On June 5, 2024, the York Region Children’s Aid Society (“Society”) had a data security incident. We take the protection of personal information in our care very seriously and provide the following information to advise the public about the incident.
What Happened
The Society discovered that an unauthorized third party obtained information through a third-party software. Based on our investigation, we determined that the unauthorized activity occurred between May 26, 2024, and June 5, 2024. By approximately June 10, 2024, it was confirmed there was no suspicious activity on the Society’s network.
What Information was Involved
After careful review, it was determined that personal information may have been affected by the incident, including but not limited to name and date of birth.
What We Have Done
The Society immediately implemented its incident response plan and investigated the incident with the assistance of outside experts. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and local law enforcement have been notified.
We have taken measures to further enhance the security of our systems to prevent a similar breach from occurring. The measures in place include virus software, network security systems and firewalls, policies and procedures related to privacy and security of information and the use of multi factor authentication. We continue to monitor our systems and there have been no suspicious activities since.
Concerns related to this incident may be made to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). Concerns must be filed within one year of receiving this notice and may be filed online at www.ipc.on.ca or mailed to the IPC registrar at 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8. The IPC can be reached at 416-326-3333 or toll free at 1-800-387-0073.
We are fully committed to protecting information in our care, and deeply regret that this incident occurred.
If you have any questions or concerns about this incident, please contact the Society’s Privacy and Client Relations Officer at Privacy.Officer@Yorkcas.org.
