Canadian companies need to improve their cyberdefenses, as organizations continue to struggle with increases in ransomware and other hacks, with hacks of Suncor and the Alberta Dental Service Corporation being some of the most recent major events. Says Ritesh Kotak, cybersecurity technology analyst, to The CBC, “We’re seeing more and more ransomware attacks coast to coast to coast, impacting all industries from the medical field to agriculture to retail, and this is having devastating impacts. You can’t access your information, your computer systems are locked and you don’t know what type of information has potentially been exposed to hackers that could then now be available on the dark web for sale.”
With increased sophistication in attacks, and the growth in the number of connected devices, hackers are finding more ways to breach accounts and steal data. Says John Zabiuk, chair of the cybersecurity program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, “They’re only increasing. They are not slowing down. They’re getting more sophisticated, they’re getting more difficult to detect and they’re getting smarter. I would not say we’re seeing a decrease.”
Kotak notes that a major problem for most organizations is that they’re reactive rather than proactive with respect to security. He recommends hiring cybersecurity experts, and conducting regular audits, to help build and test defenses. Says Kotak, “In the long run it will protect the data, it will give your customers confidence that the proper measures are in place and if you are to be victimized by a breach, you at least have these policies in place.”
Source:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cybersecurity-measures-ransomware-attacks-1.6934486
