Why experts fear Canada's not-for-profits are prime targets for hackers

ملخص مفصل

Cybersecurity experts interviewed by CBC News say the Crime Stoppers data breach, which exposed information linked to more than 1.5 million tips sent to Canadian chapters of the non-for-profit organization over 25 years, was not an outlier but rather one example of a worldwide threat.

When Paul Nichol first heard about the Crime Stoppers data breach, one thought immediately crossed his mind: "Holy crap, this happens every day."

"It was a real wake-up call for me. It was like, 'Oh yeah … this could happen to us,'" he told CBC News.

Nichol, who is from rural Brussels, Ont., manages one of the 267 offices of Community Futures, a national non-profit network that loans money to and advises local entrepreneurs.

"We do collect an enormous amount of data," like names, addresses and social insurance numbers, he said.

His organization fends off three or four phishing attempts a week, easily — in his experience, they are "very, very common."

"There’s always that little dark cloud behind you saying, 'Is today the day we’re going to get hacked?'"

Cybersecurity experts interviewed by CBC News say the Crime Stoppers data breach, which exposed information linked to more than 1.5 million tips sent to Canadian chapters of the non-for-profit organization over 25 years, was not an outlier but rather one example of a worldwide threat.

While most Canadians don't think of data breaches when they donate to a non-profit, experts warn they can gather datasets just as massive and sensitive as any commercial bank. But unlike a major bank, they lack the resources to defend themselves against increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks — and when these groups are breached, they often stay silent to protect donor confidence and community trust.

"Non-profits are targeted by everyone," said Stéphane Duguin, CEO of the Geneva-based Protect.ngo Foundation, in an interview with CBC News.

مطلع المقال، مقتطف من CBC News. لقراءة المقال كاملًا، افتحه على موقع الناشر.