Significant data breach involving patient data reported at three Toronto hospitals
Patients at three Toronto hospitals may have had some of their personal data accessed following a cybersecurity breach but officials say the complexity of the incident is such that they have been unable to determine how many people were impacted.
The Scarborough Health Network has issued a public notice regarding an incident involving unauthorized access to data contained on “several” of its servers.
It says that the data which may have been accessed includes patient ID numbers, names, genders, dates of birth, email addresses, home addresses, OHIP numbers, procedure descriptions, lab reports, staff names,, insurance policy numbers, immunization status and diagnosis information.
“SHN takes the privacy and security of patient, staff and business contact and personal information very seriously, and we sincerely regret that this incident occurred,” SHN President and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Buller said in a news release. “I want to assure patients that we acted as swiftly as possible to contain and investigate the incident to ensure that our clinical operations were not impacted. Furthermore, all IT security improvements that were identified as a result of our investigation were immediately addressed.”
The cybersecurity breach was first discovered on Jan. 25 and the “unauthorized actor” was shut out of the system by Feb. 1, according to officials. For that reason, all patient data collected since February is not considered to be at risk.
The hospital network says experts are continuing to monitor the situation but “have not yet detected any malicious use of the data that was accessed.”
Officials with SHN are, however, advising individuals to monitor their accounts and “remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft.”
“Unfortunately, given the complexity of the Incident, we are not able to determine which individuals were directly impacted,” a post on the SHN website states.
The breach impacted servers with patient data from Birchmount Hospital, Scarborough General Hospital, Centenary Hospital, as well as Ajax Pickering Hospital prior to its amalgamation under Lakeridge Health.
The breach has been reported to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
The Scarborough Health Network has set up a resource page for those who may have been impacted by the breach at the following link.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
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.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
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.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.