London Drugs says ‘no evidence’ of customer data breach amid 5th day of closures

London Drugs locations across Western Canada remain closed on Thursday, marking the fifth consecutive day of closures for the company following a cybersecurity incident on April 28.

Over the weekend, the retail chain said it had fallen victim to a cybersecurity incident and that out of an abundance of caution it was closing all of its nearly 80 stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Doors have remained shut since then, and the company’s phone lines were down until Wednesday afternoon.

In an update at noon Thursday, London Drugs said it was working on rebuilding its online infrastructure, and that its phone lines were up and running.

It added that pharmacists were at its stores to support people with “urgent care needs,” and that Canada Post locations in its stores remain open.

“There are billions of lines of data and code to review,” said London Drugs in a statement Thursday. “Our teams have been working around the clock and we are seeing progress in our restoration.”

The company says it’s working to bring service back  in a “secure, systematic way” and that it’s working with a third-party cybersecurity team to make sure its online operations are safe when they restart.

Customer data

On Thursday, London Drugs said there was “no evidence of any customer databases being compromised.”

If the company does discover that personal information was leaked, it will notify people who are affected “in accordance with privacy laws.”

London Drugs says it’s a complex undertaking to reconnect its online services with third-party groups, like provincial health systems, since each group has its own digital requirements.

“We are determining if we can reopen with partial services in order to take care of customers sooner, particularly our pharmacy customers,” said Clint Mahlman, London Drugs president and COO, in a statement.

The London Drugs customer care line is open at 1-888-991-2299. Anyone with urgent pharmacy needs is encouraged to visit their local store in-person during regular business hours.

“The outpouring of customer and supplier support and their understanding that has been shown to all of us at London Drugs is so appreciated as we work to reopen from this cyber security incident in a methodical, safe and responsible way, that protects all customers and our London Drugs community,” said Mahlman.

With files from CHEK’s Ethan Morneau

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