October – Cyber Security Awareness Month

Regardless of more and more news related to cyber security breaches, there are still companies and individuals that ignore all the warnings and don’t follow steps to ensure their online safety. During the last 2 years more and more of our business and private operations had to be moved online. Because of that we have become very accessible to cyber criminals and thus need to make sure that certain protections are in place.

According to RCMP the continuous cybercrime incidents (only about 5 to 10% of those are being reported to the police) cost our economy $3 billion in losses each year.

Since June 2020 the National Cybercrime Coordination Unit (NC3) has received over 2200 requests for assistance due to continuous increase in ransomware in Canada. Due to the rising threat, there is a new cybercrime and fraud reporting system being developed, expected to be fully operational by 2024. Because of a complex nature, cybercrime it is difficult to fight, and it is up to us to start protecting ourselves.

If you access internet at any time, just like putting a new lock on your door, you must install an antivirus on your computer. You, also, must implement smart password management procedures. I have written about this many times, but it seems, there is still a need to talk about it (Top 5 cyber security practices for micro and small business). Running a business, requires data security. Not using a proper backup solution can cost you dearly. If you care for your resources, you must start taking a closer look at your business and personal practices and make improvements to ensure basic safety. Every business (including home-based ones and micro businesses) should do a security audit once a year. There are companies out there that specialize in doing just that. Now is especially a good time to do it. Canadians are very vulnerable, and it is time to start taking serious steps to protect ourselves, including education about most recent threats as well as how to report a cybercrime and share this information with others.

So, be smart and learn about cybercrime. Know what to do to protect yourself and your company from cyber criminals and how to report cybercrime when you suffer an attack. Contact your IT company for cyber security audit or contact us if you have any questions!

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