MCC candidate services resume following security breach

On Wednesday, January 24, the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) identified unauthorized activity on our servers that host candidate systems. We later determined that the incident was criminal in nature, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement. The attack on the MCC is not unlike those occurring at organizations across the country daily.

The sound configuration of our networks has enabled a swift return to operations, and our candidate systems, including physiciansapply.ca are now operational.

As soon as our cyber-defense systems detected the unusual activity, the MCC immediately engaged leading industry experts in the investigation and resolution efforts. At this time, the investigation shows no indication that personal data or examination content was extracted from our servers. 

Since the incident, our teams have been working tirelessly with our cyber security provider and other experts to determine how this attack happened and how we can improve our security systems to continue to protect the information of candidates, physicians and organizations with which we are entrusted. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and protecting the confidentiality of the information we handle. 

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you are a candidate who submitted requests through your physiciansapply.ca account since January 24, and you notice any inconsistencies in your account information, please contact our service desk.