Some confidential and sealed court information may have been accessed during a cybersecurity incident that targeted a case management platform used by Ontario’s top courts. According to C-Track Canada, which is the court management solution owned by Thomson Reuters Canada, it first discovered an unauthorized activity by a third party on June 30. C-Track said a subsequent investigation determined that in March, an unauthorized party obtained files associated with the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Justice. The platform is used by the courts to store and manage some court documents and records. “Based on the investigation a subset of court records were affected, some of which could potentially contain individuals’ names and personal information. Certain confidential, redacted or sealed information may have been impacted for certain affected courts,” C-Track Canada said in a notice posted online. The company pointed out that the breach was not caused by the courts’ networks, systems or data security and there is no evidence that systems used to process financial transactions were impacted. “C-Track Canada has no evidence that the incident has led to any fraud or misuse of information to date and has undertaken significant mitigation steps to minimize the risk of fraud or misuse occurring in the future,” the company added. The Ontario Ministry of Attorney General was advised of the breach on July 23, according to a statement from the province’s three chief justices last week. The justices wrote that Thomson Reuters Canada has advised them that C-Track “remains operational and safe to use. “In addition, the three Ontario courts are working closely with the Ontario government’s specialist Cyber Security Division to review and assess the measures that are being taken to respond to this breach and the ongoing security and safety of C–Track. We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the statement read. The justices encouraged anyone who may be concerned about the breach to reach out to Thomson Reuters Canada, which has set up a dedicated website. “We want to assure the public that this incident has in no way affected the ability of the courts to operate, and the judiciary continues to fulfill its responsibility to the public to hear and decide cases,” the justices said, noting that protecting the privacy and security of personal information is a responsibility they take very seriously. The breach also hit several court systems in the United States.
