A yr after a cyberattack introduced down programs on the Toronto Public Library (TPL) for months, the outcomes of an investigation into the breach present that 1000’s of cardholders, donors, and unsuccessful job candidates could have additionally been affected.
In a information launch issued Monday, the TPL launched the outcomes of its investigation into the hack, noting that the doubtless compromised information of these 4,100 non-employees stemmed from their “dealings” with the library between 2010 and 2023.
Among the private information caught up within the breach embody the contact data, bodily descriptions, and even picture photographs of a few of these people.
Library employees first found their community had been hacked on Oct. 28, 2023, which introduced on-line providers to a halt till March 2024 and left cardholders with out the usage of printers and computer systems on the establishment’s 100 branches.
The non-public data of present and former employees members courting again to 1998, together with social insurance coverage numbers and copies of government-issued identification, was additionally caught up within the cyberattack, forensic investigators discovered. The library couldn’t course of returned books digitally throughout the outage and have been pressured to retailer them in tractor trailers.
“While navigating this cyber incident has undoubtedly been a challenging experience, it has provided TPL with invaluable lessons that will strengthen us for the future,” the TPL mentioned in an announcement, including that Monday’s information launch serves as a “final notification” to those that could have had their information uncovered.
“We have learned from this adversity and have taken concrete steps to improve our systems, safeguard our data and fortify our defences.”
The library mentioned it has reported the hack to the Workplace of the Info and Privateness Commissioner of Ontario and that an investigation has opened.
For those who consider your information was included within the breach, the TPL advises emailing [email protected].
