Recent Data Breaches You Should Know About

Record-Breaking Cyberattack Affects Canadian Credit Card Holders

“Cyber Criminals Love Small Businesses”

Recent data released by CIRA’s 2018 Cybersecurity Survey Report revealed nearly three-quarters of reported data breaches in Canada are targeted towards small businesses. In addition, of the 500 business owners and IT-related employees who responded, one-third indicated the time and resources associated with cyberattacks bore the largest impact on their day-to-day operations. 88% of those surveyed also stated concern about future attacks, with an additional 28% expressing an interest in recruiting extra cybersecurity-based staff over the next 12 months.

Canadian Cyber Security Breaches

Record-Breaking Cyberattack Affects Canadian Credit Card Holders

August revealed one of the largest cybersecurity breaches in Canadian history after an attack on financial giant Capital One compromised the personal information of roughly 106 million credit card users across North America. Of the approximate six million Canadians concerned (those who have received a Capital One card between 2005 and 2019), it is predicted that at least one million social insurance numbers were exposed along with names, incomes, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers and more (this number includes both individuals and small businesses).

In response to the data hack, Capital One is committed to notifying affected individuals and organizations via various means of communication, as well as providing free credit monitoring and identity theft services.

Other News for August:

Canada Launches CyberSecure Canada Program

In response to concerns from small and medium-sized Canadian businesses, the federal government launched the CyberSecure Canada Program – an initiative aimed at boosting cybersecurity among businesses as well as confidence among consumers. Beginning August 2019, small to medium businesses can now receive a certification from a federally governed body that proves they meet minimum cybersecurity standards.

Once certified, participating organizations can display an approved logo on their sites and will be listed on a searchable, federal registry that verifies their commitment to cybersecurity standards.

Other Breaches:

Below are other notable, global cybersecurity breaches for August:

Untitled design (18)

Name of the Organization	Type of Exploitation	Type of Company	Location
Amertias	Phishing Attack	Insurance Company	Lincoln, NE, US
Washoe County School District	Unauthorized Database Access	Public School District	Washoe Country, NV, US
Georgia Department of Public Safety	Ransomware	Government Agency	GA, US
Los Angeles Police Department	Unauthorized Database Access	Police Agency	Los Angeles, LA, US
Poshmark	Unauthorized Database Access	Social Commerce Marketplace	US
City of Lodi	Ransomware	Municipality	Lodi, CA, US
University of York	Unauthorized Database Access	Public Research University	UK
Sephora	Unauthorized Database Access	Personal Care and Beauty Provider	France
City of Naples	Phishing Attack	Municipality	Naples, FL, US
Broken Arrow Public School	Ransomware	School District	Broken Arrow, OK, US
Presbyterian Health Services	Phishing Attack	Healthcare Provider	US
Earnin	Malware Attack	Mobile Finance App	US
Indian Prairie School District	Unauthorized Database Access	School District	Aurora, IL, US
Oyster	Credential Stuffing Attack	Transit Smartcard System	UK
Air New Zealand	Phishing Attack	Airline	New Zealand
New Zealand Institute of Doctors	Unauthorized Database Access	Professional Organization	New Zealand
Grays Harbor Community Hospital	Ransomware	Healthcare Provider	US
National Baseball Hall of Fame	Malicious Code Script	History Museum	US
Camp Verde Unified School District	Ransomware	School District	Camp Verde, AZ, US
Hy-Vee	Unauthorized Database Access	Supermarket Chain	US
Choice Hotels	Ransomware	Hotel Chain	US
Tribal Group PLC	Unauthorized Database Access	Educational Software Provider	Australia
European Central Bank	Unauthorized Database Access	Central Bank	Germany
Rhode Island Ear, Nose, and Throat Physicians Inc.	Unauthorized Database Access	Healthcare Provider	RI, US
Massachusetts General Hospital	Unauthorized Database Access	Teaching Hospital	Boston, MA, US
City of Borger	Ransomware	Municipality	Borger, TX, US
Fargo Public Schools	Unauthorized Database Access	School District	Fargo, NODAK, US
Tivoli	Intelligent Brute Force Attack	Amusement Park	Denmark
Fanatec	Unauthorized Database Access	Gaming Peripheral Marketer and Distributor	Germany
New Payments Platform Australia	Exposed Database	Payment Platform	Australia
Astro Malaysia Holdings	Unauthorized Database Access	Media Holding Company	Malaysia

As one of Calgary’s top-rated IT service providers, GAM Tech specializes in delivering “big business” managed IT services to small and medium-sized organizations in Alberta and beyond. From disaster recovery and cloud solutions to VCIO services and strategic around-the-clock network security, GAM Tech has reliable, affordable solutions to keep you up and running.