Canada’s privacy watchdog says it has opened an investigation into a Crime Stoppers data breach connected to Navigate360.
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Canada’s federal privacy commissioner has opened an investigation into a data breach involving Crime Stoppers, prompted by a suspected cybersecurity incident affecting Navigate360, the third-party company that manages the platform used by Crime Stoppers programs.
In a statement Tuesday, the office of privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said the investigation will examine the security safeguards Navigate360 had in place at the time of the breach to determine whether the organization complied with Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law.
The breach was reported as involving tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years, after Navigate360 was hacked in March.
Navigate360 confirmed the breach last week, saying it opened its own investigation and took “mitigation measures” and “implemented additional and enhanced safeguards” with the support of another cybersecurity firm after the incident was discovered.
Following the revelation, several police forces across Ontario, including in the Greater Toronto Area, temporarily paused directing members of the public to submit tips through Crime Stoppers. Outside Ontario, at least two Manitoba police departments, including the Winnipeg Police Service, said they would stop taking tips through the program while they review and assess the incident.
In Saskatchewan, Crime Stoppers told the public over the weekend to avoid sending tips through its platform, adding, “The pause is temporary. We will begin accepting new tips as soon as we are confident it is safe to do so.”
The privacy commissioner’s office said it has reached out to Crime Stoppers programs to offer “expertise and guidance” in response to the breach, and that it has also contacted Navigate360, while it did not say whether the company has responded. The office said its engagement with both organizations is focused on ensuring necessary steps are being taken to address the breach and protect Canadians’ personal information.
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