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
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.