All provincial employees in B.C. directed to change passwords
Every provincial employee is receiving emails or memos directing them to change their passwords immediately, CTV News has learned.
The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) confirmed the urgent requests began rolling out government-wide on Monday, the day after dozens of London Drugs locations shut down across Western Canada due to a cyberattack.
“The OCIO is taking preventive measures to safeguard government data and systems,” wrote a spokesperson in a statement. “As a security precaution … password length has increased from 10 to 14 characters.”
Websites, servers and other online infrastructure face thousands of hacking attempts each day, government officials have stated publicly, so CTV News asked if there has been a surge in cyberattacks or if it was a response to the ongoing London Drugs closures. A spokesperson said there’s no link to the pharmacy issues, but was unclear about whether there’ve been any increases in malicious activity on networks.
The memo received by BC Emergency Health Services staff on behalf of the OCIO warned staff they’d be getting system-generated prompts and could lose access to their email if they didn’t move swiftly enough.
“Please take action as quickly as possible to avoid disruption,” reads the memo on behalf of the OCIO.
“If you do not change your password, it will be changed for you, resulting in you being temporarily locked out of your account(s).”
A complex and rising threat
In our increasingly digital and online world, criminals and opportunists are fine-tuning both direct attacks on systems as well as scams and tricks to convince people to open emails or click on links that can import malware onto networks.
Cybersecurity experts point out that no matter how much anti-virus software and other high-tech measures are taken by companies and individuals, that can be undone by an email that seems legit as hackers and scammers fine-tune their tricks.
“It's sophisticated and the larger an organization is, it's more and more difficult to keep everything in check,” said MeetAmi Innovations chief technology officer and cybersecurity consultant, Vaclav Vincalek. “Regardless how much you try, you have to be right all the time, unlike the hackers who only have to be right only once.”
The veteran tech analyst has observed that companies are reluctant to spend money on preventative measures or audits for their virtual systems, despite the many examples of hacks and ransomware demands against private companies and public bodies alike.
Vincalek suggests that not only should people use two-factor authentication whenever it’s available, but that email users disable the automatic download of images, all Wi-Fi networks require passwords (even at home), and that important files are backed up on a regular basis. That way, even if your material is hacked, you have a copy and won’t lose your files or face a hefty ransom demand.
As for the London Drugs situation, he won’t speculate as to what’s going on, but describes it as a “painful reminder” of how vulnerable everyone’s information is.
“I guarantee IT guys in other organizations are just like, ‘I'm glad it wasn't me’ because they know it can happen to them,” Vincalek said. “It was bad luck for the IT department of London Drugs.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Evacuation orders lifted in Fort McMurray Saturday as rain dampens wildfire activity
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.