Ontario government employee among two charged in COVID-19 vaccine portal breach
A government employee is among two people charged following an investigation into a security breach related to Ontario's COVID-19 immunization system.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they were first asked to investigate the breach on Nov. 17 after the government received reports of spam text messages received by individuals who scheduled appointments or accessed vaccine certificates through the COVID-19 immunization system.
The security breach was confirmed publicly on Monday, with the Solicitor General's office telling CTV News Toronto that the reported texts were "financial in nature."
CTV News Toronto spoke with two residents who received phishing text messages they believe could have been related to the breach. Both messages were addressed to their children using their full names.
"What really triggered it for me was the spelling of her name. It was her name, her full name with middle name, and her middle name was fully capitalized and the only time I've ever seen that was on her vaccine passport," Toronto resident Carla Embleton said.
Ottawa resident Mike Primeau said he received a similar text to his cell phone saying that his son had been sent "a reimbursement of $163.36" and was asked to reply to receive the payment.
A spam text message is seen in this photograph provided to CTV News Toronto by Mike Primeau.
Primeau was the one who registered his entire family—including his son—for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Multiple other people reported receiving text messages with either their full names or the full names of their children; however the requests differed slightly.
In a news release issued Tuesday, investigators said that two search warrants—one in Quebec and another in Ottawa—were executed on Nov. 22 in connection with the security breach. Several devices, computers and laptops were seized.
As a result of the investigation, 21-year-old Gloucester resident Ayoub Sayid and 22-year-old Rahim Abdu from Vaudreuil-Dorio were taken into custody.
They were both charged with Unauthorized Use of a Computer contrary to s. 342.1(1)(c) of the Criminal Code.
Police say that Sayid was an employee of the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services in the vaccine contact centre.
"Following a swift and thorough investigation, which included both internal and external experts, the OPP has charged an individual who worked through a third party vendor in the vaccine booking call centre, but is no longer employed by the government," a spokesperson for the Solicitor General said.
"This investigation confirmed that no personal health information was accessed, and that Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine booking system remains secure and continues to be a safe tool for Ontarians to use."'
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Ontario NDP critic for Technology Development and Innovation Chris Glover called the breach “incredibly troubling.”
“Premier Doug Ford must immediately tell people what actions he’s taking to determine how many people’s personal health and contact information has been compromised, what is now being done to inform and protect those people, and how the system is being changed to prevent further breaches,” the statement read.
The charges have not been proven in court.
The OPP warned that members of the public should always be suspicious of text messages asking for financial or private information. Anyone who suspects fraudulent activity should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.