Vaccine passports: How experts say B.C. can learn from Quebec's mistakes
Mere hours after Quebec’s vaccine passport system launched on the government website, hackers were able to get the QR codes belonging to several politicians, including Premier Francois Legault.
Cybersecurity experts tell CTV News the hackers likely downloaded the QR codes from the government website using dates of birth, health insurance numbers and first vaccination dates. Now, they’re warning that B.C. needs to be vigilant for data breaches as it prepares to launch its own vaccine passports.
“It’s very easy for hackers to go online and find publicly available information on high profile government officials. Their name, vaccine status, their date of birth, these are very easy things to find. Unfortunately, the Quebec government did not put additional security layers on its website to ensure that only people downloading their own QR codes, are in fact doing so,” said Carmi Levy, a technology analyst based in London, Ontario.
While it may seem like a minor privacy breach, Levy said it could potentially open the path to identity theft.
“Here’s the thing about identity theft, you get one piece of information in one place, a couple more pieces of information elsewhere, if you’re a hacker, you can assemble a dose of data on your victim from multiple sources, and then you can go to town,” said Levy.
B.C.’s vaccine card is set to roll out Sept. 13 and users will need at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to be permitted entry into events such as concerts, sports games and businesses like pubs, restaurants and fitness classes. By Oct. 24, users are will need to be fully vaccinated and with at least seven days having passed since receiving their second dose.
Cybersecurity experts hope the government of B.C. is watching what is happening in Quebec and learn from that province’s mistakes.
“We need to sit down and not rush through this. We need to think of all the potential threats and go through a threat modelling exercise to identity how could this data and these QR codes be misused?” said Dominic Vogel, chief strategist at Cyber.sc.
In a statement to CTV News, B.C.’s Ministry of Health said “Protecting British Columbians’ data and networks is a top priority for this government, especially where it concerns personal information. Security threat and risk assessments, as well as privacy impact assessments play an important role in privacy protection by helping government identify and mitigate risks.”
It also said that the Office of the Chief Information Officer is constantly evaluating potential threats and has systems monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We are working to make the BC Vaccine Card process as easy as possible for people, while ensuring it is secure protecting people’s privacy. More details will be provided to the public in the coming days,” continued the ministry’s statement.
However B.C. decides to roll out its vaccine passport, Levy believes there will likely be glitches in the process. What matters is that we learn from those glitches and apply that information going forward.
“We should also treat QR codes like we treat our signatures, our passwords and our usernames. We should not be sharing them or taking pictures on social media. We shouldn’t be telling people where we got vaccinated and what we got vaccinated with. All of this information in the hands of a hacker, could potentially be used against us,” added Levy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.