Hacker downloads files of 5,000 children from La Place 0-5, including son of family minister

The personal information of about 5,000 parents and children was stolen following a data breach at La Place 0-5, the province's only gateway to all of its recognized child-care services.

One of the people affected is Mathieu Lacombe, Quebec's family minister.

The news was first reported by La Presse.

According to Coopérative Enfance Famille, the independent organization that runs La Place 0-5, the stolen information includes children's names, their parents' names, dates of birth and the date they signed up on the website.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Lacombe also said the hacker had access to the NIREC, a confidential number listed at the bottom of a child's birth certificate.

According to the minister, someone bypassed the cybersecurity system at La Place 0-5 on Saturday, and downloaded the files. He believes the breach was politically motivated.

Last week, Lacombe said he was dissatisfied with the admission process at La Place 0-5 and was considering an overhaul.

"The system stopped [the hacker] at 5,000 names, which may be good news given the circumstances," the minister said.

"As far as the files that were manipulated, the information I have this morning is that there are only two: mine, and that of a namesake, meaning another citizen called Mathieu Lacombe."

Provincial police are investigating the breach.

"We want to reassure parents and inform them that we are collaborating closely with the Sûreté du Québec and the Family Ministry," said Marie-Claude Sévigny, Coopérative Enfance Famille's executive director. "The investigation continues in order to better understand what happened and to make sure this situation doesn't happen again." 

In a statement, Coopérative Enfance Famille, the independent organization that runs La Place 0-5, said it was made aware of the breach on Monday at around 11:15 a.m., and it was contained at 9 p.m.

Lacombe said families affected by the breach would be contacted.

La Place 0-5 was launched in 2014. In 2018, it became the province's only one-stop shop for parents in search of daycare services for their children.