Quick Intelligence Blog

Cybersecurity Awareness Month (Cyber Month) is celebrated in Canada every October. As individuals and organizations, Cyber Month is an ideal time to consider how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones online. A great Canadian Resource for Cyber Month is the Get Cyber Safe website.

There is a myth that says good cybersecurity is expensive. If you follow that line of reasoning, SMBs are doomed to failure. If you think the word failure seems harsh, considering that 60% of SMBs go out of business after suffering a cyber attack, it isn’t. Surely, there must be something SMBs can do to protect themselves.

Businesses, large and small, are under the constant threat of cyber attacks. The number of cyber attacks per day is estimated at over 2,200, which is almost one every 39 seconds.  In today's business environment, external cybersecurity risks are among the most immediate and financially impactful. The increasing digitization of organizations creates a greater risk of external cybersecurity threats such as phishing attacks, data leaks, and account takeovers. Listed below are 5 ways you can minimize this risk and build an effective cybersecurity plan. 

Did you know that October is Cyber Security Awareness Month? Are you doing anything special to celebrate? If not, read on for some suggested activities.

Many companies approach cyber security simply by using tools and technology to protect their networks. While this is an important step, it is also important to build a culture of cyber security.

If you believe your company is too small to be targeted by cybercriminals, think again. Due to their lack of substantial cyber security budgets, small businesses are often viewed by hackers as “low hanging fruit,” or easy targets. Statistics confirm this as well.

The ability for online banking has made our lives simpler. We can bank from the comfort of our homes, or anywhere in the world without having to go to a physical branch. Cryptocurrency has also brought investors a new revenue stream that keeps on growing. While all this is great, there is a risk involved when it comes to using financial information on the internet.

The growth of ransomware continues, leaving many cybersecurity experts to wonder if there will ever be an end? The numbers for 2021 do not paint a good picture. Sophos says the average ransomware payment has increased to $812,260 compared with the 2020 average of $170,000. Worse still, the number of ransoms over $1 million has risen to 11% up from 4% in 2020.

Has this ever happened to you? Company X gets breached and you receive an email telling you that your password has been stolen and you need to change your password. If you’re wondering how much time you have to reset your password before your account is compromised, the answer, according to cybersecurity researchers at Agari, is not very long.

If you think your business is too small to be of interest to a cybercriminal, think again.  While big companies make the headlines for their data breaches, small companies are also an ideal target for hackers.  "Small businesses can be a really sweet spot for cybercriminals. They have more money to steal than a consumer and less security in place than a large business," said Kevin Haley, director of security response at Symantec.