How do hackers get into your computer? Email being the biggest attack vector, how can you improve your protection? Did you know that web hacking has increased by 658% since the COVID-19 pandemic?
Dominic Villeneuve, cybersecurity specialist, demonstrated how hackers go about attacking victims during a luncheon conference of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges
(Photo: Denis Bourbonnais – The Southwest Voice)
These are some of the questions that were addressed by Dominic Villeneuve, Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at UV Insurance, during the last luncheon meeting organized by Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CCIVS).
Addressing more than fifty guests gathered at the Club de golf de Saint-Zotique, the speaker gave a live hacking demonstration to illustrate that the public can be part of the solution in the fight against cybersecurity. “Don’t fall victim to your carelessness. Take the time to look at how to protect yourself,” recommends the man who has been doing the job of an ethical hacker work for 25 years.
Mr. Villeneuve said that 61% of data thefts are attributable to a password that is too weak like Sherlock for example. In addition, human errors are responsible for 95% of the success of phishing emails.
“Think before you click if you have any doubts. Once hacked, the data goes into the dark web. The affected server will have one or more viruses on the hard drive that will activate when rebooting,” explains the cybersecurity specialist, who found breaches while working for the governments of Quebec, Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The speaker added that organized crime groups can have up to 150 people acting simultaneously to carry out attacks. He compares the situation to a hockey team defending 5 against 1 and that you are the goalie.
“All your employees must be goaltenders. It is important that they are trained in cybersecurity. Companies must establish an action plan to enable their employees to counter cyberattacks. The average cost of piracy for a company is now $4.2 million,” warns Dominic Villeneuve.
