Fredericton, January 21, 2025 – New Brunswick’s government-run liquor and cannabis stores have resumed regular service after a cybersecurity threat led to the suspension of debit and credit card transactions nearly two weeks ago.
NB Liquor, the Crown corporation responsible for overseeing these businesses, reported discovering “some anomalies” in its credit payment systems on January 7. In response, external experts were engaged to investigate the situation, although the corporation has not yet provided a detailed explanation of the incident.
According to NB Liquor spokesperson Florence Gouton, the organization was not subjected to a ransomware attack, which typically involves holding a software system hostage until a ransom is paid. Furthermore, she assured that there was no compromise of customers’ personal information during the incident.
The Crown corporation issued a statement on Sunday indicating that the complete resumption of business activities is “ongoing behind the scenes.” This suggests that while transactions have resumed, there may still be internal processes being refined or monitored to ensure the integrity and security of their systems moving forward.
The return to regular operations is a relief for customers and staff alike, as the incident highlighted potential vulnerabilities in payment systems that necessitate ongoing vigilance in cybersecurity practices.
