3 million Ontarians’ health info compromised in data breach
Published September 25, 2023 at 12:07 pm
An Ontario agency that collects data on pregnancies and births in the province says a cybersecurity breach earlier this year resulted in a leak of personal health information of approximately 3.4 million people.
The Better Outcomes Registry and Network Ontario says the breach in May resulted in leaked information mostly on those seeking pregnancy care and newborns born in the province.
The Ministry of Health-funded perinatal and child registry says the leak was the result of an international breach of a file transfer software, which it used to send information to authorized care and research partners.
BORN Ontario says data in the copied files included personal health information collected from mostly fertility, pregnancy and child health care providers in Ontario.
A news release says individuals are most likely affected by the privacy breach if they gave birth or had a child born between April 2010 to May 2023, received pregnancy care in Ontario between January 2012 and May 2023 or had in-vitro fertilization or egg banking between January 2013 and May 2023.
BORN Ontario says the compromised software is no longer in use, the breach was reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s office and there is no evidence to date that the copied data has been misused for fraud.
Videos
It also says BORN does not collect credit card or banking information, social insurance numbers, OHIP codes or patient email addresses or passwords.
The Canadian Press
INsauga's Editorial Standards and Policies