Northern Credit Union, the largest credit union in Northern Ontario, was impacted by a major cybersecurity incident in July 2022 that exposed personal and financial information of an undisclosed number of its members. With over 24 branches and 70,000 members, Northern Credit Union manages more than $1.6 billion worth of assets.
In a statement issued July 18, 2022, Northern Credit Union confirmed that impacted members would be receiving written notice of the breach and that there is no evidence the information was misused. Despite this reassurance, it is not yet known if the breached personal and financial information will be used inappropriately, potentially causing harm for those impacted.
The cybersecurity breach is linked to Celero Solutions Inc., a third-party company that provides a range of technology services to Northern Credit Union and 115 other credit unions and financial institutions across Canada. Celero became aware of the unauthorized access to its systems on June 8, 2022, and informed Northern Credit Union on June 15 that personal and financial information of Northern Credit Union members were likely impacted by the breach. Law enforcement and the federal privacy commissioner have been notified of the breach.
Class actions addressing cyberattacks, cyber breaches, and failure to protect personal and financial information have been gaining traction in Canada and a number of settlements arising from such breaches have been approved.
If you have had your personal and financial information compromised in the Celero and/or Northern Credit Union breach, and would like to speak with our office about possible recourse, please contact our class action team via email at [email protected] or by phoning 902-425-7330.