October 19, 2022
MEDIA ADVISORY
In our commitment to The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) of Manitoba, St.Amant is notifying everyone who was involved with our organization in the past, and whose contact information may not be up to date in our computer system, that we experienced a breach of personal/personal health information. We have sent a letter directly to anyone who has been involved in our organization recently and whose contact information we have.
What happened?
On approximately August 23, 2022, an unknown person or persons accessed the St.Amant computer network (otherwise known as “hacking”). It appears that this was an attempt to disrupt St.Amant through a disruptive criminal act, like a ransomware attack.
After a thorough analysis, a cyber-security company did not find any evidence that information was downloaded or saved by the hacker. However, private information was potentially available to them.
St.Amant learned of this activity on August 30, 2022. We immediately removed all access to our networks in order to keep information safe. At the same time, we engaged a cyber-security company to help us determine what happened, to secure our network and assess the risk to everyone associated with our organization. They were also engaged to recommend any additional safety measures we could implement. In the days since this breach was detected we have:
- Secured our network
- Rebuilt our servers
- Implemented stronger password requirements and reset all passwords
- Implemented a multi-factor authentication requirement for access to our network from outside our main building – this means that every time someone logs in from outside of our head office, they will be asked to identify themselves in two separate ways
- Notified the Manitoba Ombudsman of this privacy breach as required under subsection 41.1(4) of FIPPA and subsection 19.0.1(4) of PHIA.
If you think you may have been affected and would like further information, please visit our website: stamant.ca/breach or contact: St.Amant Privacy Officer at 204-258-7049.
The Manitoba Ombudsperson is aware of this breach. Affected individuals can contact them at 204-982-9130 or toll Free: 1-800-665-0531 or by email: ombudsman@ombudsman.mb.ca.
We sincerely apologize and regret that this situation has occurred. St.Amant is committed to providing quality services, including protecting the personal information/personal health information in our custody.