criminals."
The letter does not indicate where the attack originated or who was responsible.
On Tuesday afternoon, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province was first informed of the breach on Oct. 28. On Nov. 7, it was confirmed that British Columbians' private information was involved.
When asked why it took more than five weeks after that to inform the public, Dix said there was some concern about secondary attacks.
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