Hackers are increasingly targeting Canada ‘s key infrastructure: Spy Agency New Cybersecurity

The agency reported 235 ransomware attacks against Canadian targets this year, half of which were from major infrastructure providers.

Global ransomware attacks are up 151 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared to 2020, according to the Canadian Signal Intelligence Agency, as hackers are increasingly bold.

Canada’s major infrastructure is regularly routed ransomware attacks in which hackers have basically hijacked computer information until it is paid, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said in a report released on Monday.

The agency said it knew 235 of them ransomware incidents Against Canadian targets from January 1 to November 16 this year. More than half were providers of critical infrastructure, including hospitals.

“Ransomware operators will be increasingly aggressive in their targets, including against critical infrastructure,” the CSE Canadian Cybersecurity Center said in a report.

The average cost of recovering from a ransomware incident has more than doubled to $ 1.8 billion worldwide in 2021, the Reuters news agency reported.

The CSE confirmed the actors Russia, China and Iran posed a serious threat to cyber infrastructure in countries like Canada.

“Russia’s intelligence services and law enforcement almost certainly maintain contact with cybercriminals, through associations or recruitment, and allow them to act with almost impunity, as long as they target attacks against targets located outside Russia,” the CSE said.

Anniversary of the SolarWinds hack

A Canadian cybersecurity company warned in a Canadian government report that attacks by Russian state’s elite hackers have barely eased since last year’s massacre. SolarWinds cyber-espionage campaign Aimed at U.S. government entities, including the Department of Justice, and businesses.

On the anniversary of the public announcement of SolarWinds’ intrusions, US cybersecurity company Mandiant said hackers linked to Russia’s foreign intelligence agency SVR continued to steal “Russian interests” data.

The hacking campaign was named SolarWinds because the US software company exploited its product in the first phase of this effort. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the hack.

Although the number of U.S. government agencies and companies hacked by SVR has been lower this year than last year, when about 100 organizations were breached, the damage is difficult to assess, said Charles Carmakal, Mandian’s technical manager.

Carmakal said “no one is reporting the incident[s] because they don’t always have to be legally informed, ”complicating the damage assessment process. But the overall effect is pretty serious. “Hacking companies are also losing information,” he said.

Mandiant did not identify individual targets or describe what specific information could be stolen, but said the target was “unspecified diplomatic entities” that received malicious phishing messages.

administration of Joe Biden, President of the United States he imposed sanctions in response to the SolarWinds hack last April, including against six Russian companies that support the country’s cyber efforts.