London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'
The president of London Drugs doesn't know why the company was targeted in a cyber attack that forced it to close its stores for more than week, but Clint Mahlman says hackers with sophisticated methods are "constantly probing for weaknesses" of online systems.
Mahlman said in an interview that the Richmond, B.C.-based pharmacy and retailer had been preparing for such a situation for years, and they shut down immediately after the cybersecurity breach was discovered April 28 in order to contain the threat.
Since then, Mahlman said London Drugs has been working with cybersecurity experts to "methodically go through every system" and bring them back online in a secure way.
"We won't reopen a system until we have the confidence that it is as good as we can possibly make it," he said.
He said the company has no evidence to suggest that customer data was compromised.
Mahlman said he has no knowledge if the breach might be connected to B.C. Premier David Eby's announcement late Wednesday that the province had detected "sophisticated cybersecurity incidents" involving government networks.
Mahlman wouldn't share "details of any interactions with the threat actors."
He said he's sorry that the company couldn't release more details in the days after the incident, but they didn't want to give the attackers any leverage.
"The cybersecurity experts deal with these people all the time, and as such, they see certain behaviours from certain threat actors," he said.
Mahlman said hackers look at media reports about the cyber attacks, assessing whether the company is aware of the extent of the breach and its ability to recover.
"They use that information to either sustain their attack or leverage in some sort of way against the company."
London Drugs will not knowingly give hackers that leverage, Mahlman said.
"We apologize to the media and our customers that we couldn't have given more details that they want, but that's our commitment to the safety and security of our systems and our customers."
London Drugs said on Tuesday that all 79 of its stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba had reopened, and Mahlman said it was a "very big step" to shut down its systems companywide to "contain and mitigate any potential damage."
"The level of sophistication and expertise of these international cyber threat actors is significant," Mahlman said.
In the B.C. government incident, Eby said provincial authorities were working with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other agencies to determine the extent of the problem, but there was currently no evidence that sensitive information had been compromised.
Mahlman said the investigation was ongoing with the help of cybersecurity experts from across the continent, and more work needed to be done to determine what information could have been accessed.
"We've never had to shut down all our stores before," Mahlman said. "I think the public may be shocked to know, and this is far from unique to London Drugs."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton dead following prison attack
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Ex-husband charged with murder in death of Lumby, B.C., woman
The ex-husband of Tatjana Stefanski – the woman whose disappearance and death set the small town of Lumby, B.C., on edge last month – has been charged with her murder.
Edmonton Oilers looking for a road win in decisive Game 5 against Dallas Stars
The Florida Panthers are a victory away from securing a berth in the Stanley Cup final and the Edmonton Oilers are looking for a road win in a pivotal Game 5 at Dallas.
Baby dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to woman who was in police custody
A newborn is dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to a woman in police custody.
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: 'I am completely heartsick and devastated'
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
DND moving 1,000 employees out of Ottawa office building due to safety concerns
The Department of National Defence is moving approximately 1,000 employees out of an office building in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood, citing safety concerns for its employees.
Man convicted of killing Toronto cop in 1980 granted day parole
A man convicted of murdering a Toronto police officer more than four decades ago has been granted day parole for six months.