Northern College first school to adopt national cybersecurity standard
Many post-secondary institutions are vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to CyberCatch, a firm tasked with getting small- to medium-sized organizations up to date with Canada's new standard for cybersecurity.
Northern College is the first in Canada to sign up for the firm's program, which scans for vulnerabilities, fixes them and teaches staff how to be safer online.
"The bad guys — criminal gangs or frequently foreign governments, actually — have realized that the educational institutions don't have good cybersecurity because they don't think they'll be attacked and are vulnerable," said CyberCatch's founder and CEO Sai Huda.
"(Our system) identifies these kinds of vulnerabilities and helps the educational institution fix them, so the attacker cannot exploit it."
The firm's recent study scanned more than 12,000 organizations across North America for cracks in their cyber shields and discovered that around 80 per cent of them were vulnerable.
Amongst post-secondary institutions, the study found around 70 per cent could be devastated by hackers.
Though many schools upgraded their digital technology to make online learning more accessible during the pandemic, Huda said most left cybersecurity by the wayside in assumption that they wouldn't be of interest to online attackers.
Aaron Klooster, Northern College's vice-president of academic and student success, said while the college has been mindful of cyber security, having a prescribed system that can identify and solve an extensive list of vulnerabilities is reassuring.
"We know there are instances across North America, where post-secondary institutions were targeted," Klooster said.
"It's really a matter of making sure we don't get caught in a position like that and protecting, not only ourselves and our employees but, of course, our students."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
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.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.