Scheer promises to create ‘Canada Cyber Safe’ certification for digital
September 9, 2019 Giuseppe Valiante - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – Conservative party Leader Andrew Scheer is trying to reassure Canadians that if elected, his government would better protect their personal information following recent high-profile security breaches at major corporations that compromised the data of millions of Canadians. A…
The real reason for spike in cyber claims
June 17, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe number of reported cyber claims has jumped significantly, but it’s not because of the major breaches you’ve been reading in the headlines. Small to mid-sized organizations are at greater risk of cyber losses than large organizations, A.M. Best Company…
Nova Scotia Health Authority investigating possible privacy breach
June 10, 2019 THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – The personal health information of nearly 3,000 people may have been compromised in a phishing attack, the Nova Scotia Health Authority says. The health authority said Monday that it is investigating a “potential” privacy breach affecting 2,841 patients.…
How the EU’s data privacy law will apply to your Canadian clients
June 5, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe European Union’s new data privacy law can affect your clients even if they don’t have offices in Europe, a cyber security expert with one of the world’s biggest brokerages warns. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took effect…
This province lacks ‘reasonable’ cyber security: privacy commissioner
January 15, 2019 Keith Doucette - THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – A pair of reports slam the Nova Scotia government for failing to protect personal information, saying the risk management around its freedom-of-information website was inadequate and a privacy breach last year was preventable. In his report released Tuesday…
Privacy breach hotel faces class action in Canada
December 11, 2018 Tara Deschamps - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – Canadians who stayed at Marriott International Inc. and Starwood Canada ULC hotels are taking legal action against the companies following a security breach. At least three proposed class actions have been launched in Toronto and Montreal against the…
Data breach risk prompts new Ontario legislation
November 30, 2018 by Greg MeckbachRecent backlashes against Statistics Canada and Facebook have prompted Ontario lawmakers to make it harder to share consumer banking information. “Financial data is especially vulnerable to hacking,” Stephen Crawford, Ontario MPP for Oakville, said Thursday at Queen’s Park in Toronto.…
What led to massive Nova Scotia privacy breach
November 14, 2018 THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – An investigation by Nova Scotia’s privacy commissioner says health officials have been caught “snooping” on personal health records, something she says is a serious invasion of privacy and a prosecutable offence. In an annual report released Wednesday, commissioner…
Breach notification law calls for some ‘major adjustments’
November 13, 2018 by Greg MeckbachThe Canada-wide data breach law, which has been in effect for two weeks, is pushing businesses manage cyber risk more effectively, a computer security expert says. The federal Digital Privacy Act makes it mandatory for clients to disclose data breaches…
Why cyber can be a hard sell for brokers
September 24, 2018 by Greg MeckbachData breaches are all over the news, but convincing some corporate clients to spend in the neighbourhood of $1,000 a year for insurance coverage can be an uphill battle. Some cyber insurance products cost around $100 a year, but those…
Who are the ‘right people’ to respond to cyber incidents?
April 19, 2018 by Greg MeckbachProperly-trained employees are critical to managing cyber risk, especially with the nation-wide breach reporting law taking effect this fall, brokers and risk consultants told insurance professionals at a recent conference. On November 1, several new sections – including one mandating…
One easy way to reduce ransomware risk
March 2, 2018 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorRisk managers who teach employees what suspicious email looks like can drastically reduce the risk of being hit with ransomware, a commercial insurer executive said Wednesday. Ransomware is when criminals hack into computer systems, encrypt files and demand a ransom…