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As reported by CTV and Linkedin this morning, Freedom Mobile was hacked. For further information visit:

Freedom Mobile security flaw exposed over 15,000 customers. Although Freedom Mobile reported only 15,000 names, email addresses and credit cards were stolen some are saying that the breach could be much larger. They have 1.5 million customers today. If you have a Freedom Mobile Account then you should change your password immediately and also check your cred

Why are companies ranging from major retailers to banking institutions to healthcare providers, all with huge security budgets, being hacked and highlighted in the news daily? They have the most advanced firewalls, the most detailed logs and AV security, yet the hackers go undetected.

The reality is that cyber threats constantly change. Signature based detection provides many administrators with a false sense of security. However, detection is only one layer of security. Many hackers remain inside an organization undetected for up to 215 days. Protecting your data today requires multiple layers of security. More importantly, you need the ability to identify any abnormal behavior before you can begin to detect a problem or breach.

If you are looking for a company to serve as an extension to your team, notifying you in record time about security events that matter, while providing you with clear and easy to understand recommended actions to address the issue, then we need to talk. We can help you improve visibility and insights over your network through passive monitoring, period.

We offer a free 5 day trial to qualified organizations. After a 15-minute installation, you will have a detection capability that rivals many of the leading security conscious organizations. We know because our team has experience protecting some of the largest Fortune-500 global enterprises in the world.

If you are interested in having a chat about your cybersecurity security by phone please email me at [email protected]?

Credit cards sold on 'dark web' for over a year after Saint John parking system hacked. For the full story check out the CBC link:

Credit cards sold on 'dark web' for over a year after Saint John parking system hacked | CBC News The City of Saint John is beefing up security systems, increasing training and buying cyber insurance in the wake of a breathtaking security breach that left credit card information from members of the public wide open to hackers.

Cybersecurity Must-Haves for Small Businesses

Why are most SMBs NOT Prepared for a Cyber Attack?
Small businesses have limited budgets and most organizations lack the IT resources to develop a comprehensive cyber security defense infrastructure. In addition, most SMBs believe that their businesses are too small, compared to the large fortune 500 corporations, that hackers wouldn’t even be interested in breaching their small business.

However, this is not true. Most SMBs do not prioritize cybersecurity and hackers know this so they target them specifically because they know cyber security is not a priority for them.

The good news is that SMBs can beef up their cyber defenses without spending millions of dollars like large corporations spend. In fact, there are a few things small companies can do immediately that won’t break the bank.

1. Train Your Staff on Basic Cybersecurity Awareness

Believe it or not, one of the most successful strategies hackers are still using to access small and large business networks is phishing.

In simple terms, a hacker can breach a business’s systems simply by sending an email to an employee and pretending to be someone they know. They mask their email to appear as though it is coming from someone they know. Once the email recipient opens the attached file, or clicks on a link, the hacker has set up a back door to enter the company’s systems.

Train your employees on basic cybersecurity awareness, such as double clicking on the sender’s email address in the address bar when they receive suspicious email messages, and educate them on not opening attachments or clicking links from unknown senders. Only 16% of small businesses (10 to 49 employees) have provided formal training. You need to do it now.

2. Create a Plan for Mobile Device Security

Assuming your company has secured their on premise network with firewalls to protect Internet activity and antivirus software to thwart malicious code from infecting your in-house computers, none of these measures will matter if your employees access your company’s data or networks offsite from their mobile devices. Those mobile devices are not secure. In fact, a recent Stats Canada CyberSecurity study revealed that 66% of business allow employees to use personally owned devices to carry out business related activities, but less than half (47%) of these businesses had security measures in place to manage these devices.

Another important step to take is to set up a plan for mobile-device security. You can establish companywide rules where employees may not use their phones to view, transmit, or download company data. But let’s be realistic, every business has deployed mobile devices to make their work force more mobile and more productive. You should be looking at a mobile device management platform to secure your mobile assets. And just as important, every user should have their device password protected.
Your company’s data doesn’t live solely within the walls of your office, and your cybersecurity strategy needs to account for that.

3. Engage a Third-Party to Conduct a Cybersecurity Threat Assessment

Once your team begins researching small-business cybersecurity strategies, tools, and best practices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I’m certain that you’ll discover areas where your company’s systems and data are vulnerable to hackers now. I’m also pretty certain that you’ll find that your data resides in a number of different places.
It can be over whelming. Instead of getting frustrated and throwing your arms up in the air and thinking where do we start, bring in a team of experts—such as a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). Let them perform a cybersecurity risk assessment so you can identify your weaknesses. Then you’ll have the info to help you put a cybersecurity strategy together.

Cybersecurity: It’s NOT Optional

The cyber criminals know your small business is almost certainly underprepared (if not completely unprepared) to stop attacks It’s only a matter of time before they target your company. You don’t need millions of dollars to setup a strong cybersecurity infrastructure, but you do need to establish one now. 58% of business that experienced cyber security breaches reported the average downtime associated with the attack was 23 hours. That’s a long time.

If you would like to have a conversation about cybersecurity please email me at [email protected] or call me directly at 905 328 1954.