Data Breach
News from Data Breach
Ontario Science Centre Data Breach
The names and email addresses of 174,000 members, donors, and customers of camps and birthday parties at the Ontario Science Centre were exposed in August, according to the company that does email blasts for the provincially owned tourist attraction. The breach was made public Monday evening when the Science Centre alerted its newsletter subscribers, although the Science Centre has been aware of the breach since More »
Alexa and Google Home Abused to Eavesdrop
Privacy threats posed by Amazon Alexa and Google Home are common knowledge. Workers for both companies routinely listen to audio of users—recordings of which can be kept forever—and the sounds the devices capture can be used in criminal trials. Now, there’s a new concern: malicious apps developed by third parties and hosted by Amazon or Google. The threat isn’t just theoretical. Whitehat hackers at Germany’s More »
Pitney Bowes Hit by Ransomware
Pitney Bowes, A US mailing technology company has been hit by ransomware over the past few days, highlighting the continued threat to businesses of all types. Pitney Bowes, provides services to print labels, track parcels and manage expenses. It claimed a third-party attack “encrypted information on some systems and disrupted customer access to our services.” SendPro products, postage refill, and Your Account access have all More »
Hackers have crippled the computer systems of three Ontario hospitals
The malware, known as “Ryuk,” attacks computer networks but remains invisible to average users for weeks or months. During that time, it collects information about the organization and its perceived ability to pay a ransom. Ryuk then locks files, demanding the network owner pay a sum of money to make them accessible again. The impact of the malware attack has been wide-ranging for the three affected More »
Food Delivery App Door Dash Data Breach
Global News is reporting Food delivery app DoorDash says it is enhancing security after being hit by a data breach earlier this year that potentially affects 4.9 million consumers, couriers and merchants in Canada and the U.S. In a blog post on Thursday, the company said customer data that was accessible may include names, order history, email addresses, phone numbers and “hashed, salted passwords” that More »
Folders of Data Belonging to Scotiabank Found on GitHub
A researcher has discovered application source code and private login keys to back end systems on GitHub repositories. The accusation comes from IT pro Jason Coulls, who, according to the online news service The Register, recently discovered the unprotected folders of data belonging to Scotiabank. “These repositories featured, among other things, software blueprints and access keys for a foreign exchange rate system, mobile application code, and login credentials More »
Not Again! Medical Data Breach
A Calgary doctor uses his personal Gmail account to communicate sensitive personal health information, does not protect his account, and whammo: 7,000 of his patients now have their private information circulating on the web. Never use your personal email to communicate business sensitive information. In this case, the doctor had been provided with a secure email service by the Alberta Health Service. With many companies, the More »
Are Insurance Companies Promoting Ransomware?
Ransomware is proliferating across America, disabling computer systems of corporations, city governments, schools and police departments. Recently, attackers seeking millions of dollars encrypted the files of 22 Texas municipalities. Overlooked in the ransomware spree is the role of an industry that is both fueling and benefiting from it: insurance. The FBI and security researchers say paying ransoms contributes to the profitability and spread of cybercrime More »
Phone Numbers of 200 Million Facebook Users Found On-Line
A server with databases holding the phone numbers and identity numbers of perhaps as many as 200 million Facebook users in the U.S., the U.K. and other countries has been found open on the Internet by a security researcher. No one knows who the database belongs to, how or when it was copied from Facebook, according to TechCrunch, which first reported the discovery Wednesday. A total More »
How to Lose 20% of Your Customers
Companies that experience a data breach can expect to lose 20% of their sales revenue forever, according to a new study. PCI Pal PLC, a firm out of the United Kingdom specializing in secure payment solutions, surveyed 2,200 Canadian consumers. Of those surveyed 78% said they would stop spending money with a company that mishandled their data, and 58% indicated a willingness to stop spending More »