Security Awareness and Compliance

Consider.... We’ve created more information in the last two years than in the entirety of recorded history. That’s a lot of photos, memories, and important projects to lose. Protect your legacy and backup your data. What is a Backup? A backup is a copy of all your important files — for example, your family photos, home videos, documents and emails. Instead of storing it all in one place (like your computer or smartphone), you keep a copy of everything somewhere safe. Why Should I Backup?…

The effects of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (MDM) cost the global economy billions of dollars each year. Often known colloquially as “fake news”, MDM are damaging to public trust in institutions and, during elections, may even pose a threat to democracy itself. MDM has become a serious concern for consumers and organizations of all sizes. New technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing,…

There are a lot of scams in the world, and they seem to be proliferating at an exponential rate. Anyone trying to sell something on Craigslist quickly learns that it is overrun by scammers. If you apply for a job these days, there is a stronger chance that it is a scam job https://blog.knowbe4.com/fbi-scammers-exploit-job-posting-sites-with-fake-jobs-to-steal-money-and-personal-information just trying to learn your personal details and get money from you.…

About an hour or so ago my mobile phone rang - it was an 800 number calling. I was dubious, but answered just in case (I've got a couple of things on the go right now). It was a recorded message from Visa Security advising me of two charges to my credit card today. It listed the amounts, mentioned that one was for gift cards and the fact that I had no history of purchasing gift cards had triggered the call. Press 1 to accept the charges, press 2 to decline (or the reverse... I can't remember.).…

When you hear “romance scam” you may think of a little old lady falling for the classic “Nigerian Prince” scam. But romance scams have become far more complex and difficult to recognize, adapting to today’s online dating landscape. With the popularity of platforms like Match.com http://Match.com, Tinder, and Bumble, scammers have set their sights on these popular apps and even social media. In fact, https://adage.…

As we’re all aware, March and April don’t just herald the arrival of spring; it’s also in March and April every year that we all must turn our attention to our taxes.  Sigh…   And, while it would seem to us that scams are more prevalent right now they're actually happening all the time. And the impact is scary.  Consider these stats from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm: As of February 28, 2021: Canadian reports of fraud: 11,…

October is upon us and once again it's Cybersecurity Awareness Month.  This is the 17th year of this annual event.  Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a world-wide initiative, observed in over 34 countries world-wide.  We will have a LOT of new material for you this year with a lot of the resources we provide suitable for sharing with family members.…

Have you seen the news reports about the recent cyber attack on the Canada Revenue Agency?  No?  Here’s a link to the CBC report: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cra-gckey-cyberattack-1.5689106 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cra-gckey-cyberattack-1.5689106 CRA_CBC.jpg The attacks targeted the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and GCKey, a secure online portal that allows Canadians to access services such as employment insurance, veterans' benefits and immigration applications.…

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) is circulating an advisory they received from the FBI in the US.  As we’re all aware, there has been a significant increase in phishing emails with a Coronavirus / COVID-19 theme. The FBI are advising that the cyber criminals have seized on the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and are targeting remote workers with fake “termination” emails and video conferencing invitations. The messages include vague,…

"Zoombombing" refers to a situation where people drop in to a video conference and create mayhem.  The video conference is usually of a public nature or a private video conference - and this is important - that wasn't properly secured.  The term came out of a number of incidents that occurred (and continue to occur) on the Zoom video conferencing platform.  I do need to stress though that ANY video conferencing platform is susceptible to this form of attack.…

The increased use of video conferencing platforms caused by COVID-19 has given cybercriminals the opportunity to open a new bag of tricks and launch attacks in a brand new manner.  And, because many of us aren’t used to working with these on-line conferencing platforms, the bad guys are making some inroads.  Let’s take a look at the issue. What is Video Conferencing Software? There are a number of software packages or “platforms” in the market that are focused on hosting video conferences.…

Pink Shirt Day is February 26, 2020. Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet. Each year, on Pink Shirt Day, people are encouraged to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere.  Bullying is an age-old problem for students and society in general, but the anonymity of Internet communications is bringing the harmful practice of bullying online,…