A wave of high-profile cyberattacks has recently hit hospitals, businesses and organizations in Ontario, including the LCBO this week and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and Scouts Canada in December.
Robert Falzon, head of engineering at cybersecurity firm Check Point Canada, says these attacks ``absolutely are'' happening more frequently than before, noting it is something that is likely going to be happening on a daily basis now.
He says one reason for that is the rising access of technology that enables the development of malware, scripting and other tools for potential hackers such as the AI-powered computer program ChatGPT.
He says this allows someone who may not be fluent in English to create a full, almost flawless script to use in an attack against somebody in a phone scam or an email phishing scam.
Charles Finlay, the founding executive director of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University, says another reason for the increase is that the ransomware industry is growing as a multi-billion dollar global criminal industry.
He says hackers will target any organization that they believe they can leverage a ransom from, which is one of the reasons the attacks seem to be getting more aggressive.
Finlay says if people want to protect themselves from cyberattacks, it is critical they keep their computers and mobile devices up to date with the latest software, as manufacturers are frequently creating ``patches and updates'' to target vulnerabilities.
He adds passwords must also be updated frequently and should never be used for more than one site or service.