New Brunswick Liquor Store Payment Methods Breached? Minor ‘Cyber Event’ Won’t Stop the Sales

Freddybeach Artist Rendition Of A Sunlit Campsite
Freddybeach Artist Rendition Of A Sunlit Campsite

While New Brunswickers were hoping to drown their January blues in a nice bottle of Cabernet, fate had other plans as a mysterious cyber incident forced NB Liquor stores across the province to temporarily slam their doors shut on January 7th.

In what could only be described as the digital equivalent of a massive hangover, NB Liquor and Cannabis NB found themselves wrestling with a "cyber security incident" – a delightfully vague term that basically means someone uninvited decided to crash their digital party. CEO Lori Stickles confirmed their security systems worked effectively.

The stores, displaying the kind of quick thinking typically reserved for hiding empties before mom gets home, promptly shut down operations faster than you can say "last call."

But fear not, fellow imbibers! Like a determined patron at closing time, NB Liquor refused to stay down. The next day, stores reopened their doors with all the grace of a cash-only speakeasy. Yes, you heard right – for nearly two weeks, customers had to channel their inner prohibition-era buyers, clutching actual physical currency like it was 1923.

The digital intrusion managed to access some internal and external business communications, but customer data remained as untouched as that dusty bottle of peach schnapps in your parents' liquor cabinet.

Third-party security experts were called in – presumably wearing sunglasses and typing furiously on mechanical keyboards – to investigate the incident and rebuild the network.

By January 21st, normalcy returned to the province's liquor establishments, with debit and credit cards once again welcome at the checkout. The whole ordeal likely cost more than a lifetime supply of premium scotch, with recovery expenses potentially reaching millions.

But hey, at least it wasn't ransomware – that would've been the equivalent of a digital morning-after headache no amount of Advil could cure.

In the end, this cyber sobriety test proved that even in the digital age, you can't keep a good liquor store down.

Though perhaps next time, they'll consider keeping a few paper ledgers handy – you know, for when the robots decide to crash the party again.

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Kyle Sweezey

Kyle Sweezey, a web pioneer since 1998, brings over two decades of digital expertise to FreddyBeach.com. Passionate about local stories and community insights, Kyle delivers timely and engaging news to the heart of New Brunswick.

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