Cybercriminals are attacking remote offices across Canada. Here’s why they’re succeeding.

Canada is being targeted by almost 70 percent of global cybercriminal phishing attacks during pandemic and they’re succeeded by exploiting the easiest prey: COVID-era office employees working from their kitchen tables.

According to the recently-released RSA Quarterly Fraud Report, Canada attracts a staggering 66 per cent of all fraud phishing attacks worldwide, a figure made even more alarming when compared to the next most targeted country – the United States – which accounts for only seven per cent of phishing attacks.

Since the switch to remote working, one-third of Canadian organisations have reported cyberattacks, with another third saying they use personal devices for work, says a recent report by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).

“This is happening because the remote work model is inherently vulnerable. People are using home computers. They’re not logging on to their networks using the right protocols. They have no or out of date virus protections and their kids are doing the IT support,” says John Robinson, President and CEO of Intega IT.

“All of a sudden, a company with 50 employees in one spot now has 50 home offices to oversee.”

Robinson says that while many organizations have since implemented stringent protocols, many still need guidance from IT support consultants.

“One third of Canadian organizations have employees use personal devices for work, which is fine if the company has a great bring-your-own-device protocol. But in the scramble during lockdown, many didn’t. We do those onboarding and offboarding of employee IT, because without it, you are vulnerable.”

“We’re doing phishing campaigns to test vulnerabilities, remotely-accessed educational videos that teach employees how to detect suspicious cybercriminal behaviours, as well as using a whole host of IT support tools.”

Learn more about cybercrime and security from Intega IT at info@intega.ca.

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