Ontario Cannabis Store suffers data breach

Following various online comments from sellers of cannabis in Ontario According to a report published in April, the Ontario Cannabis Service (OCS)—the province’s sole wholesaler of cannabis for adult use—sent a letter to licensed retailers and producers confirming that a data breach had occurred.

According to several sources, this data contained sales information from every cannabis store in the province, without any data on consumers.

The leaked data could prove very valuable to manufacturers seeking to better understand which stores have the highest sales, as well as to companies looking to acquire existing retailers.

The OCS has notified the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), which is investigating the matter.

Daffyd Roderick, Senior Director of Communications and Social Responsibility, notably explained to StratCann :

«This data was stolen; it was not the result of a failure in our computer systems or security. Since this is a criminal matter currently under investigation by the OPP, we cannot comment further.»

Yesterday, LOCS sent a letter to retailers and producers that states, among other things:

«This data was not disclosed by the OSC, and we have not given any permission or consent to distribute or use this data outside our organization. This data was misappropriated, disclosed, and distributed illegally. Consequently, we hope that you will refrain from sharing or using this stolen data in any way.”.

«As soon as we became aware of this issue, we took immediate steps to address the situation: we restricted access to our internal data reports, launched a thorough investigation to identify the source of the problem, and notified the Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP is conducting its own review and investigation into the misuse of this data within the cannabis industry.»