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        "rendered": "Cyber \u200b\u200brisk & Humans"
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        "rendered": "<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Phishing Explosion in Canada<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most vulnerable link in cybersecurity: humans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We see that in 2025, cybercriminals will target individuals more than systems with increasingly credible, personalized and localized phishing campaigns and the exploitation of human psychology for scams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Problem:<\/strong> Today, phishing accounts for more than 70% of attack vectors in Canada (source: CCC \/ Canadian Centre for Cyber \u200b\u200bSecurity).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worrying increase in phishing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some recent figures:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More than 47% of phishing attacks reported in 2024 compared to 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most targeted sectors: Healthcare, education, municipalities, SMEs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than 90% of incidents due to the compromise of professional emails begin with simple phishing emails<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phishing campaigns are increasingly targeting Quebec and local public organizations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Phishing Works<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Social engineering\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Attacks are now contextual and personalized (Example: Fake Canada Post notice, Fake email from Management, or fake HR summons)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The post-pandemic context\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With teleworking, information overload, and email management, <strong>people click faster and validate less.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human error remains unpredictable\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite annual training, a tired employee may click at the wrong time. No technical tool can prevent 100% of errors in judgment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real, fictional but probable case study<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2024, a small business in Laval received an email that appeared to be from its equipment supplier. An accounting employee clicked on a link leading to a fraudulent login page and then entered her credentials. Within 48 hours, the cybercriminals had:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Accessed internal messaging<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Edit bank details on PDF invoices<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wired $74,000 to a foreign account<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Consequence: The shock was both financial and psychological because the company was not covered by cyber insurance, nor did it have an incident response plan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key recommendations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Train Differently:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interactive phishing simulations (no PowerPoint training)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A positive error culture (don&#8217;t blame, but learn)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequent, concrete, role-based reminders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activate the right tools:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced anti-phishing filters (AI\/Contextualization)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Privilege segregation to prevent phishing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>React quickly:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One-click internal alert procedures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ready-made incident contact list (IT, Legal, Cyber \u200b\u200bAdvisor)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regular testing of the incident response plan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Cybersecurity is not only a matter of using security tools (firewalls and others) but it is also a human, cultural and organizational issue.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 5 reflexes to avoid a booby-trapped email<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check the sender carefully\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carefully observe the displayed names and the full address<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being suspicious of urgency or fear\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: \u201cYour account will be suspended in 24 hours.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cImmediate action required\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NB: Fraudsters want to force you to act quickly. It is advisable to take 10 seconds to breathe and check.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Never click on a link without hovering over it first\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check links to see the actual URL\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Long, weird, or distorted URLs = red flag.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Example: www.banque-canada.net.secure-login.ru<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beware of unexpected attachments\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Especially *.zip, *.exe, *.iso, *.html\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even a Word or PDF file can contain a malicious macro.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NB: Check with the sender through another channel (Example: Telephone)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trust your instincts and signal\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If anything seems abnormal, check and report it\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Avoid clicking and responding<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report the message to the IT department or security officer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important: Always enable MFA on all accounts and keep software up to date as this can be considered the first line of attack blocking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Good anti-phishing reflexes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Always verify the sender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take 10 seconds before clicking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review links before clicking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t download anything unexpected<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report any suspicious messages<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good reflex:<\/strong> Pause \u2013 Think \u2013 Check \u2013 Report<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>",
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        "rendered": "<p>We see that in 2025, cybercriminals will target individuals more than systems with increasingly credible, personalized and localized phishing campaigns and the exploitation of human psychology for scams.<\/p>",
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