Ontario reveals how many people were impacted by COVID-19 vaccine portal breach
Ontario reveals how many people were impacted by COVID-19 vaccine portal breach
A security breach linked to Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine portal exposed the personal information of approximately 360,000 people in the province.
Those who are impacted will start receiving email notices on Friday if their personal information was part of this breach.
“In over 95 per cent of cases, only names and/or phone numbers were impacted,” Ontario’s Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery said in a statement on Friday.
On Nov. 16, 2021, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) launched an investigation after reports surfaced of spam text messages received by individuals who scheduled appointments or accessed vaccine certificates through the COVID-19 immunization system.
Since then, investigators have been working towards determining the scale and impact of the breach.
A week later, two people were charged – one of the individuals was a government employee.
Twenty-one-year-old Ottawa resident Ayoub Sayid and 22-year-old Rahim Abdu from Quebec were both charged with Unauthorized Use of a Computer contrary to s. 342.1(1)(c) of the Criminal Code.
“Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine booking system is regularly monitored and tested as part of the Ministry of Health’s cyber security protocols and we remain confident that the booking system continues to be a safe and secure tool for Ontarians to use,” the minister said.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS IMPACTED?
Ontarians whose data was exposed during the breach will receive an email with the subject: Personal Health Information Notification.
The email is penned by the Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy of the Minister Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre.
The email begins with the following: “I am contacting you to notify you about a privacy breach that involved your personal health information registered in the COVID-19 immunization system used by the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre and vaccine administrators at clinics across the province.”
The email explains that in recent months, the OPP investigation led to a list of people impacted by this privacy breach based on evidence seized.
It then goes on to say, “The accused’s laptops seized by the OPP contained your name and phone number.”
“I assure you the COVID-19 immunization system is regularly monitored and tested as part of our cyber security protocols to ensure the safety of the COVID-19 system and we are confident in the security of the data currently in the system,” the email concludes.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Katherine DeClerq.
The federal Liberals are withdrawing an amendment to their guns bill that introduced a controversial new definition of an assault-style weapon. The amendment would have defined what kind of firearms should be banned in Canada and added dozens of new semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to the list.
Medicago Inc., the Quebec-based drug manufacturer of a Canadian COVID-19 vaccine and other plant-based drugs, is being shut down by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical Group.
The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.
Hundreds of customers who scan QR codes for restaurant menus across Canada are being surprised by secret menus instead, revealing the hidden costs behind the food they eat.
The post-apocalyptic TV adaptation of the video game The Last of Us has some wondering about the real-life possibility of a global pandemic caused by fungus, and one expert says it’s not a concept to dismiss.
Canada's egg industry appears to be quietly sidestepping widespread shortages and wildly spiking prices affecting other countries, and some say supply management is to thank.
The Montreal fire department is advising people to avoid Sherbrooke Street East at Carignan Avenue in the Longue Pointe neighbourhood as a five-alarm fire is burning.
Hydro-Québec is asking its customers to take a few steps to reduce electricity consumption in Quebec as a period of intense cold weather began Thursday night in most regions. The utility predicts that on Friday and Saturday, electricity demand could exceed the historical peak consumption, which was about 40,500 megawatts (MW) in January 2022.
A beloved man who was a fixture on the streets of Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood died last year from a combination of street drugs in his system, including fentanyl, a coroner has ruled.
A former high school teacher who skipped out on his sentencing hearing for sex-related crimes and was re-captured almost a week later will be back in a London courtroom next week.
The number of homes sold in January across Waterloo Region was “exceptionally low” with the region seeing a 41.9 per cent decrease in sales compared to January 2022.
Highway 11 in northern Ontario reopened Thursday afternoon after a collision involving several vehicles prompted police to close the road from Highway 66 near Kenogami Lake to Matheson for several hours.
Winterlude kicked off in Ottawa and Gatineau on Friday, but the extreme cold weather conditions forced the cancellation of all outdoor events on opening day.
Black Friday commemorates the loss of people’s livelihoods with guided tours and viewing of the one Avro Arrow replica. It’s also a starting point for the public introduction of the Canadian Air & Space Museum.
Huronia West Ontario Provincial Police say a local person posted a car for sale on a popular online platform and received an inquiry of interest from an unknown suspect.
The federal Liberals are withdrawing an amendment to their guns bill that introduced a controversial new definition of an assault-style weapon. The amendment would have defined what kind of firearms should be banned in Canada and added dozens of new semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to the list.
Officials with a multi-year pilot project that helps Calgary's homeless find shelter during blasts of cold weather say the initiative is paying dividends.
With a wind warning in effect for Metro Vancouver, BC Ferries has cancelled at least two sailings scheduled for Friday and says nearly two dozen more may follow suit.
A teenager in Nanaimo, B.C., is being hailed as a hero by his family after a would-be robber entered their business and the boy scared him off with a baseball bat.
Mayor Ken Sim's A Better City Vancouver party spent nearly twice as much as any other party on last year's municipal elections, according to data released by Elections BC Thursday.
A former Edmonton Police Service officer believes bringing Alberta Sheriffs into downtown Edmonton is a risky plan that has the potential to backfire if not done properly.
The federal Liberals are withdrawing an amendment to their guns bill that introduced a controversial new definition of an assault-style weapon. The amendment would have defined what kind of firearms should be banned in Canada and added dozens of new semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to the list.
