On March 11, the Faculty of Medicine discovered that the visiting electives registration system had been infected with a computer virus. The malware accessed student applications and exposed personal information — such as names, birth dates, contact information, emergency contact information, and credit card information. The virus did not occur accidentally, or because of a system glitch; rather it was placed in the system surreptitiously.
The first indications that something was wrong came on March 10, when the administration began receiving reports and complaints of fraudulent credit card activity from students using the system. According to the undergraduate medical education website, upon discovering the malware the administration immediately closed the server down and notified all students who were affected. The students were asked to cancel the credit card that they used in the system. “We are investigating the matter internally and have reported the incident to the Toronto Police Services,” said Laurie Stephens, director of media relations for the university. She added: “To protect the investigations, the university will not disclose detailed information a this time.”
The faculty has provided affected students with credit monitoring and identity protection services, with all costs covered by the university for one year. As per the fact sheet posted on the website, which was last updated on March 21, the faculty also suggested that the affected students place a free fraud alert flag on their credit bureau accounts, as this would keep the creditors informed of any potential fraudulent activity, and so prevent unauthorized use of their information.
When asked whether there were any alternatives that could be used by students in the meantime, Stephens said that the university is working on restoring the visiting online electives applications on a new server, and has enlisted the help of the I+TS Security Office to ensure the security status of the applications.
Electives registration for U of T students will reopen Monday, March 24, at noon and the visiting electives online registration will reopen Wednesday, March 26 at noon. While visiting students would have to wait until March 26 to register, U of T students can still register their electives personally, by emailing electives officer Eva Lagan once their electives are approved.
