Exploit: Ransomware
Canadian Defence Academy: Military Training College System
Risk to Small Business: 1.694 = Severe
Computer systems at Canada’s four military academies have been taken offline by a purported ransomware attack. The schools affected include the Royal Military College, the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, the Canadian Forces College and the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute. Early indications suggest this incident resulted from a mass phishing campaign. An officer at an engineering school that was impacted reported the incident as a ransomware attack on his personal blog. The incident has not affected any classified systems or classified research.
Individual Risk: No personally identifying information or personal financial data was reported as exposed in this incident.
Customers Impacted: Unknown
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Ransomware is the business scourge that keeps information security professionals up at night. Most ransomware arrives through a successful phishing attack, and phishing is the biggest threat of 2020 so far, with a more than 600% increase in attempts noted since the start of the pandemic.