Cyber security expert has some advice to guard your online information
With recent cyber-attacks throughout Ontario, one cyber security expert has some ideas on what can be done to improve security.
As more institutions like Toronto’s Sick Kids are being hit by cyber attacks, one online security expert said the majority of the attacks are financially motivated.
“So, we don’t know if this was targeted or if it just so happens that Sick Kids got caught in the net of the hackers,” said Ritesh Kotak, cybersecurity and tech analyst.
“There’s a couple components to this. The first one is, it is a world-recognized hospital and then secondly, when you have an institution of that size, you can demand larger ransoms.”
Kotak said hackers normally have their eyes on certain places.
“There’s always this internal rivalry amongst hackers on who can get the highest prey, essentially,” he said.
“Hospitals, governments, municipalities, they are the top of the food chain so hackers will actively try to exploit these networks.”
Being an institution of any size make it a target for cybercrime, and creates major risks for people’s personal information.
“Imagine you have a business to run, you conduct your work on particular devices ... and you just can’t log in,” said Kotak.
“Just think of type of data you have on these devices. It could be your address, your social insurance number, email addresses, passwords, you name it -- the list goes on and on. And imagine if that information got into the hands of hackers, they could leverage that for identify theft, they could extort you.”
Kotak said there are ways to lower the risk of a cyber attack, starting with an audit of your systems.
“Cyber hygiene is what I call it,” he said.
“Understand the threats, understand how to protect yourself, because it’s important to understand that cyber security’s not a check box exercise, it is something that continues to evolve and a threat today might not be a threat tomorrow because there’s a new threat that we haven’t even thought about.”
Kotak said it’s vital people back up their material and be sure their accounts are secured.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.