Potential COVID-19 vaccine card 'loophole' circulating online
A possible loophole in B.C.’s vaccine card registration system is making the rounds on social media.
CTV News has obtained electronic documents that appear to provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to obtain a vaccine card without actually being vaccinated against COVID-19.
The three-page instruction manual suggests entering false information about how many doses of vaccine you’ve been administered, and where you got your shots. It also directs users to ignore entering any information in the registration process that is deemed optional, and fabricate contact information to avoid hearing from government officials.
“Don’t pick up the phone if they call you, or just fake one digit of your number.”
According to the document, if all the steps are followed, the user will be granted an official B.C. vaccine card, complete with an operational QR code. The instructions, however, come with a warning:
“If anything does happen, make sure you can corroborate what your card says”
Dominic Vogel, founder and chief strategist of Cyber SC has worked with the province on various cybersecurity issues. He’s not surprised users have found an apparent loophole.
“There’s always going to be a workaround,” he says. “You can’t make it 100 per cent foolproof.”
Given how quickly the online vaccine card registration rolled out, Vogel does not blame the provincial government for any potential shortcomings of the website. He says the site would have gone through rigorous technical inspection and testing.
“This type of loophole here is what’s referred to as workflow logic that’s being exposed. You can’t really run that through all possible simulations.”
It’s unclear how many people have successfully received a vaccine card using the workaround. CTV News has reached out to the Ministry of Health and Solicitor General for information on potential penalties for those who falsify vaccination details.
Given recent protests in Metro Vancouver, decrying vaccine passports and COVID-19 restrictions, Vogel suggests there’s a sizeable proportion of people who would be interested in acquiring a vaccine card in dishonest ways. Assuming the loophole works, he says it’s imperative the province shuts it down immediately.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.