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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.